Why Heat Pumps Make Water in the First Place
A heat pump moves heat by passing air over a cold coil (in cooling) or a warm coil (in heating), and water is a natural by-product of that process. In cooling mode, warm household air hits the cold indoor coil and the moisture in it condenses into liquid — the same way a cold drink sweats on a summer day. That condensate is supposed to collect in a drain pan and flow outside.
In heating mode during a Greater Vancouver winter, the outdoor unit gets cold enough to frost up, then runs a defrost cycle that melts the frost. The resulting water drips from the base of the outdoor unit. This is the equipment working exactly as designed.
So water, by itself, isn't a sign of trouble. The questions that matter are: where is the water, how much is there, and is it landing somewhere it shouldn't?
Signs It's Just Normal Condensation
A few patterns almost always indicate normal operation. Water dripping or pooling under the outdoor unit — in summer cooling or during winter defrost — is normal. You may see a steady trickle from drain ports on the outdoor unit's base, and that's fine.
A thin, even film of moisture on the outdoor coil or a light frost on a cold morning is also normal; the unit will defrost itself. Outside, condensate draining steadily from the end of the drain line where it exits the house is the system doing its job.
Indoors, a properly working system should stay dry. You shouldn't see water on the floor, the wall, or the ceiling. If everything indoors is dry and the only water is outside near the equipment or at the drain outlet, you're almost certainly looking at normal condensation — no service needed.
Signs It's a Real Leak
The clearest sign of a genuine leak is water indoors where it shouldn't be: dripping from a wall-mounted head onto the floor, pooling around a ducted air handler in a closet or attic, or staining a ceiling below the indoor unit. Carpet that's wet near the unit, a musty smell, or water damage on drywall all point to a drainage failure, not condensation.
Other red flags include the volume suddenly increasing — a unit that produces far more water than usual often has a frozen coil dumping meltwater. Ice visible on the indoor coil or refrigerant lines (as opposed to normal outdoor winter frost) is a problem. So is a system that shut itself off and left water behind, which suggests a safety float switch tripped on an overflowing pan.
Finally, oily residue around the equipment is not condensate — it can indicate a refrigerant leak, which is a separate, regulated issue that needs a licensed technician.
Quick At-Home Test and When to Call
Here's a simple way to sort it out. Step one: is the water indoors or outdoors? Outdoors near the equipment or at the drain outlet usually means normal condensation. Indoors means a leak. Step two: if it's outdoors but seems excessive, check that the drain line is actually flowing and not backing up. Step three: if it's indoors, turn the system off to stop adding water, then check the air filter and clean it if dirty — a clogged filter is a common cause of an indoor leak.
If the water is indoors and a filter clean doesn't stop it, or you see ice on the indoor coil, an oily residue, or the system shut itself off, it's time for a technician. Don't open the refrigerant circuit or the electrical cabinet yourself.
Heat pumps are serviced by our parent company, CanroHeat. When in doubt, call 604-359-1081 — we'll help you figure out over the phone whether it's normal or a leak, and send someone if it needs a look.
How Vancouver's Climate Changes What's Normal
Greater Vancouver's damp, mild climate shapes how much condensation you'll see, and it's worth knowing what to expect through the year. In a humid summer stretch, the indoor coil pulls a lot of moisture out of the air, so the system drains more water than it would in a dry climate — a steadier flow at the outdoor drain outlet is normal on those days, not a sign of a leak.
In the shoulder seasons of spring and fall, you may notice the outdoor unit cycling between light frost in the cool early morning and dripping condensate by afternoon. Both are normal. In winter heating mode, expect to see the outdoor unit frost up and then shed meltwater during its defrost cycles, sometimes leaving a small patch of water or thin ice on the pad beneath it.
Where the local climate creates real problems is drainage that can't keep up: an outdoor drain line that freezes shut on a cold night, or a line carrying heavy summer condensate that overflows because it's partly clogged. Those tip from normal condensation into a leak. If the volume looks normal for the season and stays outdoors, you're fine; if it's pooling indoors or the outdoor drain has clearly stopped flowing, have it checked.