When functioning properly, AC units will produce cold air that circulates throughout your home – but that doesn’t mean your AC unit should be frozen.
On the contrary, the presence of visible ice is a serious concern that typically indicates an underlying problem.
And if you don’t address it, you can expect poor performance as your AC unit struggles to cool down your home.
Inspect Your AC Unit for Ice
Not every component of an AC will freeze up.
Rather, ice most commonly forms on the evaporator coil as well as the copper “suction” line connecting to the evaporator coil to the unit’s outdoor condenser.
When walking around the side of your home, you may discover the suction line is covered in a layer of solid ice. If you inspect the evaporator coil inside your home, you’ll probably discover that it’s also covered in ice.
Restricted Airflow
AC units require constant airflow to function properly.
Blocked ducts or a broken fan motor will restrict airflow throughout your home, thereby allowing moisture vapor to accumulate on the coils.
The moisture vapor may then freeze to create a layer of ice over the evaporator coil.
Low Refrigerant
Perhaps the most common cause of frozen AC units is low refrigerant.
Granted, if your AC unit is frozen, there’s still some refrigerant circulating through the system, but there could be an insufficient amount of refrigerant.
How does low refrigerant levels lead to a frozen AC unit exactly?
Well, if your AC unit uses R22 refrigerant, its properties will change depending on the pressure of your AC system. As some of the R22 refrigerant leaks out, the loss of pressure will cause it to expand while simultaneously becoming too cold.
Clogged Filter
A clogged air filter can cause your AC unit to freeze.
All air that is cooled by the AC unit must pass through the filter, and if it’s clogged, the lack of airflow may lead to the formation of ice on the evaporator coil and suction line.
What You Should Do
If your AC unit is freezing up, you should check to make sure your filter is clean and the ducts aren’t obstructed.
Checking refrigerant levels, on the other hand, is a more difficult process that requires the services of a trained and certified HVAC technician.
Assuming your filter is clean and the ducts aren’t obstructed, consider scheduling an appointment with a local HVAC technician to test the refrigerant levels.
If you are experiencing an air conditioner that has frozen up on you call us at 512-336-1431 to schedule an appointment. We’ll be glad to come out and take a look at the issue.
1431-183 A/C & Heating proudly serves Round Rock, Georgetown, Cedar Park, Pflugerville, Leander, Liberty Hill, and North Austin.
