--- title: "AC Leak Water Damage Cleanup, Palm Beach & Broward | 1st Class Restoration" description: "AC leaking into a closet, ceiling or floor? We remove the water, dry walls, ceilings and floors and check for mold in Palm Beach and Broward. Free on-site estimates." url: https://1stclassrestore.com/ac-leak-water-damage/ updated: 2026-10-22 --- # AC Leak Water Damage Cleanup in Palm Beach & Broward When an air conditioner leaks into a closet, ceiling or floor, 1st Class Restoration removes the water, dries the walls, ceilings and flooring, and checks for mold. We work in homes, condos and businesses across Palm Beach and Broward counties, Florida. Call (728) 233-1041, 24/7, for a free on-site estimate. ## Call us if you have: - Water on the floor around the indoor unit or in the AC closet - A ceiling stain or drip under an attic air handler - Wet carpet or swollen baseboards next to the AC closet - A musty smell when the AC runs - An AC that keeps shutting off and a pan full of water ## Key facts - **Usual causes:** A clogged condensate drain line, a rusted or cracked drain pan, a failed condensate pump or a frozen coil that thaws - **Where the water goes:** Closet floors, baseboards and walls around the air handler, the ceiling under an attic unit, or the unit below in a condo - **Drying window:** The U.S. EPA advises drying wet materials within 24 to 48 hours to help prevent mold - **Not included:** AC repair (call an HVAC technician), rebuild and drywall replacement - **Service area:** Palm Beach County and Broward County, Florida, plus parts of Miami-Dade County - **Hours:** 24/7, including nights, weekends and holidays. Call [(728) 233-1041](tel:+17282331041) - **Estimates:** Free on-site estimates. For mold, a free estimate is not a mold assessment. - **Florida mold licenses:** Mold Assessor MRSA5754 and Mold Remediator MRSR5743, held by Daniel J. Mustelier ([verify](https://www.myfloridalicense.com/wl11.asp)) - **Payment:** You pay us directly. We don't bill insurance companies or handle claims; we provide documentation you can submit to your insurer. - **Ownership:** The restoration brand of 1st Class Facility Services, a veteran-owned company In South Florida's humidity, your AC pulls a lot of water out of the air every day. It's supposed to run down a drain line. When that line clogs or the pan under the unit rusts through, the water goes into the closet, the ceiling or the floor instead, often for days before anyone notices. ## Why AC units leak - Clogged condensate drain lines. Algae and sludge build up in the line, the water backs up and the drain pan overflows. - Rusted or cracked drain pans, common in older air handlers - Failed condensate pumps on units that can't drain by gravity - Frozen evaporator coils that thaw and overflow the pan - Drain lines that came loose or were never connected properly - Missing or failed float switches that should shut the AC off when the pan fills ## Where the water ends up ### AC closets Air handlers in hallway or utility closets leak onto the floor and wick into baseboards, the walls around the closet and the flooring in the next room. ### Attic air handlers and ceilings A unit in the attic leaks into the insulation and then the ceiling below. By the time a stain shows up, the insulation above it is usually soaked. Stay out from under a sagging ceiling. See [ceiling leaks](https://1stclassrestore.com/water-damage-restoration/#ceiling-leaks). ### Condos and apartments An AC closet leak in one unit can run down into the unit below. Tell your neighbor and your association or building manager right away. See [leaks from the unit upstairs](https://1stclassrestore.com/water-damage-restoration/#condo-leaks). ## What to do right now - Turn the AC off at the thermostat. That stops new water from forming. - If water is near the air handler's wiring or an outlet, shut off power to the unit at the breaker, but only from a dry spot - Soak up standing water and move rugs, boxes and anything else off the wet floor - Take photos of the leak and the damage before anything is moved - Call an HVAC technician to clear the drain or fix the unit, and call us for the water damage ## Cleanup, not AC repair We handle the water damage: extracting the water, measuring how far it spread, removing wet insulation, baseboards and carpet pad that can't be saved, drying the walls, ceilings and floors, and checking for mold. Clearing the drain line or repairing the AC is an HVAC technician's job. If the cause isn't fixed yet, we'll tell you before we start so the leak doesn't come right back. ## Mold after an AC leak AC closets are dark, warm and often damp, so the drywall behind and under an air handler is a common place for mold to start after a leak. A musty smell when the AC runs is a warning sign. If mold has started, Florida's licensing rules apply to areas larger than 10 square feet. See [mold remediation](https://1stclassrestore.com/mold-remediation/) for