As more people start to rely on their air conditioners on a daily basis, some of you are going to start noticing ice forming on your air conditioner. This may seem like a good thing, but in fact it is a pretty serious problem that needs addressing. Let’s take a look at why ice actually forms on your air conditioner, and what to do about it.
The Evaporator Coil
The primary location for air conditioner ice is the evaporator coil. This is the part that keeps evaporating refrigerant to siphon heat from the air. If the refrigerant level gets low, however, typically from a leak in the system, the temperature of the evaporator coil will drop. This causes the coil to freeze over. Once the coil freezes over, it will be unable to siphon heat from the air. This causes your air conditioner output to drop significantly. If not cleaned off of the coil as quickly as possible, the ice can actually damage the coil to the point where it needs replacing.
Problems
The problems air conditioner ice can cause don’t just stop at the evaporator coil. As the ice spreads, it typically moves down the refrigerant line to the compressor. The compressor is a gas pump that moves refrigerant through the air conditioner after it has been evaporated. If the compressor freezes over, it prevents the air conditioner from circulating refrigerant. Without being able to circulate refrigerant, the entire air conditioning system pretty much breaks down.
So now that you’re aware of the problems that air conditioner ice can cause, what can you do about it? Quite simply, just call for a professional as soon as you notice ice forming on your air conditioner. The sooner you can get it addressed, the better off your system will be.
If you have ice on your air conditioner, call Sound Heating. We provide air conditioning repair services throughout Tacoma, WA.