With summer right around the corner, many homeowners are turning on their air conditioner (AC) to create a cool, comfortable environment. If ice has formed on your AC unit, though, it may fail to produce cold air, or it may lack the necessary power to push the air throughout your ducts. So, what exactly causes a frozen AC unit and how do you fix it?
Low Refrigerant
One of the most common causes of a frozen AC unit is low refrigerant levels. Refrigerant, whether it’s R-22 or the newer R-410A (Puron), plays an important role in modern-day AC systems. It collects heat from inside the home or building, at which point it’s transferred outside. When refrigerant drops below normal operating levels, however, the coils may freeze up.
This phenomenon occurs because refrigerant expands at the same amount, even though there’s less refrigerant present. More expansion translates into cooler temperatures; thus, causing the coils to freeze.
Lack of Airflow
Another reasons why AC units freeze is lack of airflow. Most modern-day systems feature return vents that suck up hot air, passing it through the evaporator coils. If there’s insufficient airflow over the evaporator coils, however, the system cannot effectively remove the heat and cool your home, which may subsequently cause the coils to freeze.
What Next?
Homeowners and business owners should have their AC unit serviced by a professional HVAC technical ASAP if it’s freezing up. This is a tall-tale sign of some other underlying problem, which can only be diagnosed by a professional HVAC technician. He or she will perform a full inspection of your AC unit to identify the root cause of the problem.
If you’re AC unit is frozen or otherwise not working properly, contact us today for a fast and friendly quote. Texas Air Tech is the leading HVAC maintenance and repair company serving the Dallas Fort Worth area.