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How to keep an air conditioning unit from freezing up.

Why is my air conditioner freezing up?Figuring out what is causing your air conditioner to stop working can be frustrating, but it is not an uncommon problem.If you have read any of our articles, you will know that we are a small U.S. Veteran-Owned company in Southern California.Most of our posts address one of two things: first, common air conditioning problems that people have, or second, the questions we get asked most frequently.There are a number of reasons for an air conditioner to freeze up, and it really doesn't matter whether it is a window AC unit or a central air conditioning unit.It's important to address this issue because a frozen air conditioner can cause serious damage if it keeps freezing up.If you have a problem, you need to address it immediately.We will tell you what causes a central air conditioner to freeze up, and what you can do to fix it.

There is a small high school physics lesson.Understanding this principle is the key to figuring out why your air conditioner is freezing up.The Joule-Thomson Effect states that if everything else is kept constant, then as a gas expands, its pressure decreases, and its temperature decreases.As a gas is compressed, its temperature will increase.

The amount of energy a molecule has is what we sense as temperature.If the air is bouncing around quickly, you would feel the heat.If the air is moving slowly and sluggishly, you would feel the cold air.It is that simple.

So what?The basis for how your air conditioner works is formed by this.Your system works by allowing your coil to expand, which will cause it to cool quickly.As the rapidly cooled coil comes into contact with your home's air, the refrigerant absorbs the heat from the air inside.

This newly heated refrigerant is then transported outside of your home where it is compressed, causing it to heat up and transfer the heat that was once inside of the home to the outside air.The cycle repeats over and over again, cooling your home.You can find more information on the Joule-Thomson Effect on this page.

Why is this important?This effect allows your air conditioner to cool the air inside of your house.You might throw the system out of whack if you change part of the equation.To keep this simple, your air conditioner is freezing up because something has altered your system in such a way that it is cooling your coil more than it should, causing the unit to freeze up.Now that you know how to fix your air conditioner, you have to figure out what caused it to malfunction in the first place.In the next section, we will do this.

If you want to learn more about the Joule-Thomson Effect, you can watch the video below.

A basic idea of how your air conditioner uses expansion and compression to heat and cool its Freon is all you need to know.It's possible to figure out why your air conditioner is icing up.We will discuss the causes of ice up, from the most common to the more rare ones.

I recommend that you watch the video above or take a quick look at the causes that are related to the Joule-Thomson Effect.Something is causing the freon in your system to expand more than it is designed to, which in turn is making your coil colder than normal, or something is preventing the air in the house from transferring its heat into the system.This causes your air conditioner to freeze up, either way.There are some common causes.

A split air conditioner is the most common type.The air conditioner takes heat from it and lowers the temperature of the house.The heat exchange can't take place if the air conditioner is blowing the inside air over the coil.Your air conditioner can freeze up as the temperature drops.

Lower pressure inside the system is to blame.Since there is less freon in your system, it is being forced to expand the same amount, which leads to a cooler temperature.As your air conditioner's coil drops below freezing, the air in your home will freeze as it comes into contact with the coil causing it to ice up.

If the outside air is below 62 degrees, the pressures inside of your system will drop and this can cause your central air conditioner to freeze up.

If there is a problem with your refrigerant lines, a blower fan that is not running, or a clogged filter dryer, what should you do?The pressure in your system can be changed by these.

How do I fix it?The next section will discuss how to fix an air conditioner that is freezing up.If you have already decided that it's time to replace, make sure you don't overpay.The program will save you money and accept or reject bids with confidence.

If your air conditioner is freezing up, you don't have to call a contractor.If you don't feel comfortable around your air conditioner, then you should definitely call a contractor, as some contractors will tell you that they are the only ones that should touch it.The first thing you need to do is turn off your air conditioner.Ice can cause problems with your air conditioner.There are a few things that you should take a look at before you call your local air conditioning repair service, if you feel comfortable and have a basic touch of the handy-man bug.You should do the following steps in order to fix a frozen air conditioner.

When the temperature is below 62 degrees outside, you should never run your air conditioner.Stop it and see if this fixes the problem.The simplest thing to fix can cause big problems.If your air conditioner is freezing up, the best way to rule it out is to check the following:

This is a common cause of restricted air flow through your air conditioner.You should replace the air filter every 2 to 3 months.restricted air flow can cause your air conditioner to freeze up if it gets clogged.

A dirty evaporator coil can cause a lack of air flow and cause your air conditioner to freeze up.Dirty Sock Syndrome is one of the unpleasant problems with your AC.If you have an iced up air conditioner, it's a good idea to clean your evaporator coil.In this article, you can learn how to do that.

The first thing to do is to open the air conditioning registers.Make sure that you inspect your ductwork for leaks, bends or disconnected portions because any restriction in air flow can cause your air conditioner to freeze over.You will most likely have to go into your attic to do this.If you have never walked in your attic before, you should ask a friend who knows how to do it.

If all of your ductwork is in order, you can take one of the registers and look inside.I am not a fan of having your air ducts cleaned, but it can be necessary at times if you or the previous owner didn't use high quality air filters.Cleaning your ducts doesn't really work that well, and can damage your ductwork, so I would just have the ductwork redone.Try to find out if you need your ducts cleaned.

I am afraid you have done all you can in the do-it-yourself category, if your air conditioner is still freezing up after the above steps have been taken.Call the contractor to fix the air conditioning.The next likely causes are a low pressure system due to low refrigerant levels, or too much, which can only be charged by a licensed technician, and it is also possible that you have a problem with your blower fan or refrigerant lines.If it is time to buy a new air conditioner, I would give you a call and make sure that you read the article first: The Best Time of Year to Buy an Air Conditioners.It is unlikely that everyone who is reading this is in All Systems Mechanical's service area of Santa Clarita or Greater Los Angeles, so I have included an article to help you choose a contractor.

It may be time to think about getting a new air conditioner if you have failed the steps above.I wouldn't talk to anyone without first getting the facts, so make sure to check with your local contractor.

Hopefully this article has answered your question and provided you with some useful information about what can cause your air conditioner to freeze up, as well as how you can fix it.A frozen air conditioner can damage your unit.Think about what ice does to roads over time.You can do the same thing with your air conditioner.This won't fix itself, so turn it off, follow the above steps, and you will have a healthy air conditioner that runs for years to come.You can find more information on frozen air conditioners and other air conditioning problems on the ASM Air Conditioning Blog.All Systems Mechanical services all of Southern California, from Santa Barbara to Northern Orange County.You can see if you are in our service area by clicking below.

The Wharton School of Finance is located in the U.S.The Naval Aviator from 2005 to 2015.At All Systems, we believe that the experience our clients have is more important than the products they receive.Our results speak for themselves, so we'd be happy to help.Make sure you get a fair price for a new AC or furnace.Click the tab on the top of the page for more information if you want to try our online calculator.

We recommend that you both participate in your estimate/service appointment if you have a spouse or partner.

How to keep an air conditioning unit from freezing up.

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