Why Does Your Air Conditioner Freeze in Summer?

July 20, 2017

The summer can get extremely hot in Bloomfield, so how in the world is your air conditioner freezing over? It seems to make no sense. You may not even realize it’s happening. How will you know 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 watch for that indicate you could be dealing with a frozen AC system that could need 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 the air conditioner is frozen, what’s actually frozen is the evaporator coil, which moves heat out of your home to keep it cool. There are two main causes that an evaporator coil may freeze; one is a refrigerant leak and the second is a blockage of airflow.

If your air conditioner has a refrigerant leak, you will want to talk with your Stanford Heating & Cooling technician during your air conditioning service appointment to understand if you will benefit more from repairing or replacing your air conditioner. We can help you evaluate 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 due to an airflow blockage, it’s because there is a lack of air passing over the evaporator coil to dry the condensation that develops on it—then it freezes. Air flow blockages are frequently 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 running as it should with no potential issues 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 regularly and change the 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 ensuing freezing problems.

If your air conditioner freezes, turn it off using your thermostat and call the experts at Stanford Heating & Cooling to schedule an air conditioning service appointment. We’ll help you identify the complications and have your home back to cool and comfortable in no time. Call us at 812-825-8695 to arrange an appointment with us.