If the evaporator coils on your air conditioner are freezing up, that’s a bad sign. Ice inside of your air conditioner does not make your home cooler and can actually have the opposite effect. Frozen evaporator coils are always an AC emergency that you want to get addressed sooner rather than later.
And your first step should be giving us a call for AC repair in Chambersburg, PA. Our team can assess the situation, get down to the root cause of your frozen evaporator coils and fix the problem. Then we can offer tips for preventing this problem from happening again in the future. You can keep reading to learn more about why the evaporator coils in your air conditioner freeze.
Poor Airflow Into the System
The primary reason that evaporator coils freeze is due to poor airflow. But the airflow is not the actual problem, instead, it is the result of another problem. For example, your air filter may be overdue for changing and clogged up with dust and dirt. When your air filter is full, airflow cannot pass through and into your air conditioning system.
As a result, the evaporator coils are getting very cold with nowhere to transfer that energy. They freeze instead of cooling air since there is nothing to cool and blow through your home. As part of this problem, the motor inside of your air conditioner can begin working even harder to bring air in for cooling, only to exacerbate the situation. The problem will continue to get worse until your air conditioner breaks down completely, unless you schedule a service appointment.
Poor Airflow Out of the System
There’s also a chance that airflow leaving your system is blocked so that cold air is being trapped inside the system and causing the evaporator coils to stay too cold for too long. For example, there may be a blockage in your ductwork, or maybe you have closed some of the vents around your home in an attempt to channel cold air to other areas. Unfortunately, this can have the opposite effect and trap cold air in your system, leading to frozen evaporator coils.
Refrigerant Charge
Other times, your refrigerant levels are to blame. If you have a refrigerant leak, it can contribute to frozen evaporator coils. Refrigerant leaks are a problem for a few reasons. The first is very obvious that you are losing refrigerant from the line so there is not enough available to produce adequate cooling. But a leak also reduces the pressure in the line.
When the pressure is not just right, it can cause the refrigerant molecules to expand too much, attracting condensation and resulting in frozen evaporator coils. Unfortunately, ice on your coils does not mean that your home is going to get any colder. Instead, it can have the opposite effect and your air conditioner can shut down completely. It is important to call right away if you have ice on your evaporator coils or suspect another problem with your air conditioner.
To schedule your AC service, contact Premier HVAC Services today! Our team of experts is standing by and ready to help.