Three Key Things You Can Do To Keep Your Air Conditioner From Freezing Up
Air conditioners should not "freeze up." This is an unusual situation, but thankfully one that can be remedied. Before you call an HVAC contractor to come fix the situation, try one of the following DIY tricks and helpful tips to unfreeze your air conditioner.
Find out If the Air Conditioner Is Level
If your air conditioner is suddenly sitting on an awkward slab, that may be the reason. All air conditioning units have to be fairly level in order to work and drain properly. The slab will either need to be replaced or lifted if it is sinking on one end.
If you take a carpenter's bubble level and ruler and set it on top of the condenser box outside, you can check to see if the unit is level. The bubble inside the liquid level area should fall right in between the two center lines if the unit is level. Also check the level of the slab on which the unit sits. Then you know if this is a contributing factor to a partially frozen air conditioner.
Turn the Unit on at Night and off During the Day
To help the unit unfreeze and continue to function, turn it on full blast at night. This may make your home really cold, but when you turn it off during the day, the cold air will dissipate quickly. It also helps unfreeze your air conditioner during the hotter parts of the day. This is just a temporary solution until you can afford to have the unit fixed.
Clean ALL Filters
Filters play an important part in keeping your air conditioner from freezing up. Dirty filters are thick with dust and will choke off the flow of cold air. When the cold air cannot escape through the dirty filters, it begins to build a wall of frost on the opposite side of the filter. Eventually, you will have something that looks like an over-iced freezer chunk sitting there. You can thaw the unit out by turning off the air conditioner for several hours. Once the machine is completely defrosted, clean all of your filters and replace your furnace filter to prevent the build-up of frost.
If You Still Have Problems with the A/C Freezing Up...
There is clearly something else wrong with your unit if you have done all of the above and it still freezes up. When you can, call an HVAC technician, such as from GNL Heating and Cooling, to find out what the problem is. It may just be an issue with leaky refrigerant or the unit needs to have its cooling coils replaced. At any rate, you will finally have an air conditioner that does not look like it needs an ice scraper to clear it out.
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