The summer can get extremely hot in Laurel, so how in the world is your home’s air conditioner freezing over? It seems to make no sense. You may not even realize it’s occurring. How will you notice if your air conditioner is frozen? It may seem like a ridiculous question, but you usually won’t actually see the ice except in extreme cases. Here are symptoms to look for that indicate you could have a frozen AC system that could require air conditioning service:
- Warm air is coming out of your registers while the air conditioner is running.
- Water is leaking from or pooling under your air conditioner.
When we say your air conditioner is frozen, what’s actually frozen is the evaporator coil, which moves heat out of your home to sustain the cool temps. There are two main causes that an evaporator coil may freeze; one is a refrigerant leak and the other reason is a blockage of airflow.
If your air conditioner has a refrigerant leak, you will want to speak with your H&C Heating and Cooling technician during your air conditioning service appointment to determine if you will benefit more from repairing or replacing your air conditioner. We can help you weigh the pros and cons using facts such as the age of your air conditioner and its service history, as well as other things.
If your air conditioner has frozen because of an airflow blockage, it’s because there is not enough air passing over the evaporator coil to dry the condensation that builds up on it—then it freezes. Air flow blockages are frequently caused by dirty air filters or even dirty cooling fins. These problems can be alleviated (and avoided!) by a routine air conditioner service appointment. At these service sessions, your technician will clean your system, replace your air filters and confirm everything is running as it should with no potential issues on the horizon. It’s also a good idea to mark your calendar or set a reminder on your phone to check your air filters often and change your air filters when they are dirty. Always check that furniture, curtains and other household items aren’t blocking your registers, as even this could cause a significant airflow problem and the following freezing problems.
If your air conditioner freezes, turn it off using your thermostat and call the pros at H&C Heating and Cooling to schedule an air conditioning service appointment. We’ll help you identify the issue and have your home back to cool and comfortable as soon as possible. Call us at 301-960-3247 to arrange an appointment with us.