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. If your evaporator coil (and refrigerant line) starts to freeze up again after doing these tasks, then you need a technician’s help.Every Problem has a Solution My AC isn’t working. My AC is making a strange noise. « Back Next » This can be Caused by your Thermostat: Make sure your thermostat is turned On Set 3 degrees below room temperature Turn Cool, not fan or heat If the thermostat screen is blank, then the battery is dead. Your Air Filter May be Dirty. Check yours and change if visibly dirty Your AC’s circuit breaker may have been tripped:

Here’s what to do: Find your breaker box and look for the circuit labeled “air conditioner” Try flipping that circuit to “off” and then “on” Give your air conditioner a couple minutes and see if it comes on now Glad we were able to help you solve your problem. We’ll be here if you need us again. Sounds like you need expert care. Please turn off your system and get professional help.determining ac unit size Schedule your repair appointmentdoes window ac unit save money My heater isn't workinghow central ac units work My heater is making a strange noise There's a strange smell when my heater runs No air is coming out of the vents Air is coming out of the vents, but it's not warm

Make sure power is getting to the furnace Check your home’s electrical panel. Flip the furnace’s circuit to “off” and then “on” again. Look for a switch (like a light switch) near your furnace and make sure it is set to "on". Your heat pump’s circuit breaker may have been tripped. Find your breaker box and look for the circuit labeled “heat pump” or “air conditioner”. Try flipping that circuit to “off” and then “on”. Give your heat pump a couple minutes and see if it comes on now. Note: If your heat pump is regularly tripping your circuit breaker, contact us immediately as there is a larger problem. Is there steam coming from the unit, as well? This is your heat pump's normal defrost mode. A moldy smell (like a dirty sock or locker room) This is likely normal. The smell should go away in a few minutes. Contact us if the smell persists. Turn off your furnace now! There could be a dangerous gas leak in your home.

Turn off your furnace immediately and contact a heating repair person. You need your regular maintenance This is usually caused by a dirty coil and/or lack of regular maintenance on your heater. Basset Heating & Air Conditioning of Colorado Springs specializes in residential air conditioner installation and replacement. Need a heating solution for your home? Our team provides the highest level of quality in furnace installations and replacements. Your indoor air quality is very important in terms of your family’s health and enjoyment inside of your Colorado Springs home. If your hot showers are becoming decidedly shorter and you have noticed a rusty color to the water, it is probably time to consider replacing that old water heater. Video Gallery Share This VideoThey came quickly, the technician was very professional and they gave me a fair price up-front before any work was done. I will use them again in the future if I need any plumbing work done in my home.

I called after hours when my water heater flooded my basement. The technician was at my house within an hour and was able to fix my water heater that night. He even was able to get a restoration company to my house that same night to start cleaning the mess in the basement. The technician was very nice and the rate were surprisingly reasonable for an after hours call. During this last storn of out my furnace went out had called around to get a few different quotes, they were all outrageous and then I called Basset Plumbing and Heating and his prices were very reasonable compared to the others I had called for quotes. He made it a point to get to me the same day that i called and even came early. Thank god he did because I have kids and it just got colder and colder outside. i will definitely use him again but I will also refer him to all of my friends and family . Oh and I need to also say that he was the nicest guy and cleaned up after himself, he made sure that he left no mess afterwards.

Thank you again Paul Prentiss and Basset Plumbing and Heating.One of the few companies that actually responds after hours on a weekend. Service was prompt, professional and very reasonably priced. Its nice to know there is a heating company that really treats its customers like people. petent and honest--everything you want in a service technician! Basset Heating went above and beyond our expectations in the service call, and seemed to genuinely care that our heater was repaired to a high standard. We will recommend this company to our friends.Saved me over $1,000 from a competitor bid on a new air conditioning system. Professionally installed and works wonderfully. Showed up on time as promised and issued the necessary permits so there weren't any surprises. Friendly and courteous service. Explained everything we needed to know about operating and maintaining our new AC as well as our existing furnace. Will definitely recommend to our friends and neighbors.Very professional and courteous.

Helped explain how my heater worked and gave me tips on how to maintain it. Was reasonably priced and did a fantastic job. I would recommend to all my friends and would definitely use them again.Basset Heating and Air was able to repair my system after I was Mislead by another company into believing I would have to replace the entire system at a very substantial cost. I literally saved thousands of dollars by getting a second opinion and now my system works great! The repairman was honest, courteous and very friendly. I will definitely recommend them to my friends, family and neighbors. Fixed my AC this summer. Works better now than it has in years. I am very happy with Basset Heating and Air. Was very nice and clean-cut.I had called three heating and air conditioning businesses before calling Basset about my error code 33 on my furnace. They all wanted to send a tech out and would not be for hours. At Basset, Mike had called me back within a half hour and talked me through steps to take.