Why Does Your Air Conditioner Freeze in Summer?

July 20, 2017

The summer can get so hot in Chadron, so how in the world is your air conditioner freezing over? It seems to make no sense. You may not even realize it’s occurring. How will you notice if your air conditioner is frozen? It may seem like a silly question, but you usually won’t actually see the ice except in extreme cases. Here are symptoms to watch for that indicate you could have a frozen AC system that could be in need of air conditioning service:

  • Warm air is coming out of your registers while the air conditioner is running.
  • Water is leaking from or collecting under your air conditioner.

When we say your home’s air conditioner is frozen, what’s actually frozen is the evaporator coil, which transports heat out of your home to maintain the cooler temperatures. There are two main reasons that an evaporator coil may freeze; one is a refrigerant leak and the other is a blockage of airflow.

If your air conditioner has a refrigerant leak, you will want to speak with your MPC Heating & Cooling 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 information such as the age of your air conditioner and its service history, along with other things.

If your air conditioner has frozen due to an airflow blockage, it’s because there is not enough air passing over the evaporator coil to dry the condensation that acquires on it—then it freezes. Air flow blockages are commonly caused by dirty air filters or even dirty cooling fins. These problems can be remedied (and avoided!) by a routine air conditioner service appointment. At these service sessions, your technician will clean your system, replace your air filters and confirm everything is operating 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 regularly and change the 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 significant airflow problem and the following freezing problems.

If your air conditioner freezes, turn it off using your thermostat and call the experts at MPC Heating & Cooling to schedule an air conditioning service appointment. We’ll help you identify the complications and have your home back to cool and comfortable quickly. Call us at 308-832-4321 to book an appointment with us.