The summer can get extremely hot in Carson City, so how in the world is your home’s air conditioner freezing over? It seems to make no sense. You may not even realize it’s occurring. How will you determine if your air conditioner is frozen? It may seem like a ridiculous question, but you typically won’t actually see the ice except in extreme cases. Here are symptoms to watch for that indicate you could be dealing with a frozen AC system that could require air conditioning service:
- Warm air is coming out of your registers while the air conditioner is on.
- Water is leaking from or pooling under your air conditioner.
When we say the air conditioner is frozen, what’s actually frozen is the evaporator coil, which transfers heat out of your home to keep it cool. There are two main explanations that an evaporator coil may freeze; one is a refrigerant leak and the second is a blockage of airflow.
If your air conditioner has a refrigerant leak, you will want to discuss with your Anderson Heating & A/C technician during your air conditioning service appointment to determine if you will benefit more from repairing or replacing your air conditioner. We can help you evaluate the pros and cons using background such as the age of your air conditioner and its service history, among other things.
If your air conditioner has frozen as a result of an airflow blockage, it’s because there is a lack of air passing over the evaporator coil to dry the condensation that develops on it—then it freezes. Air flow blockages are frequently caused by dirty air filters or even dirty cooling fins. These problems can be fixed (and avoided!) by a routine air conditioner service appointment. At these service sessions, your technician will clean your system, replace your air filters and ensure everything is running as it should with no potential issues on the horizon. It’s also a valuable idea to mark your calendar or set a reminder on your phone to check your air filters frequently and change your air filters when they are dirty. Always make sure that furniture, curtains and other household items aren’t blocking your registers, as even this could cause a serious airflow problem and the following freezing problems.
If your air conditioner freezes, turn it off using your thermostat and call the experts at Anderson Heating & A/C to schedule an air conditioning service appointment. We’ll help you identify the problem and have your home back to cool and comfortable quickly. Call us at 775-230-7628 to arrange an appointment with us.