The summer can get extremely hot in Des Moines, 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 notice if your air conditioner is frozen? It may seem like a crazy question, but you typically won’t actually see the ice except in extreme cases. Here are symptoms to monitor for that indicate you could be dealing with 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 operating.
- 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 moves 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 reason is a blockage of airflow.
If your air conditioner has a refrigerant leak, you will want to talk with your Kohles & Bach Heating & Cooling technician during your air conditioning service appointment to understand if you will benefit more from repairing or replacing your air conditioner. We can help you assess the pros and cons using facts such as the age of your air conditioner and its service history, as well as other things.
If your air conditioner has frozen as a result of an airflow blockage, it’s because there isn’t sufficient air passing over the evaporator coil to dry the condensation that acquires on it—then it freezes. Air flow blockages are regularly 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 ensure everything is operating as it should with no potential challenges on the horizon. It’s also a good 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 pros at Kohles & Bach Heating & Cooling to schedule an air conditioning service appointment. We’ll help you identify the issue and have your home back to cool and comfortable in no time. Call us at 515-207-6569 to arrange an appointment with us.