Why Do AC Units Get Frozen?

Icy AC unit?

You may have noticed many AC units turning into blocks of ice around your neighbourhood this summer. You may have also personally experienced this at least one or two times in your life. If you haven’t, then it is something that you may eventually encounter. This is due to the fact that this is a typical problem, and you should know the causes of it. After all, having a frozen AC unit, especially during a hot day or night is something you definitely don’t want to go through. We will now look at typical causes and how to deal with them.

air conditioner frozen

Poor Or Blocked Airflow

Air conditioning units need to have enough airflow so that they can work well. In particular, this is important for the AC unit’s evaporator. In the event that the evaporator doesn’t get enough airflow, then the AC may freeze. There are numerous reasons why it may not be getting sufficient airflow. For example, it may be due to a blocked filter, clogged ducts, malfunctioning blower etc. If there are any of these problems, then they can definitely cause your AC unit to become frozen. So, the solution to this problem is to first defrost your air condition unit. The majority of AC units have a command that once activated will force the unit to defrost. In the event that you don’t know how to trigger this command, then all you need to do is power off your unit and then turn it back on. You can also turn on the fan and even look at the filter and replace it if necessary.

Leaking Refrigerant

Next, another typical reason why your AC unit may be frozen is due to leaking refrigerant or Freon. These leaks can lead to lower pressure within your AC’s evaporator coil. This will cause the accumulation of moisture within the air condition system which will lead to freezing. Fixing this issue is quite challenging for the majority of homeowners. You will definitely need to hire a professional since you cannot purchase refrigerant easily. Additionally, you will require the correct gauges in order to place the refrigerant into your AC. Also, you need to be aware of the correct amounts to place into the system and it needs to be weighed and adjusted due to the pressure and temperature. So, it is best to leave this job to your local AC technician.

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Outdoor Temperatures

Another factor that the majority of people don’t consider is the impact of the weather and exterior temperature on their air condition unit. Unfortunately, cold weather can actually cause your unit to freeze in certain situations. For example, in New York, the temperature can go under 60 degrees in the cooling cycle which can make your air condition unit freeze. So, if this occurs, then you should turn off your air condition system and call an AC tech.

When you have a frozen air conditioner, this can lead to big or minor issues. However, the average person won’t easily know and only a trained professional will be able to tell. So, if you  are dealing with these problems, a JD Swallow tech can help to assess your particular situation and let you know what is happening as well as provide the best solution to fix the problem at hand.

Be sure to contact us here at JD Swallow so that we can assist you with all of your home’s cooling and heating requirements!

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