When the temperature soars in Ashland, OH, one of the most surprising issues is that air conditioners can ice over. This may lead to problems such as weak airflow, warm air from your vents, and water pooling. If left unchecked, a freezing AC can also cause a significant spike in your energy bill, and repeated icing could shorten your air conditioner’s lifespan.
If your AC keeps freezing up in mid-summer, here’s why.
Insufficient Maintenance
Scheduling a pre-season AC tune-up is the best way to prevent mid-summer problems. In addition to inspecting, cleaning, and tuning your air conditioner, HVAC technicians look for developing issues. From replacing dirty air filters to testing refrigerant levels, they ensure that cooling systems are fully primed. Together, these measures address many potential causes of AC freezing.
Dirty Coils
Dirty evaporator and condenser coils are a common cause of AC freezing. As part of the expansion cycle, AC refrigerant in the evaporator coil extracts heat from the air as it passes over it. Then, this refrigerant returns to the outdoor condenser as a hot, high-pressure gas. Refrigerant sheds collected heat at the condenser coil before repeating the cooling cycle.
Built-up dirt and grime on evaporator coils have an insulating effect that inhibits heat transfer. Without gaining heat, cold refrigerant can cause your air conditioner’s evaporator coil to frost over.
Dirty condenser coils trap heat. They also keep refrigerant at high temperatures and in a gaseous state for far longer. To compensate, air conditioners disrupt cooling cycles by turning off or short-cycling. This can lead to overcooling of the refrigerant in the indoor coil and ice formation.
Clogged Condensate Drains
During each cooling cycle, your AC extracts moisture from the air. It releases this moisture via its condensate drain. When ACs lie dormant during the winter and spring months, algae, bacteria, and other microorganisms can grow in condensate drains and create obstructions.
These obstructions cause collected moisture to back up into drip pans. When this moisture comes in contact with evaporator coils, it freezes. During AC maintenance, technicians clean and disinfect AC condensate drains to ensure moisture continues to flow.
Air Duct Leaks
As part of pre-season tune-ups, HVAC technicians measure airflow. Dramatic variations in airflow are often an indication of air duct leaks. If you skipped pre-season maintenance and have leaky air ducts, this may be why your AC is freezing over.
Supply air ducts are the ducts that move conditioned air into your living space. When these ducts have leaks, they’ll deposit cooled air in your attic, crawlspaces, or basement, or behind your drywall. This reduces the amount of air returning to your air conditioner and the amount flowing over its evaporator coil. With less incoming air and less heat to extract, this coil will eventually ice over.
Low Refrigerant
Refrigerant requires a specific amount of pressure to both absorb heat and change from a liquid to a gas. If your air conditioner has a refrigerant leak, its compressor will have increasing difficulty pressurizing the refrigerant. With lower pressure, AC refrigerant plummets to a drastically lower temperature and causes the AC to ice over.
Airflow Obstructions
Having insufficient clearance around the outdoor condenser can cause freezing. This is where ACs release heat, and when they can’t, they compensate by disrupting cooling cycles. To correct the issue, make sure that your condenser has at least five feet of clearance on top and at least 24 inches of clearance on all sides.
Checked for closed air vents inside your home. Closing air vents obstructs airflow throughout cooling systems. It increases static pressure in ducting, and it can cause icing, as well.
Blower Fan Problems
Blower fans are what move air across your air conditioner’s coils and distribute it throughout the building. When blower fans malfunction, both heat transfer and overall performance decline, and ACs start to ice over.
There are several blower fan problems that could cause your AC to freeze up:
- Loose or worn bearings
- Failed control boards
- Damaged belts
- Failed capacitors
- Burned-up blower motors
Preventative Tips
You can sidestep most freezing issues by scheduling pre-season AC maintenance. If your air conditioner is icing over, turn it off and look for airflow obstructions. You may be able to solve the problem by changing your air filter, clearing the condenser’s perimeter, or making sure your HVAC air vents are open. If these basic troubleshooting measures don’t work, schedule a professional air conditioning repair. Unchecked refrigerant leaks can lead to premature compressor failure. Other icing-related problems can shorten your air conditioner’s lifespan.
Since 1980, Comfort Control has proudly served Ashland with expert heating and cooling installation, maintenance, and repairs. We offer online scheduling, upfront pricing, and 24/7 emergency service for urgent needs. If your AC freezes mid-summer, contact us at Comfort Control!
