It’s a strange sight to walk outside into the summer heat only to find your air conditioner caked in ice. If this happens, odds are that you woke up and your house seemed a bit warm, you figured out that it was because the air conditioner is not on and then you went to investigate and saw that it was frozen!
Regardless of the order in which you discovered your AC unit was frozen, the fine air conditioning repair technicians of BR McGinty are here to explain the possible causes of why your air conditioner has frozen and is no longer pumping that cooling goodness into your home. Look below for some of these reasons and contact us if you have any questions!
Why is my AC frozen?
Here are some possible causes for a freezing AC unit:
Poor air circulation
The first possible cause could be that there is poor air circulation in your air conditioning unit. If there is restricted airflow around your AC system’s evaporator coil, this will cause the temperature in the system to drop well below freezing. Combine that with the existing moisture in the air and you have a recipe for a frozen air conditioner.
The restriction in airflow could be caused by:
- A dirty air filter
- Clogged ducts
- Inefficient blower motors
- Debris built up on the all-important evaporator coil
Low refrigerant
Next on the list of possibilities is a refrigerant leak or low levels of refrigerant in the line. The decrease of air pressure in the evaporator coil will cause the humidity in the air to freeze over the coil. The line where the refrigerant is distributed needs to be undisturbed so that is can be evenly moved throughout the system, therefore the moisture in the air won’t collect over one portion of the line and freeze.
Using the AC overnight
If you are running your air conditioner during cool nights which are generally around the 60°F mark, there is a strong possibility that the internal systems of your AC could freeze up overnight.
Our air conditioning repair pros suggest that when the temperature hits 60°F at night to avoid running the air conditioner as much as possible to avoid any freezing issues.
How to fix a frozen AC unit
Here are some steps to troubleshoot the problem:
- Immediately switch off the unit and let it defrost
- Make sure that there is nothing restricting airflow to the system
- Change the air filter, if needed
- Open all of the registers around your home
- Double check that nothing is obstructing return vents, like drapes or other furniture
Contact Us
After it has thawed out and you notice that your air conditioning system is still not functioning properly, call a trusted Little Rock air conditioning repair technician at BR McGinty.
