How Can My Air Conditioner Be Freezing?

It’s Summer! 

I know, it seems crazy that it is hot outside and the air conditioner is covered in ice. What happened to cause this? It was not a visit from Elsa, I assure you.

As weird as it sounds, it is a common problem. There are two main reasons you will experience a frozen air conditioner.

1) Airflow Restriction

The amount of air that is normally flowing over the evaporator coil has been reduced or restricted, meaning there is less heat for the evaporator coil to absorb. This causes a drastic drop in temperature. Then, the moisture in the air condenses on the coil and freezes.

There are several reasons why you may have an airflow reduction, such as dirty air filter, dirty evaporator coil, blower motor malfunction, closed vents to unused rooms, or blocked return grills.

2) Low on Refrigerant

When your air conditioner is low on refrigerant (Freon), it will act much the same way as when the airflow is restricted. When it is low on refrigerant there is a pressure drop in the evaporator coil. When the pressure drops, so does the temperature. Same story, humid air hits freezing coil, condensates, and freezes. If it is low on refrigerant, that means you have a leak. A qualified technician will need to perform a leak check and fix the leak.

What Can I Do?

First, turn off your system at the thermostat and allow it to thaw completely.  Check your air filters and change them if they need replacing. Check for furniture or drapes that could be blocking return vents. Open up all of the air registers in your home. Once it has completely defrosted, check the airflow. It may be as simple as that. If that doesn’t fix it, give Quality Comfort Services, Inc. a call and we will do everything we can to get you back up and running. Your Quality Comfort Services technicians are NATE certified and carry the tools to troubleshoot any problem your system is experiencing. Your technician will identify the problem and obtain your approval for any repairs necessary.

Quality Comfort Services, Inc. provides service for all makes and models. Call us at (919) 217-5640 or visit us at www.qualitycomfortservicesinc.com.