The last thing you want to have happen on a hot summer day in Davis or Dixon is for your AC to shut down. If you’ve walked outside and noticed ice on your air conditioner, you might think that might not be a bad thing—after all, you’re trying to cool the inside of your house, and what’s cooler than ice?
But actually, ice on the air conditioner pipe outside or even the AC unit itself is a sign that something’s not right with your AC, and if you don’t address it, you could be left without AC and expensive repairs. Here are a few of the things that could be happening, and how you can get your cooling system back on track!
1. Low Refrigerant Levels
If there isn’t enough refrigerant in your AC, your evaporator coils will get too cold, causing ice to form, either on the coils themselves or creeping up the copper pipe leading back to your house. The refrigerant levels in your AC shouldn’t ever need to be adjusted, so if you don’t have enough refrigerant it means you have a leak that should be addressed immediately by a professional.
2. Low Airflow or Dirty Evaporator Coils
If enough warm air isn’t able to move over your evaporator coils, they’ll get too cold, and humid air will cause the ice to form, just like with low refrigerant levels.
This can happen as the result of:
- A dirty air filter or dirty evaporator coils
- Ductwork problems
- Closed vents
An air filter is easy to change yourself, and walking around your house to see if any of your vents are closed only takes a minute, but if the problem persists, you’ll want to call for an experienced technician.
3. Cold Outdoor Temperatures
Just because the temperature during the day rises well above the threshold for turning on your AC doesn’t mean that it can’t get a little chilly overnight, and even in the middle of summer here in the Sacramento Valley the overnight lows are typically in the 50s, and sometimes lower.
Air conditioners weren’t designed to be run when it gets that cold out, so if you accidentally left your AC on overnight, you might wake up the next morning to find it frozen. Luckily, of all the different ways you could be dealing with ice on your cooling system, it’s very simple to unfreeze an air conditioner that’s been left on over a cool night. Just turn it off, and wait for it to thaw out in the warming air before turning it back on!
Keep Your AC Running with Greiner Heating, Air, and Electric
At Greiner Heating, Air, and Electric, our team of cooling system experts have the experience to get to the bottom of your frozen air conditioning problem and fix the issue to get your home comfortable again quickly.
What’s even better is enrolling in Greiner Heating, Air, and Electric‘s Maintenance Value Plan. For just $14.95 a month, you’ll get two free precision tune-ups a year, priority scheduling, discounts on repairs and service calls, and more. Routine maintenance can help you avoid a number of the root causes that can lead to air conditioners freezing, which will save you money and offer peace of mind all season.
Can you see ice on your central AC? Call or contact us today to get your cooling system back on track.
