What Makes An Air Conditioner Freeze Up? 6 Best Reasons!

The question is: What makes an air conditioner freeze up? Several reasons can lead to the freeing of an air conditioner, and we will be talking about that in this post. 

An air conditioner requires proper airflow so that the cold coils will be kept warm. Without the warmth in the room. the coil may drain before the water is drained out of the unit. 

What makes an air conditioner freeze up

But other than that, other factors can cause freezing, and we will be discussing them below. 

There are many more things that you should know about this, so just read on!

 

6 Things That Makes An Air Conditioner Freeze Up

You have to know what causes your air conditioner to freeze up so that you can easily find ways to find a solution to this problem. 

If you are not quite sure or even have no idea about what can make it freeze, this post will help you. 

So, what makes an air conditioner freeze up?

Here are the common things that cause the freeze-up of your air conditioning unit:

 

#1. Refrigerant leaks

An air conditioner has many moving components that may end up getting clogged, broken, or stuck. 

Clogged filters, not moving fans, and kinked refrigerant lines can cause the pressure to drop. 

This will result in the excessive expansion of refrigerant and eventually for it to become cold. 

Refrigerant is vital in regulating the temperature of the entire air conditioning system. 

If the refrigerant level is too low, it can lead to the freezing up of the system. This problem can be easy and cheap to fix. 

 

#2. Colder summer nights

For an air conditioner to work, it has to be calibrated to a certain level of temperature. 

If the temperature during summertime is colder than that level, the air conditioning unit can become out of whack. 

 

#3. Dirty coils

Another factor that commonly causes the freezing of an air conditioner is its dirty coils. The ice can obstruct the air from flowing in and out of the system properly. In addition, the tiny frosts inside the unit can spread or form a solid ice block. 

The evaporator coils freeze up because aside from cooling the air in your house, an air conditioner also dehumidifies it. It also pulls the moisture from the air. This will form part of the condensation that is building up at the coils. 

Ordinarily, this won’t be a problem since the condensation water will fall out of the coils. This will then move towards the drip pan. However, if the dripping pan overflows, the coils can end up logged with water or even freezing. 

The unclean coils can lead to freezing since the dirt above the coils may prevent them from absorbing the water. To keep the coils of your air conditioner clean, you should have it checked by an HVAC professional. 

 

#4. Ruined blower fan

The blower fan of an air conditioner is helping the system in getting the warm air out and the cold air on where it has to be. 

If the air inside the air conditioning system cools down, it starts to become denser. This won’t be able to travel easily.

The AC’s blower fan is helping in moving the cold air by sucking warm air outside of your house. However, during this process, the cold will move to replace those warm air. 

The effectiveness of your air conditioning unit in providing you with cool air depends on how balanced the air pressure and airflow in the system are.

In some cases, you might damage the blower fan or broking under a normal operation. This will alter the flow of the air inside the air handler. As a result, excessive condensation can build up onto the evaporator coils. The droplets of water will also not drain or evaporate properly. 

If the warm air is not moving through the parts where it is needed, the damaged blower fan might also cause the freezing of the refrigerant line. It would help if you were careful in such a case since the freeze can move to the condenser unit located outdoors, which will cause more problems. 

 

#5. Faulty thermostats 

If some air conditioning system components do not function properly, then it may cause the air con to freeze up.

If the thermostat is faulty, you might have it replaced or repaired by a technician. 

 

#6. Insufficient Airflow

Generally, air conditioners need an adequate airflow to work and keep the heat in the evaporator coil. 

If the airflow is inadequate, the humidity will be collected onto the evaporator coil, thereby causing the ice to build up.

Dirty air filters, closed registers, and ducts can obstruct the airflow, which is why it is important to have your unit inspected regularly. 

 

It’s A Wrap!

Now that you know what makes an air conditioner freeze up, you can avoid doing the things that can lead to it. 

Likewise, you can start doing the things that can help avoid the freeze-up of your air conditioning unit, including servicing and maintenance. 

It is recommended to have your unit inspected by a professional at least once a year to avoid any issue. 

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