Freezing Air Condensing Coils
Posted on: 12 July 2016
Share
Sometimes during the summer your air conditioner starts to freeze up. When that happens, your air conditioner doesn't work right, doesn't cool your house, and could potentially be damaged. There are several things that can cause the condenser coils on your air conditioner to freeze. Those things can include limited air flow and dirty condenser coils. Most of the problems are easily fixed, but if the problem continues, you will need to have an AC repair person to come out to your house to check the system and see what's going on. Following are a few reasons your AC might be freezing up, as well as some things you can do to keep it from happening.
Poor Air Flow
If the air isn't flowing through and around the condenser's coils, there are several things that you can do to help restore the air flow. One is that you can make sure that there is nothing blocking the condenser. That can include grasses and weeds that may have grown up very close to the unit. You can have bushes or a wall that screens the condenser, but it should be a few feet away from the condenser so as to not restrict air flow. You should also make sure that any and all filters are clean. If they can't be cleaned, you should just replace them. Check to make sure that your air vents and air returns are also unblocked.
Dirty Condenser Coils
If the coils get dirty, they give water droplets a place to grab hold and start to freeze up. Cleaning up the condenser coils can be as easy getting your garden hose and washing them off. If you are going to do that, make sure that you turn off the air conditioner first so that you don't damage it. You should also wait until the coils are dry before you turn the AC back on.
Outside Air Temperatures
If the temperatures outside start to drop and you are still running your air conditioner at the same temperature inside, it may also freeze up. If the temp is only dropping for a day or two, then the best thing to do is just raise the temperature inside the house a little. If the outdoor temperature is going to stay low, you may want to consider turning the AC off until it either heats back up or until next summer.
Your AC can make your house much cooler when it's hot outside. However, if the condenser freezes, then you aren't going to get the cooling effect you are looking for. Contact a company like Elite Heating, Cooling and Plumbing if you need professional air conditioning repair work done.