When a homeowner is having problems with their home’s air conditioning system and finds that isn’t quite as cool inside the home as it is supposed to be, it often leads to home investigation. As the homeowner begins inspecting their home air conditioning system, they might notice that parts of the air conditioning unit are frozen. Often an HVAC technician gets asked “why are parts of my air conditioner frozen?” This is a sign that there is something wrong and the actual causes can vary. Agape Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing will share what causes the air conditioner to freeze and what can be done to correct the problem.
Why is My Central Air Conditioner Outside Unit Freezing Up?
First, it helps to understand why air conditioners will freeze up. Ice usually develops in three places. One is outside on the copper line or on the condensate or evaporator coils. There are several reasons why one or sometime all three of these parts will freeze up and get covered with ice. It is important to know that when ice does build up on these parts, it is not a good sign. Sometimes it can be a serious to very minor problem. In general, something caused an imbalance of temperature in the refrigerant system and often interrupted the coolants flow to the coils. The coils are designed to absorb heat from the moving air inside the home. In most cases, the refrigerant is absorbing incorrectly or not enough warm air is being circulated to the indoor coils which is why they will freeze up.
My Central Air Conditioner is Not Cooling the House Well
The major problem when ice builds up inside the air conditioner and its system is that it can’t circulate cool air correctly. The common misconception is that there is too much cold air which is why the coils are freezing up. In fact this isn’t true at all. The warm air isn’t being removed correctly which is why it still feels hot inside the home. Additionally, the cool air can’t circulate into the home either. This is because the refrigerant can’t move through the air conditioner as it is blocked by ice. In addition, the ice continues to build up around the coils. Without the refrigerant, the rest of the house can’t get cooled down.
How Do You Fix a Frozen Central Air Conditioner?
Do you know where to point the finger when it comes to the air conditioner freezing up? Some of the common culprits are a broken fan motor which causes poor air circulation. Sometimes if you clean and lubricate the fan, that’s enough to help circulate the air correctly. Other times the fan is completely broken and needs to be replaced. Another major culprit is dirty air filters. Yes, something as simple as dirty air filters can cause the air conditioner to freeze. Again dirty air filters causes poor air circulation which leads to an imbalance in temperature. Short cycle is a combined problem that can lead to frozen coils. However there are other problems that is causing the short cycling. If you have experienced short cycle, know that it can cause the coils to ice up.
Air Conditioner Repair, Replacement & More in Manhattan, Flushing, Queens, Brooklyn & The Bronx, New York
If your air conditioner is icing up, contact a professional HVAC technician to inspect your air conditioner. They will be able to determine the cause of the freezing and repair your air conditioner and any other failing systems. For all of your HVAC needs, contact Agape Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing today.
