Time and time again I find dirty and missing air filters. This is the most simple maintenance item yet the one most neglected. You should know this causes premature cooling unit failure and costly repairs, not to mention the health considerations. Shown in this photo: A Wise Inspector Scott Adcock

Do you see the streak on the brick just below that short white pipe at the left hand side of this photo. This is a dead give away that the primary condensation line has stopped up and the back up pan is full of water, rusting and leaking. See the photo below to see the rest of the story.

The pipe shown in this photo is connecting the outdoor cooling unit to the inside portion of the cooling unit. This pipe gets very cold when the unit is cooling. This section will drip constantly on a hot day with the cooling unit running. Notice a water stain on the ceiling? This may be the culprit. A minor repair to insulate this pipe is recommended.

As you can clearly see the back up overflow pan is full of water and rusting. This has been this way for a year or so. Left undetected the next stage of failure is really bad news. This rusty water mixture overflows the pan and floods the house. Many times a simple cleaning of the primary condensation line ( Shown top white pipe in this photo. ) will prevent overflow and damage.

This is also a common condition with older homes, however if a new installation is not set up correctly you can often have leakage the first good hot summer.