Why Does Your Air Conditioner Freeze in Summer?

July 20, 2017

The summer can get extremely hot in Greensburg, so how in the world is your 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 silly question, but you usually won’t actually see the ice except in extreme cases. Here are symptoms to watch for that indicate you could have a frozen AC system that could be in need of air conditioning service:

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

When we say your 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 reason is a blockage of airflow.

If your air conditioner has a refrigerant leak, you will want to talk with your Wallpe Heating & 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 information such as the age of your air conditioner and its service history, among other things.

If your air conditioner has frozen as a result of an airflow blockage, it’s because there is not enough air passing over the evaporator coil to dry the condensation that acquires on it—then it freezes. Air flow blockages are regularly caused by dirty air filters or even dirty cooling fins. These problems can be remedied (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 operating as it should with no potential challenges 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 regularly and change them when they are dirty. Always be sure that furniture, curtains and other household items aren’t blocking your registers, as even this could cause a serious airflow problem and the following freezing problems.

If your air conditioner freezes, turn it off using your thermostat and call the team at Wallpe Heating & Cooling to schedule an air conditioning service appointment. We’ll help you identify the problem and have your home back to cool and comfortable in no time. Call us at 812-663-7252 to book an appointment with us.