Because you rely on your AC for cold air, you might think that having a coating of ice on the unit is not a bad thing. However, when you discover that your College Station home’s air conditioner is festively displaying a row of icicles, there is a severe problem with one of the three critical components or functions used to cool your home. Those factors are control of temperature, pressure, and airflow. When any of these delicate factors is out of balance with the others, the result is overcooling, ice, and sadly no cold air in your home.
Understanding How Your AC Makes Cold Air
The refrigerant in your AC coils is super cold and needs the warm air pulled from your home to keep it from freezing. So when something stops the transfer of the warm air from inside your home, bad things happen. For example, the outside coil can get too cold and freeze.
Humidity in the air makes this issue even worse as ice forms more quickly and insulates the coils to prevent the warm air from heating the coolant. A sudden temperature change or a drastic change in humidity, such as a storm, are the times that homeowners should be on the lookout for ice on their AC unit.
Airflow Is Essential
Lack of airflow is the number one reason for an AC to ice over. But many situations can be to blame for the lack of airflow. Know that as soon as the airflow is interrupted, the coils will begin to freeze. So shut the system off as soon as you discover any of the following issues:
- Collapsed Ductwork- if something is in the duct blocking the airflow, or a duct becomes damaged or collapses, that loss of airflow can turn into an icy mess at your AC.
- Worn Or Failed Blower Motor- The blower motor and the motors capacitor are essential in the air conditioning process. If either of these components fails, the air will stop moving quickly enough to keep the coils from freezing. Typically when the issue is related to the blower motor, you will hear rattling to alert you of a problem. Shut off the AC and call your AC professional immediately.
- Low Voltage To The Fan- An issue with your home’s electrical system can also be blamed for a frozen AC. Fluctuating power, circuit overloads, or power restrictions in your area can result in the air conditioner fan not getting the power it needs to keep the warm air circulating over the frigid coils.
- Clogged Air Filter- This is the most frustrating reason for an AC to freeze. You have complete control over when the air filters get changed. However, if you put off doing this mundane chore, you could be without AC for a while. The filters are needed to remove potentially damaging dust and debris from the air circulating inside the AC system. But as they get clogged with all of the dirt, they make it more difficult for air to flow into the AC unit. When the build-up of dirt is too thick, the airflow stops, and your AC begins to freeze. Inspect your AC filters each month and replace them as needed to eliminate the possibility of a frozen AC and an uncomfortably warm house.
The best way to ensure that your AC does not freeze this summer is a simple service call and AC tune-up from Cover HVAC experts. Our AC staff will clean, inspect, and fine-tune your air conditioner to ensure that it is ready to deliver cool air all summer. Call (281) 957-3335 today to schedule your preventative maintenance appointment.
