Why Is My Air Conditioner Freezing Up?

This question gets asked a lot. People go outside and notice a chunk of ice on their machine and wonder how it got there, why it's getting bigger, and, if it went away before, why it keeps coming back. There are several reasons why this can occur, but in order to completely resolve the situation a service call from an HVAC expert is needed most of the time. This is because the most common reason for this occurrence is improper maintenance and inspection of your air conditioning unit.

One reason your air conditioner might be freezing up is because of constant leakage as a direct result of low refrigerant or low Freon levels. It is extremely important that you routinely check your refrigerant levels so your unit can perform adequately. If low refrigerant is the reasoning behind your frozen air conditioning unit, your coils become cold and ice begins forming. The ice acts as its own insulation, building more ice upon itself until it becomes a large block. Running your unit with this type of ice formation can damage the compressor, which would be a very costly repair. If you find that ice is building up, and you can't get an HVAC expert to come out to your house as quickly as you like, you can try turning off your compressor and letting the fan run to see if it melts the ice build-up. Another culprit for freezing air conditioners is the evaporator coil. Make sure the coil has a good place to drain (typically, this would be a hose or pipe). If the problem persists, even after ensuring that the coil is draining properly, it is probably time to call an air conditioning technician.

Dirt formation can wreak some damage on your machine. If your coil filter or blower wheel in your furnace becomes dirty, the air flow will be restricted. This, in turn, drops the cooling point of the coil below freezing. Make sure you check your vents regularly and clean them regularly. In addition to this maintenance, you should also change your filters frequently. Some other reasons for freezing air conditioning units may be as simple as using ducts that are too small for your unit or merely the outside temperature being too cold. If the problem is the latter, you can easily purchase a temperature regulator that can be placed on your unit to prevent freezing.

All in all, many times this problem can be prevented by performing routine checkups on your equipment to verify that there are no leaks, no dirt accumulation, and proper refrigerant levels. While some of this can easily be done by yourself, if your problem persists, it may be time to call in an HVAC exert. While this will cost you a little money in the moment, it will save you a lot of money in the long run since neglecting the issue can mean a compressor replacement which is extremely costly.