The ice on your AC unit can adversely affect its components, so you must know how to unfreeze air conditioner. If your unit froze up, you need to turn it off, then locate the cause so that you can fix it.
Otherwise, you will have to face an expensive bill for repair. Do you want that to happen? Of course, not! Am I right?
In this post, you will know the common causes why your air conditioner freezes, as well as the things that you can do to unfreeze it.
So, without further ado, let’s start!
3 Factors That Causes Freezing Of Air Conditioners
Knowing the causes of freezing is important to be able to avoid it. If you wonder what those are, then keep on reading.
So, how to unfreeze air conditioner? Here are the following:
#1. Insufficient airflow
Air conditioners, in general, need a sufficient amount of airflow to operate and to retain the heat in the coil.
If the airflow is not enough, you will collect the humidity onto the coil, and the ice will build up.
Commonly, the airflow is obstructed by unclean air filters, closed registers, and ducts.
#2. Faulty thermostats and fans
If some system components do not operate correctly, then it may cause the air conditioner to freeze up.
The fan is the one that delivers the air towards the system’s coil for it to remain warm. So if the fan is faulty, the unit will freeze up.
If the thermostat is faulty, you might have it replaced or repaired by a technician.
#3. Low refrigerant and drain blockage
The air conditioner unit needs to drain the water that it condensates from the air moisture.
But if the pipe or hole is blocked, it may lead to freezing of the evaporator coil. So ensure that debris has no debris build-up.
If the ac is low in refrigerant, you need to check it by a technician since it might also cause freezing.
Ways To Unfreeze Air Conditioner
Now that you know the common causes that lead to the freezing of your unit let us now get into the things that you can do to unfreeze it.
Method #1. Thaw your unit
The very thing that you need to do is to turn off the thermostat of the ac and turn on the fan. Leaving the fan turn on will let your unit defrost completely.
Most often than not, the ice will thaw after one hour. But some cases require one whole day to help the air conditioner thaw out.
Once done, you need to turn on the thermostat again to the cool setting. You will know that you were able to fix your unit if the air becomes cooler.
Otherwise, you will need to seek help from a professional. Keep in mind that if your unit still keeps on freezing up, then it is a symptom it needs to be checked.
Method #2. Checking its condensate pan
Another thing that you can do is to check whether or not its condensate pan drains properly. Check the floor underneath the unit to see if there’s a puddle. If so, it only means that water builds up and the pan does not drain properly.
In such a case, your unit is at risk of serious damage issues caused by the water.
If the fan does not leak, place some towels below the unit for water spills. You might as well use some cleaning tablets in the pan. This can help in preventing future build-up as well as in eliminating odors.
Method #3. Inspecting the condensate drain
If the condensate drain is clogged, it will also lead to freezing up. This is because as you are thawing the ice, water will find its way out through the condensate drain.
But if it is clogged, then the water might overflow. This will cause excess water on the system so that the unit will freeze up.
Method #4. Checking the filter
Failure to clean the air filter will cause the ac unit not to work efficiently. This is among the primary reason that causes an air conditioner to freeze up.
The dirt that that build-up will hinder the flow of the warm air through your unit. You know warm air is essential in preventing it from freezing up. To get to the air filters, you need to take off the cover of the air con. Do this right after you adjusted the thermostat. Otherwise, more water will have to be dealt with.
In cleaning the filter, you need to run it below water. Please take note that you must fully dry it before you can put it back inside your ac unit. Air filters are also inexpensive so that you may buy another one from a home improvement store.
It’s A Wrap!
After knowing how to unfreeze air conditioner and trying the means, we provided above, your AC might still freeze.
Sometimes, even if you did your all, you can’t still fix the problem with your freezing air conditioner.
If you already cleaned the air filter of your air conditioner and thaw the unit, but it is still frozen, then you have to seek help from an HVAC professional.
They know better when it comes to unfreezing an air conditioner.