If your air conditioner seems to be losing its cooling ability, the problem may be as simple as frozen or clogged air conditioning coils. Other causes of reduced cooling include restricted air flow and low refrigerant. Even though you may not be experienced in AC service, you can fix all three of these probable causes in several easy steps. Step 1 - Thaw Frozen Condenser Coils Find your electrical breaker box and turn off the switch that controls power to your air conditioner, and allow the coils to thaw. Depending on the ambient air temperature around your condenser unit, it could take up to 24 hours for the coils to melt any ice that is plugging them. Step 2 - Dry the Air Conditioner Coils Once your condenser has had time to thaw completely, remove any pooled or standing water and use a towel to dry any remaining moisture that may remain on the machinery. Step 3 - Turn the Air Conditioner's Fan On After turning the breaker switch on again to restore electricity to your AC, find the thermostat that controls your unit.

Set the thermostat control so that only the air conditioner's blower, or fan, is operating. The fan will help melt any ice or frost clogging the coils by circulating air through them. Step 4 - Heat the Condenser's Coils You can speed up the thawing process by using a hand-held hair dryer. Be sure when you use this method of heating that you switch the dryer setting to low heat. how to install portable ac unitsA heat setting that is too high can crack the condenser's coils.warranty on new ac unit Step 5 - Check Vent Filterssingle outdoor unit ac Vent filters, when clogged with dirt and dust, are likely to reduce air flow and conditioner's ability to cool your house. To maximize cooling efficiency, you will need to check your vent filters.

If they are dirty or clogged, replace them with new ones. If you don't have extra filters on hand, you'll find them at most hardware or home improvement stores. Step 6 - Add Coolant Another condition that often reduces cooling efficiency is low coolant in your AC unit. The best way to check for low coolant, and add it when necessary, is to buy a coolant installation kit which you can usually find at a nearby home improvement store. Most of these kits will include directions for adding the coolant. Step 7 - Test the Cooling Capacity Once you have completed the rest of these steps, test your air conditioner's ability to cool. Turn the thermostat setting to "cool," wait a few minutes, and then test the air coming from the vents. If the air blowing through the vent is as cool as you would like it to be, you can rest assured your repairs were successful. How to Clean Air Conditioner CoilsAlthough 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.