Why do air conditioners freeze up

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Barbara Woerner 27 Mar Marilyn Maul 10 Mar Therefore, regular maintenance of the evaporator coil and air filters will go a long way in ensuring that your air conditioner continues to function properly. Fan or blower at the evaporator unit may not be functioning. When the unit is on, check that there is air flow coming out of the equipment. Otherwise, the fan may be damaged. In this case, the fan motor may have burnt or some loose connections may have occurred.

Get a technician to check if this is the case. Check that there is no blockage of air around the evaporator by ensuring that things are not placed too near to the evaporator. One other step you can do is to check the set temperature of the air conditioner. When the refrigerant in the system is low due to leakage over time, there will be a decrease in the saturation point temperature of the system.

When this happens, it will take a lower temperature for all the refrigerant liquid that has been compressed by the compressor to become vapor in the evaporator. This means that the operating temperature of the cooling coils has now dropped compared to the original design. These moisture that is supposed be cooled to a level which becomes water and drips to the condensate drainage pan is now stuck at the evaporator coils and fins forming ice around them.

When this continues on, eventually a block of ice is formed on it. When you see the ice being formed on the evaporator, off the unit and wait for the ice to melt. It could take a few hours for all the ice to melt. A faster way is to on the air conditioner but using Fan mode. That means, only the fan is operating but the compressor is off.

This will reduce the melting time of the ice but you will need to be around to monitor it as water may overflow and cause damage to your furniture or electrical items. A low refrigerant problem can only be solved by a qualified HVAC technician as additional refrigerant will have to be added to the system.

Another possible cause is when you are operating your air conditioner when the outdoor temperature outside the house is low. Our blog will take a closer look at this topic, including explaining why air conditioners freeze and a few simple things you can do to keep your cooling system in peak condition so you can enjoy cooler air all summer long.

The hotter it is, the more your system will run, and thus the chances of your system freezing increase. However, the actual cause of your system freezing is more detailed than just the weather—it also has to do with the condition of your system. Your air conditioner depends on a long length of metal tubing that contains a freezing-cold fluid known as refrigerant, known as a coil. Any dirt or grime that has accumulated on the surface of your coil acts as a thin insulator that prevents this heat transfer from happening as efficiently as possible.

As a result, it sits at a below-freezing temperature, and any water vapor that collects on the coil as a part of the cooling process then turns to frost. At this point, you can typically open up your coil and find it completely covered with a thick layer of ice and frost that is difficult to remove.

What causes your air conditioner to freeze over like this? There are two main factors that contribute to an air conditioner freezing over: airflow and a dirty coil.