You come back home after a long day at work only to realize that your air conditioner is not working. It can be quite frustrating and can cause some minor panic, especially during the hot summer months.
Air conditioners run long and hard during the warmer months of the year to keep your house cool. While you enjoy the chilling and comfortable air inside your house, you should make sure that your air conditioner is in the condition to last throughout the summer.
Freezing AC coils is a common nuisance and most probably requires a professional HVAC contractor to handle the repair and maintenance if your “DIY unfreezing” tactics fail.
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Why Do Air Conditioning Coils Freeze?
Without proper airflow, the cool air doesn’t distribute through the air conditioner evenly and may cause the temperature of the evaporator coil to drop. In turn, this increases the chances for the air conditioner coil to freeze.
Coil freeze can occur mainly due to any sort of obstruction in the airflow of your air conditioner. Often, the ill-maintained fans, vents, filters, and pipes contribute to a restricted flow of cool air. Hence, cool air floating inside and around the coils of your AC can cause freezing. Moreover, when ice builds up on your AC coil, it impedes the heat transfer causing inefficient cool air production.
Causes of Frozen AC Coils – How to Fix?
1. Dirty Air Filters Can Cause Frozen AC Coils
Dirty filters prevent adequate airflow inside your AC. When the dirty filters prevent the air from moving out or in the AC, it causes the cool air to build up. Without proper airflow, the cool air lowers the temperature inside the AC and causes the coil to freeze.
How to Fix?
Regular inspection and maintenance can help to detect any ill-condition filters inside your AC. Replacing the old and dirty filters all at once can cause a sufficient airflow to let the cool air distribute rather evenly inside your house. Removing clogs, cleaning the filters, and replacing old ones can help ensure free airflow.
2. Broken Fans Can Impact Air Flow, Causing Coils to Freeze
While your filters remain clean, broken fans and components can cause the air conditioner coil to freeze. If the fan doesn’t operate up to the required speed, it will cause a restriction in the airflow of cool air. In fact, with slightly dirty fan blades and a broken motor, your AC airflow can deteriorate, causing the coil to freeze.
How to Fix?
Fixing a blower fan may not be easy to do on your own if you lack experience. However, reaching out to our experts to learn more and avail of the top-quality air conditioner repairs and services can help.
Without a proper fan running a strong airflow, neither the cool air will reach every part of your house effectively nor will it prevent the coil from freezing up. A technician may check the speed, rotation, and power generation of your AC fan to assess the repair and replacement criteria.
3. Blocked Condensate Lines Can Lead to Frozen AC Coils
Condensate lines carry away the excessive moisture from the humid air of your house through pipes and floor drains. These lines condense the water and are a critical part of many HVAC systems. Conversely, if a pipe clogs or freezes, there is no way the condensed moisture will leave the air conditioner. Hence the buildup of cold water in the condensate line near the evaporator coil can freeze the coil.
How to Fix?
Using a dry suction power machine can cause the debris or clog to dislodge. Make sure that it is a dry vacuum to prevent further damage to the AC components. Accordingly, schedule an appointment with a technician from a reputable HVAC contractor to service your clogged AC pipes and lines.
4. Malfunctioning Thermostats Are a Cause of Frozen AC Coils
Thermostats are responsible for detecting the temperature inside the house while the HVAC or air conditioner system is running. They compensate for how much more or less your AC system has to run to maintain a consistent temperature.
Therefore, a malfunctioning thermostat can detect the wrong temperature and cause your AC to run longer than necessary. It will ultimately wear out and cause the temperatures to drop radically inside the AC.
How to Fix?
Switching the thermostat off while keeping the fans on can help to remove the cool air effectively. What’s more, the airflow will prevent the buildup of cool air and cause the coil to unfreeze. It may take longer than usual, so make sure you have time to keep frequent checks on the running fans and unfreezing coil.
5. Refrigerant Leaks Can Cause Frozen AC Coils
Refrigerants are vital to maintaining the pressure inside an AC. In addition, they are responsible for regulating the coil’s temperature to help with heat absorption, which in turn causes the generation of cool air.
Regardless, refrigerant leaks may lead to an unstable pressure in the coil, causing excessive heat absorption. As a result, the refrigerant lines and the coils can freeze.
How to Fix?
Fixing refrigerant leaks can be dangerous if you lack the required experience. For that reason, contacting a reputable HVAC contractor is the best option to keep your AC running through the summer heat. After detecting the sources of leaks, a technician will repair your AC to function back to its normal state.
How a Preventative Maintenance Plan Will Keep Your Air Conditioner From Freezing Up?
Taking precautions can help to undermine the causes that lead to a frozen air conditioner coil. In reality, regular maintenance and enforcing the right precautions help to prevent any severe damage or slight problems in the air conditioning system.
Despite that, you may come across some sort of air conditioner problem that will require professional AC maintenance and repair services. For that, Conejo Services is your best bet. We offer services to residential and commercial clients in Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, and a few other counties in California.
24-Hour Emergency Air Conditioning Repairs
If You have an Emergency HVAC Need, Simply Call Our 24-hour Emergency
How Can Conejo Services Help?
Do you find the need to unfreeze the coils of your air conditioning system frequently? You can begin with the basic tips mentioned above to unfreeze your AC coils today. However, if you are unable to find a solution to get your air conditioning system working, contact our AC repair professionals at Conejo Services.
We can help you devise a suitable maintenance plan for your AC system and provide carefree repairs at your doorstep at affordable rates. Ring us at 805-499-0448 to get a free estimate for AC repair and maintenance.
Conejo Services?
- We Offer 24-hour Emergency Services
- We Charge by the Job – Not by the Hour
- We Offer Only the Most Dependable Customer Satisfaction With Each Job Completed
