You Want It Cold, But Not That Cold: Why Your AC Keeps Freezing
Your air conditioner should blow cold air into your house, but if you find the system keeps stopping and blowing out warm air, or you see ice around coils and compartment doors, you've got a problem. This icing-up is actually really common in air conditioning systems that have a couple of issues going on, so this is very fixable. But you'll need to call an air conditioning maintenance service to investigate exactly why the system is forming ice.
Drains and Vents Might Be Blocked
If condensate and heat can't be drained and vented out, they can build up in the air conditioner and eventually interfere with the evaporator coil. All vents and drains need to be open; blockages just let the air or water back up. A repair technician will check all vents, returns, drains, and anywhere else that hot air or condensate could leave the system to ensure all is free-flowing.
The Fan Could Be Going Bad
If the fan isn't blowing as strongly as needed, then not enough air will reach the evaporator coil. Not enough refrigerant will turn back into a cold gas, and not enough cold gas will be available to take heat away from the air in your home. Having the fan replaced, or at least adjusted so that it blows more strongly, is essential. Without the fan, the air conditioner won't work at all.
The Refrigerant May Be Leaking
You'd think a loss of refrigerant would mean the entire system would become too warm to form ice, but that's not what happens in some cases.
The basic mechanism behind this is that the leak and subsequent loss of refrigerant volume causes the remaining refrigerant to lose pressure, which lets it expand and cool down too much. There are times in the air conditioning cycle when the refrigerant has to be cold and at a low pressure because that helps draw heat out of hot air. But if the refrigerant expands too much and cools down too much, it could cause the system itself to get too cold and form ice, which makes it difficult to circulate refrigerant. The result is an icy system and a room that stays warm.
The air conditioning repair service person should be able to help you rather quickly. Not only are fall, winter, and early spring really good times to find an appointment, but also the potential causes of this freezing problem are usually simple to fix. Having the time to find the cause is likely the most difficult part of it. So, call an air conditioning repair service now to ensure your air conditioner works very well in summer.
For more information, contact air conditioning maintenance services near you.
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