Why do air conditioners freeze up?
Have you noticed that your air conditioner keeps on freezing up? You may be wondering why this is the case!
It may be ironic for an AC unit to freeze during the summer months, yet it does happen quite a lot. With that being said, in this post, we are going to explore the reasons behind your air conditioner freezing in more detail.
Refrigerant leaks or mechanical issues
The first reason why your air conditioner may have frozen up is because of a mechanical issue.
After all, an AC unit is filled with a lot of moving parts that can get clogged, broken, or stuck.
Refrigerant lines can kink, your air filter can become clogged, fans can stop moving, and things in the air conditioning unit can leak.
Any of the examples mentioned above can cause the pressure to drop, which enables the refrigerant to expand too much and end up becoming too cold.
Refrigerant is also a critical part of making sure that there is a regulated temperature throughout the entire AC unit. If you do not have sufficient refrigerant, this can also cause the air conditioner to freeze up.
Some of these issues can be cheaper and easier to fix when compared with others. For example, if you have a coolant leak, any fix is likely to be a temporary one. Therefore, it may simply be better to invest in a new air conditioning machine instead.
Resolving this issue
Mechanical issues and leak repairs require the assistance of a trained professional.
Although it is safe to use refrigerants in the home, it is certainly best for professionals to handle them, as they will know how to keep them contained properly.
If you believe that leaks or a mechanical failure could be causing the air conditioner to malfunction, get in touch with an air conditioning company as soon as possible and a professional will be able to assess the issue for you.
You can help to make sure there are not any catastrophic problems with your air conditioner by getting regular servicing from a professional.
Blocked airflow
Not only can mechanical issues be a problem when it comes to your AC unit freezing up, but blocked airflow can also be a real issue here.
An air conditioning unit must have a continuous airflow to ensure that humidity is not able to settle onto the coils and freeze.
For the airflow in your own property to keep moving sufficiently so that the air conditioner’s functionality is not disrupted, you are going to need to make certain that the air filters are not dirty. A dirty air filter can easily end up becoming clogged after all. This will restrict the airflow in your property.
An air filter will not cost a lot of money, which is why you need to be changing them on a regular basis.
Keeping your AC unit clean and tuned up is also important when it comes to stopping any sort of airflow issues from manifesting, as well as other issues in general.
Also, the United States Department of Energy has reported that changing your HVAC filter can enhance the efficiency of your air conditioner by between five and 15 percent.
Resolving this issue
You will need to turn your air conditioner off, allowing the AC unit to defrost.
After around three hours, turn the fan on for one hour. You can use this time to change the air filter in the AC unit. Once you have done this, it should work properly.
Cool summer nights can be an issue
Another reason why your air conditioner may be freezing is because of the weather outside.
An AC unit is calibrated to operate within a specific set of optimal temperature thresholds.
When nights during the summer are colder than the optimal threshold is able to account for, it can throw the AC conditioner out of sync.
Resolving this issue
One of the best ways to deal with this is by having a programmable thermostat. This will shut down the AC unit whenever the temperature dips below 60 degrees.
If you do not have a programmable thermometer, it is advisable to keep your eye on the current temperatures every evening so that you can anticipate whether or not it will be colder than 60 degrees.
If it is going to be colder than 60 degrees, you can turn the air conditioner off and open your windows so that the cool summer breeze can enter your home instead.