When you are experiencing extreme heat and counting on your AC to keep your home cool, it can be hard to believe that your AC could ever freeze up. However, this problem is quite common, especially among older AC units. There’s are a couple of different reasons why you might be experiencing a frozen AC unit. Sometimes, fixing it is simple and easy to take care of yourself; while other times, you will need the help of an HVAC professional to get it back up and running. Ambient Heating & Air Conditioning is here to talk about some of the most common causes of a frozen AC.

What Causes AC Unit to Freeze Up?

If you have an AC that is frozen, you know by now that it isn’t going to be doing much to keep your home cool. Following are some of the reasons why you are experiencing a frozen AC.
– Clogged Air Filter: Your AC need airflow to run properly. When it doesn’t have the airflow it needs, it can lead to issues like overheating and even ice buildup on the evaporator coils. If you have noticed that there is ice on your unit, you should check your filter first.
– Low Refrigerant: If you have an old AC unit, it is quite common for a refrigerant leak to form. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have low refrigerant levels because this is kept in a closed system that circulates the refrigerant over and over again. When you have a leak, the levels might get low and cause your AC unit to freeze up.
– Dirty AC Unit: When you haven’t run your AC for months because it has been wintertime, it isn’t uncommon for dirt and dust to build up on the unit. This is one of the reasons why it’s important to have your unit serviced and cleaned before firing it up for the first time in the spring/summer. The dirt and dust build up on evaporator and condenser coils can lead to issues like a frozen system.

How Do You Unfreeze an Air Conditioner?

Anytime you have a frozen AC unit, it means that you need to do something differently. The first thing that should be checked is always the filter. However, if you are dealing with leaking refrigerant, it might require the help of an HVAC technician to come and fix the problem. You may need to do some spring cleaning inside your unit as well if dirt and dust is the cause for concern. At any rate, if you have a frozen AC, you need to power it down and allow the ice to melt off before trying to turn it on again.

Central Air Conditioning Maintenance, Repairs, Replacement, Emergency Repairs & More in Springfield, Granby, Holyoke, South Hadley, Monson, Chicopee & Agawam, Massachusetts

A frozen AC is far less than desirable. If you have noticed that you have ice on your AC, you can turn to Ambient Heating & Air Conditioning to come diagnose the problem. We will work to get it back up and running in no time. Call us today!