Is your air conditioner freezing up on you
A system designed to blow cold air should benefit from being cold, but unfortunately, that simply isn’t the case. Additionally, it can be a common problem for many homeowners. But what is triggering the A/C unit to freeze up? An air conditioner is a particularly sophisticated system that relies on a balance of airflow, pressure, and temperature to continue producing cold air. If something were to upset this balance, freezing up is usually one of the outcomes. Let’s look at the most likely reasons why a home’s A/C could be freezing up.
Dirt and Dust
A clean system is a happy system, and a happy system is a system that works well. Because the refrigerant coils within an A/C are often damp, though, they become particularly attractive surfaces for dust and dirt to collect upon. As more dust and dirt build-up occurs on these coils, it’s more difficult for the coils to function properly, insulting the coils, and increasing the already cold temperatures inside. Thus, as this hyper-chilled air moves through the system, frost will begin to form on the air conditioner, freezing it up.
Refrigerant on E
The amount of refrigerant within an air conditioner is extremely important to keep the system running. Namely, because the refrigerant regulates how the A/C controls pressure and temperature. Working by transitioning refrigerant between a liquid and gaseous state, the A/C is constantly subjecting refrigerant to pressure changes to create heated and cooled air. When the refrigerant level in the air conditioner is low, the process that shifts the refrigerant between its states of matter occurs too quickly due to a lack of pressure, causing moisture to rapidly condense and freeze on the A/C’s coils. The more this occurs, the more ice builds up on the coils, and the more likely an A/C is to freeze up.
Lack of Airflow
More than anything else, an air conditioner relies on proper airflow to function correctly. Anything that happens to block the airflow within the A/C while the outside compressor continues to run will cause the system to begin freezing, increasing over time. Unfortunately, a number of issues could cause an A/C to lose airflow — everything from a collapsed duct to the blower motor malfunctioning, to an electrical issue, to a clogged filter. Diagnosing and correcting a lack of airflow primarily requires the expertise of an HVAC specialist, as the details to narrow down the cause and fix the issue can be extremely complicated.
Fortunately, many of these issues can be prevented, or at least curbed early on, through regularly scheduled HVAC maintenance. Maintaining annual HVAC maintenance provides HVAC professionals the opportunity to catch issues as early on as possible, and to correct these issues before they lead to major problems, such as freezing up or system failure.
If you have questions about ways to mitigate air conditioner freezing, are having issues with A/C freezing, or if it’s that time for an annual maintenance visit, reach out to the professionals at Duane Blanton Family Home Services. With over 30 years of experience, the licensed technicians at Duane Blanton have the knowledge to keep your A/C running without freezing, keeping the cold air blowing when it’s needed. Give Duane Blanton Family Home Services a call today, at (815) 781-2567, or schedule an appointment online through their convenient online scheduling portal.
