Earlier today, my air conditioner turned off. I realized that the water switch had activated. There was water leaking out of the area where the condensate drain connects. I heard my condensate pump activating, and there didn’t seem to be any backup in that area of the line (from the the pump to outside). After drying everything off and resetting the switch, I put the AC back on. Water almost immediately started leaking from the unit (near the condensate connection). I took the front panel off, and there didn’t seem to be any water in the pan. It is badly rusted, which may be a concern. I got a brush and cleaned the condensate connection line. I was thinking about starting the unit with the cover off, so I could see the water. However, I wasn’t sure if it’s okay to put the AC on with the coil exposed. I put it back in place, started the unit, and there has been no leak. Is it really this simple? Maybe there was algae or mold at the connection point? If this were clogged, would water leak that quickly? The pan seemed deep enough that it would take more than a few seconds for it to overflow. I appreciate any help. I apologize in advance for the poor explanation. I am very new at working with HVAC, so I have a lot to learn.

I've received several estimates from various installers to retrofit an old house with an A/C. The house has a hot water boiler heating system so there are no heating ducts to work with. There seem to be three options: 1) high velocity ducted system, 2) mini split system with units on the exterior wall and 3) a ducted mini split system with an air handler in the attic and ducts running to the ceilings of all the rooms. The mini split systems are half the price of the high velocity system and the installation is much simpler and less intrusive. My favored system is the ducted mini split because it conditions every room while the ductless mini split system only has units in a few of the rooms. I was told by one of the installers that they would never use a ducted mini split because there is a air handling unit in the attic and condensate with water that will eventually cause damage. My question is that true? Are air handlers in the attic problematic because of water overflow? Thanks