Call Us Now (888) 856-4507 What Causes my Air Conditioner to Freeze Up? Why Air Conditioners Freeze Up There are many reasons why your AC unit may be freezing up. Air conditioners need proper airflow to keep the cold coil warm. Warm air from the home is needed for the coil to stay cold and keep the temperature above freezing. Without it, coils freeze before the condensed water can be drained away from the unit. Since dirty air filters and closed air registers can impede airflow, it’s a good idea check the air filter and make sure the registers are both clear and open. A freeze up can also be caused by low refrigerant and improper fan operation. Low refrigerant levels make the coils too cold, and a faulty fan prevents air from moving. Faulty thermostats and drainage problems are often causes of a freeze up. In the cooling process, an AC unit condenses water vapor into liquid that drains outside. If the coils are frozen, the ice will cause a blockage for the drain hole.

The AC still runs, but doesn’t properly cool the home and uses a lot more electricity. If you have a window AC unit, you can use a hairdryer to unfreeze the coil. It’s also a good idea to check the drainpipe for any blockages, such as debris and twigs. automotive a/c recovery unitKeep in mind that running an air conditioner with frozen coils can lead to extensive damage of the compressor. top 10 split unit acThis is the most expensive part of an AC unit, and it’s not a repair or replacement that you want to face. ac unit layoutIf you’re unable to fix the frozen coil problem yourself, it’s always best to call a certified technician. At Custom Air & Plumbing, we fix all types of HVAC problems for businesses and residents, including AC freeze-ups. We know that the summers in Bradenton FL can be quite warm and respond quickly for HVAC repair.

As a matter of fact, our customers can call us any time or any day with our 24/7 emergency service. We’re always just a quick phone call away. As soon as you notify us, we will quickly dispatch a service technician. Your indoor comfort is our top concern. We send our customers top-notch technicians. Our technicians are both factory trained and NATE certified. They also arrive equipped with cutting-edge tools for troubleshooting, diagnosing and repair. In addition to a expert repair, you can expect a 100 percent guarantee on all of our repair work.  Please contact us for more information on HVAC products, service and repair.Although most air conditioners see their heaviest use during the hot summer months, it is still possible for a central or window air conditioning unit to freeze up during these months. Unfortunately, the solution isn’t quite as simple as just physically removing the ice in your AC system. To do so is treating the symptom and not the underlying cause, and it probably won’t permanently unfreeze your unit.

There are a variety of causes of this problem, all of which will dictate how you go about solving it. However, before you even begin to diagnose or repair the problem, the first thing you have to do is thaw the ice. To thaw an air conditioner unit, turn the entire unit off. Deactivate the breakers so that the circuits do not short out during the thawing process. WARNING: This is a very important step. The unit must be off and its breakers as well. Water and electrical appliances do not mix. As the air conditioner thaws, water will drip and leak from the unit itself. To prevent the thawing water from creating a mess, fix a trash bag or bucket underneath the air conditioner unit. Monitor this carefully over the next couple of hours as the ice melts. Once the ice has melted, allow the air conditioner unit to dry for 24 hours. Be careful that the unit is entirely dry before operating it again. There are several potential causes of freezing in an air conditioner unit.

The filters, cooling coils, and fins all may be completely or partially responsible. In order to ensure that your air conditioner does not continue to freeze in the future, examine each of these component pieces for maintenance needs. Filters that are worn out or dirty may contribute to freezing in an air conditioner. Check to see if the filters are broken or need to be replaced. Typically, you should plan on cleaning or replacing the filters in your air conditioner unit every two to three months. Test them to ensure that air can flow through them with ease. The cooling coils in the air conditioner unit, also known as evaporator coils, are also potential contributors to freezing units. Essentially, the coil evaporates heat from the inside of the unit to the outside of the air conditioner system. By removing this heat, the coil lowers its temperature, and in conjunction with your AC’s coolant, this is the component that actually gets cold and allows your system to blow cool air.

Because of either poor airflow within the unit, which can stem from the filter problem mentioned above, or a lack of coolant, the evaporator coil can overcool itself to the point of creating condensation, which eventually freezes into the ice. To treat the cooling coils, clean any dirt off of them carefully. As you do this, be careful not to bend any of the cooling fins that are attached. The cooling fins work in harmony with the evaporator coil. The fins are electric or mechanical. They are just physical structures that increase surface area for heat transfer within the unit. In the case of an air conditioner, the fins provide more surface area for heat to travel along and it moves away from the cooling coil and out of the unit and into the atmosphere. Assuming the fins aren’t broken, the best way to treat them is to use a vacuum cleaner to thoroughly clean the fins. Examine the air conditioner fans to ensure that they are working properly as well. If you’ve ruled out other potential causes, it may be time to test the coolant levels, as this is a frequent cause of air conditioner freezing.