You wake up late at night because you can no longer bear the heat. You know that the AC is running, but for some reason, it does not seem to work. The home is still hot and humid. You stand up and check the unit and find out that the coils are frozen. What do you do?
Marsh Heating and Air Conditioner is your preferred HVAC company in Golden Valley MN. We help homeowners fix their frozen AC units and restore the comfort in their homes.
Turn it off and dry the coils.
To safely turn the unit off, do it both at the unit itself as well as the electrical breaker. Doing so will let the ice melt. However, this process may take several hours, so choose a day when you plan to spend the day out. It this step does not seem to work, you can simply turn the compressor off but keep the blower running.
As much as possible, do not run the AC while the evaporator coils are freezing. Operating the unit with frozen coils adds strain to the compressor, which is a very expensive part to repair or replace.
When the ice is completely thawed, dry the coils. If the unit is turned off, turn it back on and allow the blower to run. This will allow the air to circulate around and through the coils to dry them faster. When the unit is completely dry, it should run properly. If the problem persists, call a qualified professional for help.
Check for airflow issues.
Your cooling system can freeze up if it has insufficient airflow, which can happen due to excessive dirt. Operating your system with dirty components suffocates the unit and causes the coils to drop below freezing. The humidity in the air also contributes to the problem as it collects on the coils, making an even greater ice buildup on your AC.
Understand that the dirtier the filter gets, the more it compromises your system’s airflow. When a dirty filter restricts airflow, there’s an inadequate amount of air passing through the system to transfer heat from your home to the refrigerant. This makes the refrigerant colder than normal, leading to an ice buildup on the coils.
If a dirty filter is the only source of ice buildup on the system, replacing it should solve the problem. Refer to your user’s manual to determine if you have a replaceable or a reusable filter.
Moreover, inspect the points at which the airflow may be damaged, such as registers, duct connectors, or the ductwork itself. If the ducts are excessively dirty, they can block the airflow to the unit. In this case, you may need to call a cooling expert to further inspect your ductwork and make the necessary adjustments. Cleaning of the ducts may also be required to clear the blockage from the system.
Check for refrigerant leak.
One reason for your cooling system to freeze up is that it has insufficient refrigerant level. Leakage can happen when the refrigerant line has damage, causing a decrease in the saturation point temperature of the system. When this occurs, you need to set the thermostat to a much lower temperature for the remaining refrigerant to become vapor in the evaporator. As a result, the AC will cause moisture buildup from the air, which becomes ice on the evaporator when the temperature goes below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
Now, the moisture that is supposed to be cooled to a level that turns into water and drips to the condensate drain is trapped on the evaporator coils, causing the formation of ice.
The ideal fix for this problem is to have an AC expert spot the leak, seal it off, and recharge the refrigerant to the correct level.
Need Help? Call Marsh Heating and Air Conditioning
To deal with a frozen AC the right way, be sure to give us a call. Our AC professionals will get your unit up and running in no time. We are your dependable Crystal AC repair company. We’d love to sit down with you and help you restore the cool breeze in your home as quickly as possible.