You AC is freezing up? The freezing of the air conditioner is something that frequently happened in the summertime. Many people are unaware of the knowledge to protect their air conditioner from this problem. It is a preeminent problem which ruins your pleasant day into a hot blasting day.
How to detect frozen AC unit
You need to check the supply registers. If they are warm? This is the indicator that your coils are frozen. Now you open the panel and check the layer of ice on the coils. If you do not have much ice, it does not means that you are not facing this problem. Even a single layer of ice is the indicator of this problem.
Before getting into the causes, reason, and prevention, first, come to know that how your AC works. When the air present around you is hot, it means that the molecules present around in the air have a lot of energy. The temperature depends on the energy level of molecules present in the air. If there is cold outside, it means that the energy levels of molecules are low in the air. The system of AC is to decrease the energy levels of molecules in the air present around you. The air conditioner expands the refrigerant present inside the coil. They cool down and when they leave the air conditioner. It cools the air present inside your house or room. Suppose something is disturbed in your air conditioner. It will disturb the whole function of your unit.
We may suffer from hot weather in a specific part of the year. The most disappointing thing is when you return to your home is that you suffer from heat and warm weather and your AC is not working properly. One of the problems which people usually face is that their AC refrigerant freezes up. It is the most common malfunctioning problem that your unit freezes up.
When your AC freezes up, your entire home freezes up. This kind of incident happened on a hot summer day. When you see that your air conditioner lines freeze up and are covered with ice, it is not an identical case. You need not be worried it can frequently happen during a hot summer day. In this article, we will take a quick review of why this happens and what precautions you should take. It includes tips and tricks, what to do when your ac unit freezes up and how to prevent your AC from this condition.
Steps to be taken when your AC unit freezes up
The first step is to turn your AC off and let it throw the ice from the coils. Find out the day when you don’t need AC, or you will not be at home. Turn your AC off for the whole day but keep the bowler running. Keep your thermostat off and fan on. This will help in deforesting your coil. Some time to your AC to defrost the coil. If you want to get rid of the heat during this process, go somewhere else, like going to theaters or watching a movie, to keep yourself relaxed.
The high temperature and cold movie theaters are the best combinations. Try not to use Your AC unit while coils are frozen up. They strain the AC compressor. Try not to damage the compressor because it is the most expensive part of your AC unit. This strain destroys your most important and expensive part, and you will face a lot of new and unplanned expenses. You should not even try to break the ice from the coils with heavy tools. It may cause another damage and creates new problems for you.
The other step when you come to know that you have a frozen ac unit give some time to dry up the coils. Switch off the power system and turn to own the bowler fan. It moves around the coils and makes them dry more quickly. If your coils are properly dried up. Your system will start working properly and protect to happen again. These are the two basic steps to be followed when you come to know that your system freezes up.
Startup your unit
After these steps turn on your AC again. It starts cooling again. See if you are receiving the air cooler than your room temperature, your AC is perfectly fine and running again.
Why your AC unit frozen up
The main reason why ac freezes up is poor airflow. The evaporator coil cools up when airflow faces blockage. AC evaporator is full of refrigerant coils. During the normal condition, warm air passes over the coil. If it faces any blockage they start freezing up. The ice may appear on the freezing coils.
Dirty filters
If you want to prevent your AC from freezing, check your filter frequently. A dirty Air Filter is also why your AC unit has frozen up because it creates a hurdle in air flowing. If the airflow is not proper, it eventually makes a layer of ice on it. A dirty filter is the cause of the sweaty debacle. Separate the cover and check your filter. If you find it uncleansed, replace it with a new one. You can find new filters from anywhere. It will make the performance of your Air Conditioner efficient. Interested to learn how to clean aircon filter?
Blower fan
If your bowler fan is not working correctly, it also damages your air conditioner and makes the life of your AC harder. It helps to maintain the airflow and make its function correctly. If you are doubtful, call the HVAC team to check your bowler fan. They may check the rotation of the fan, direction, rotation speed, and power output.
Improper condensate drain line
Your air conditioner absorbs the heat from the surroundings and through the cool outside your unit. Any of the moisture that is present in the air drip on the tray and turns into ice. When it turns into more moisture and water increases, it makes your AC unit frozen if you see this blockage call your HVAC technicians immediately.
Vents
Inspect your vents whether they are blocked or unblocked. If any furniture is placed near the vents, move it and give proper space so air can pass through these vents properly.
Refrigerant leakage
All the parts of the air conditioner are working all the time and they get clogged or stuck anytime. Refrigerant lines can leak, fans get stopped or filters become a block. Any of these problems damage your air pressure. The refrigerant expands and becomes cool. Refrigerants are an essential part of your unit. If their level is low they may cause the problem of freezing. We recommend checking the freon level regularly. How to check ac freon?
How to protect your AC unit from frozen
Replace your Air Filter
As is mentioned earlier that dirty air filters are one of the causes of frozen AC units. The purpose of air filters is to clean the air present in the home. Check your filter every month and replace it with a new one. Changing of filter depends on following reasons
- Use good quality of filter; otherwise change it frequently
- If you have pets and children at your home, change it
- The area where you are living
- Change it if your house members are addicted to smoking
- If you use your system more often.
Inspect airflow of your unit
The other main reason is an obstruction in airflow. This may cause malfunctioning of your system. Blockage in vents and filters is also the reason your system has frozen up.
Maintenance of Coolant levels
You should not only rely on the seasonal maintenance of your system. Try to maintain tune-up of your system often by HVAC technicians. This includes inspection of coolant levels and charging. Use different measuring tools to check the levels. Don’t use coolant chemicals because they are harmful. Leave it to your technicians.
Are you curious to know what will happen if you pour hot water on frozen air conditioner?
