Why Does Your Air Conditioner Freeze in Summer?

July 20, 2017

The summer can get very hot in Justin, 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 taking place. How will you determine if your air conditioner is frozen? It may seem like a crazy question, but you generally won’t actually see the ice except in extreme cases. Here are symptoms to monitor for that indicate you could be working with a frozen AC system that could require air conditioning service:

  • Warm air is coming out of your registers while the air conditioner is on.
  • Water is leaking from or gathering under your air conditioner.

When we say your home’s air conditioner is frozen, what’s actually frozen is the evaporator coil, which transports heat out of your home to sustain the cool temps. There are two main explanations that an evaporator coil may freeze; one is a refrigerant leak and the other is a blockage of airflow.

If your air conditioner has a refrigerant leak, you will want to discuss with your Pepper AC & Htg Inc technician during your air conditioning service appointment to see if you will benefit more from repairing or replacing your air conditioner. We can help you assess the pros and cons using information such as the age of your air conditioner and its service history, as well as other things.

If your air conditioner has frozen due to an airflow blockage, it’s because there isn’t sufficient air passing over the evaporator coil to dry the condensation that acquires 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 ensure everything is working as it should with no potential problems on the horizon. It’s also a great idea to mark your calendar or set a reminder on your phone to check your air filters frequently 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 large airflow problem and the following freezing problems.

If your air conditioner freezes, turn it off using your thermostat and call the experts at Pepper AC & Htg Inc to schedule an air conditioning service appointment. We’ll help you identify the issue and have your home back to cool and comfortable quickly. Call us at 940-202-1184 to arrange an appointment with us.