Why Is My Air Conditioner’s Refrigerant Line Covered in Ice? Your outside air conditioning refrigerant line is covered in ice—which seems crazy in Arizona heat. Chances are, the indoor unit’s evaporator coil is frozen solid and cold liquid refrigerant is flowing to the outside unit through the refrigerant line (which is why it’s covered in ice). This is an evaporator coil. DO THIS RIGHT NOW: Turn off your AC and turn the fan setting to “On.” This will unfreeze the evaporator coil and prevent any damage to the compressor (a very expensive part you don’t want to replace). Now, let’s delve into what can cause an evaporator coil to freeze up and what you can do to ensure this never happens again. What causes the evaporator coil to freeze up An evaporator coil, a group of copper tubes, freezes when the refrigerant flowing through the tubes gets too cold, causing the moisture in the surrounding air to freeze. So what causes the refrigerant to get too cold?

Usually, it’s one of two things: Low airflow over the evaporator coil Low amounts of refrigerant What can cause these two problems? Let’s divide the possible causes into things you can solve right away and things you’ll need a technician to solve. Problems you can fix Clogged/dirty air filter—A dirty filter reduces airflow over the evaporator coil, causing it to freeze. Check the filter at least once a month. Closed supply vents—Don’t close supply vents (the vents that blow air out)—even in unused rooms. Closing vents reduces airflow over the evaporator coil. Blocked return vents—Ensure that furniture or curtains aren’t blocking the return vents (the grates where air gets sucked in).  Like closing supply vents, this reduces airflow over the evaporator coil. Problems a technician needs to fix Refrigerant leak— The main cause of low refrigerant is a refrigerant leak. The technician needs to evacuate the remaining refrigerant, and then find and—if possible—fix the leak.

Malfunctioning indoor blower— If the blower isn’t working properly, there may not be enough air blowing over the evaporator coil, causing it to freeze up. Dirty evaporator coil—Dirt blocks airflow over the evaporator coil, causing it to freeze up. Note: This list isn't exhaustive; it’s just a quick overview of common problems. Change the filter, and open and unblock any supply and return vents. air conditioning repair in salt lake cityIf your evaporator coil (and refrigerant line) starts to freeze up again after doing these tasks, then you need a technician’s help.how to size central air conditioning unitThere is ice on my AC unit.free standing ac units May 26, 2012   Subscribe So my air conditioning is not blowing cold air.

I go to the basement to check the unit, and there is about a half-inch of ice on the main pipe leading out of the unit. If the air conditioning coils in your home's unit have fallen victim to ice buildup, you'll have trouble getting your house properly cooled. Incorporating the aid of an air conditioning specialist can sometimes be costly, so before placing that call, make an effort to tackle this job on your own. Fortunately, provided the problem isn't indicative of something more serious, you can take care of the issue in just a few simple steps. Step 1 - Prep Your Air Conditioner Before proceeding to remove the ice from the coils, you will need to turn off your AC unit and disconnect it from its power source. Allow it to sit for several minutes, and you'll be ready to give the surrounding area a good looking-over. If you find any leakage or stains on the unit, your air conditioner will likely need to be looked at by a repair specialist. Leaks are often caused by low refrigerant levels and should only be tackled by someone well-versed in these machines.

If you're find nothing out of the ordinary upon inspection, you may proceed with the next step. Step 2 - Allow the Ice to Melt Keep the device turned off and disconnected to allow the ice to melt naturally. If it is warm enough for your AC to be active, this shouldn't take long. Step 3 - Clean Your Coils Now that the ice buildup has melted away, it's time to give the coils a good cleaning. Start by donning a pair of gloves and spraying the formerly ice-laden coils with a commercial coil cleaner. Next, use a scrub brush or expendable toothbrush to administer a vigorous scrubbing, making sure to purge any caked-on dirt deposits. Excessive dirt on your coils is a major cause of ice formation, so when performing this step, make a point of being very thorough. Once the coils have been successfully cleaned, spray them with a warm water-filled spray bottle in order to remove any remaining traces of the cleaner. Take a clean cloth and wipe the freshly cleaned coils dry.

Do not reconnect your AC unit to its power source or proceed to reuse the device until all the moisture is gone. Step 4 - Keep Your Air Conditioning Coils Ice-free Preventing ice buildup in the first place is the best way to ensure your AC doesn't run into frequent problems. Assuming your unit hasn't sprung a leak, the best way to avoid frozen coils is to abstain from running the air when the temperature is cool outside. Additionally, take care to give the coils periodic cleanings in order to avoid ice formation caused by excess filth. Pros and Cons of Using Radiant Ceiling PanelsWhy Does Central Air Conditioner Ice Up?We provide the ability to discuss your icing problem below. You will need to scroll down and search the link for the information you need to read or discuss. The icing problem within central air conditioning unit comes into difference categories. Here are the reasons and explanation to why central air conditioner builds ice. Yes, dirty filter does cause indoor coil to ice up.

The indoor coil is about 40°F. Dirty filter prevents the air from flowing through the indoor coil and cause it to freezes up. Dirty evaporator coil have the same reaction as the dirty filter, so read above. If you were to turn the Fan from Auto to ON, that is the indoor blower air coming from the supply vent. The indoor blower supposed to move the cold air surrounding the evaporator coil. If the blower doesn’t work, the cold air just stays there. It does not move. Lack of refrigerant inside central air conditioner cause the evaporator coil (indoor coil) to freezes up. Small leaks within the evaporator coil can cause the evaporator coil to build ice around it. Outdoor temperature is too lowRunning central air conditioner on low outdoor temperature can cause indoor coil to build frost. Metering device that is not providing the correct amount of refrigerant to the evaporator coil can cause the coil to ice up. Other Reason Why Central Air Conditioner Ice UpThis switch prevents air conditioner operates on low pressure.

Low pressure and temperature will cause the evaporator coil to ice up. No all central air conditioner have this low pressure switch. This is not likely going to occur! It’s just too silly to explain it. Restriction within the copper pipe Restriction can occurs near the indoor coil or anywhere in the copper pipe and cause that specific area to have ice or frost. The cost of having ice in the indoor coilCentral air conditioner ice up is a serious problem and most people do not see it that way. Ice in the indoor coil means there will be liquid Freon entering the Ac compressor. Why don’t we want liquid Freon to enter the compressor? Ac compressor can’t handle liquid Freon. It will damage the compressor. That is why we need the indoor coil to turn all liquid Freon to gas. If the evaporator coil has block of ice, it prevents the heat transfer to occur within the evaporator. The block of ice is kind up blocking the airflow through the evaporator coil. The cold Freon within the evaporator coil supposed to absorb the heat and turn to gas.

It can’t do that if there is block of ice on the evaporator coil. Central Air Conditioner Ice Up Discussion Location Where does the air conditioner ice up occur? Make sure to provide detail and description. Is this Heat Pump, regular air conditioner, window unit or portable ac? What is the Title? (Ex. Suction has ice, compressor ice up, evaporator ice up.. Click here to see the rest of the form and complete your submission.What Other Visitors Have Said Click below to read air conditioner icing discussion from other visitors... The Evaporator Coil Is Cover In Ice The radiator inside the home behind the air filter gets cover in ice, is this normal? It is causing the filter to get wet and start to rot. Regular Central Air Conditioner Icing Up. About a week and a half ago, we noticed that our central air conditioner did not seem to be working properly. We went outside to look at the unit … Outside Unit Has Ice My Carrier central ac is not reaching the temp set on the thermostat.