how contained removal works, or [mold assessment](https://1stclassrestore.com/mold-assessment/) if you need to find out what's there first. Florida law doesn't let one company do both on the same property within 12 months. ## Homes, condos and businesses We handle AC leaks in single-family homes, condos and townhomes, and in offices, stores, restaurants and medical offices. In condo buildings we can work with the association or manager so every affected unit gets dried. For businesses, see [commercial water damage and mold restoration](https://1stclassrestore.com/commercial/). Part of our [water damage restoration](https://1stclassrestore.com/water-damage-restoration/) service. ## How we handle ac leak jobs 1. **Stop the water** Make sure the AC is off or the drain is cleared so no new water comes in. 2. **Measure** Map moisture in the closet, walls, ceiling and flooring so nothing wet gets missed. 3. **Extract** Remove standing water from floors and carpet. 4. **Remove what can't be saved** Take out soaked insulation, swollen baseboards, carpet pad and drywall that won't dry. 5. **Dry** Set up air movers and dehumidifiers and check readings until materials are dry. 6. **Flag mold** If mold shows up, we stop and explain your options under Florida's mold licensing rules before any mold work starts. ## AC Leak FAQ ### Should I turn off my AC if it's leaking water? Yes. Turning it off at the thermostat stops new condensation from forming, so the leak stops getting worse. The house will get warmer and more humid, so get an HVAC technician to clear the drain or fix the unit quickly, and have the wet areas dried. ### Can an AC leak cause mold? Yes. AC leaks often go unnoticed for days, and the closet around an air handler is dark and humid. The U.S. EPA advises drying water-damaged materials within 24 to 48 hours to help prevent mold growth. If the drywall or flooring stayed wet longer than that, have it checked. ### Can water from an attic AC unit damage the ceiling? Yes. The water soaks the insulation first and then the drywall, which can stain, sag or come down. Stay out from under a sagging ceiling and call us. We remove wet insulation and drywall that can't be saved and dry the space above the ceiling. ### Do you fix the AC? No. An HVAC technician clears the drain line, replaces the pan or pump, or repairs the unit. We clean up and dry the water damage it caused and check for mold. ## AC Leak Water Damage near you We serve Palm Beach and Broward counties, plus parts of Miami-Dade County. - [West Palm Beach](https://1stclassrestore.com/service-areas/west-palm-beach/) - [Boca Raton](https://1stclassrestore.com/service-areas/boca-raton/) - [Delray Beach](https://1stclassrestore.com/service-areas/delray-beach/) - [Boynton Beach](https://1stclassrestore.com/service-areas/boynton-beach/) - [Jupiter](https://1stclassrestore.com/service-areas/jupiter/) - [Palm Beach Gardens](https://1stclassrestore.com/service-areas/palm-beach-gardens/) - [Wellington](https://1stclassrestore.com/service-areas/wellington/) - [Fort Lauderdale](https://1stclassrestore.com/service-areas/fort-lauderdale/) - [Hollywood](https://1stclassrestore.com/service-areas/hollywood/) - [Pompano Beach](https://1stclassrestore.com/service-areas/pompano-beach/) - [Coral Springs](https://1stclassrestore.com/service-areas/coral-springs/) - [Pembroke Pines](https://1stclassrestore.com/service-areas/pembroke-pines/) [All service areas](https://1stclassrestore.com/service-areas/) ## Other ways we can help - [Water Damage Restoration](https://1stclassrestore.com/water-damage-restoration/): Burst pipes, AC overflows, water heater failures and roof leaks. We find the source, remove the water and dry the structure. - [Mold Assessment](https://1stclassrestore.com/mold-assessment/): Licensed mold inspection and sampling, with a written report and protocol you can take to any independent licensed remediator. - [Mold Remediation](https://1stclassrestore.com/mold-remediation/): Licensed, contained mold removal: containment, HEPA air filtration, removal of affected materials and cleaning. - [Storm & Flood Damage](https://1stclassrestore.com/storm-flood-damage/): Hurricanes, tropical storms and flash flooding. Emergency board-up and tarping, water removal, drying and floodwater cleanup. - [Fire & Smoke Damage](https://1stclassrestore.com/fire-smoke-damage/): Soot and smoke residue cleanup, odor removal, and drying out the water left behind by firefighting. - [Sewage Cleanup](https://1stclassrestore.com/sewage-cleanup/): Sewage backups, toilet overflows and drain line failures. Contaminated water removed, the area cleaned, sanitized and dried. ## Contact 1st Class Restoration - Phone: (728) 233-1041 (24/7) - Email: dan@1stclassfs.com - Website: https://1stclassrestore.com/ - Service area: Palm Beach County and Broward County, Florida - Florida licenses: Florida Mold Assessor License MRSA5754; Florida Mold Remediator License MRSR5743