The summer can get extremely hot in Fort Lauderdale, so how in the world is the air conditioner freezing over? It seems to make no sense. You may not even realize it’s taking place. How will you know if your air conditioner is frozen? It may seem like a ridiculous question, but you generally 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 require air conditioning service:
- Warm air is coming out of your registers while the air conditioner is operating.
- Water is leaking from or pooling under your air conditioner.
When we say the air conditioner is frozen, what’s actually frozen is the evaporator coil, which transfers heat out of your home to sustain the cool temps. There are two main reasons that an evaporator coil may freeze; one is a refrigerant leak and the other is a blockage of airflow.
If your air conditioner has a refrigerant leak, you will want to speak with your Solar Air Inc. technician during your air conditioning service appointment to determine if you will benefit more from repairing or replacing your air conditioner. We can help you evaluate the pros and cons using facts such as the age of your air conditioner and its service history, among other things.
If your air conditioner has frozen because of an airflow blockage, it’s because there is not enough air passing over the evaporator coil to dry the condensation that develops 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 confirm everything is operating as it should with no potential issues on the horizon. It’s also a great idea to mark your calendar or set a reminder on your phone to check your air filters often 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 large airflow problem and the following freezing problems.
If your air conditioner freezes, turn it off using your thermostat and call the pros at Solar Air Inc. 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 954-320-7398 to book an appointment with us.