During the hot days of summer, it may seem like a good thing that your air conditioner has ice forming on it. It’s meant to be cold, right? Not really, no. Ice on your air conditioner is actually a sign that the system is malfunctioning. If not fixed soon, it could cause a whole slew of problems for your air conditioner, including a full system breakdown. Read on to find out more about why your air conditioner ices over, and what to do about it.
Evaporator Coil Issues
The evaporator coil is the part that evaporates refrigerant to draw heat from the air. This makes the coil very cold, obviously, and it relies on the constant flow of warm air from your home in order to keep from freezing. If the air flow is obstructed by something, like a clogged air filter, the evaporator coil will start to ice over. This ice cuts off the evaporator coil from the air flow even further, allowing the ice to spread from the coil to other parts of the system.
If not fixed soon, the weight of the ice will cause the evaporator coil to permanently warp. If the ice manages to spread down the refrigerant line to the evaporator coil, it can cause that part to break down as well. The ice will slowly take over your air conditioning system, causing vital parts to freeze up. Sooner or later, the entire thing will stop working.
If you see ice on your air conditioner, turn it off immediately and call for professional repair. If the ice is scraped off early enough, and the air filter replaced, your air conditioner can return to normal function without severe or lasting damage.
If your air conditioner has ice on it, call Touchstone Heating & Air Inc. We repair air conditioners throughout Lake City, FL.