Air conditioners make a lot of things. First and foremost—the reason you have an air conditioner—they make cold air. They make some noise. It shouldn’t be anything alarming or sudden, but ACs certainly aren’t silent. They also make some moisture, as the humidity in the air condenses against the cold evaporator coils like droplets on a cold soda can.
One thing your air conditioner definitely should not make is ice. Yes, you do want the system to create coldness. But ice can actually have the opposite effect! Does that seem a little bizarre? We’ll explain exactly what we mean, why ice on your air conditioner is a bad sign, and what to do about it.
The Problem Begins
At the beginning, something causes the refrigerant in the evaporator coil to soak up less heat than it should. Perhaps there’s a leak somewhere, and there’s just not enough refrigerant left in the system to absorb much heat. Perhaps there’s a layer of dust over the evaporator coil, acting like insulation and keeping the cold refrigerant and the hot air of your home separated.
Whatever the cause, that super-cold refrigerant is not warming the way it should. The moisture that naturally accumulates on the evaporator coil from condensation doesn’t drip off into the condensate pan the way it should. Instead, it freezes solid because the coil is just so cold! Now you’ve got a layer of ice.
The Problem Continues
Whatever the original cause of your issue, the ice is now adding another complication. It’s another layer between the refrigerant and the warm air. It makes it even harder for the refrigerant to soak up any heat! And this makes more ice develop, which makes it even harder … and so on, in a vicious cycle.
The Solution to an Icy AC
The first thing you need to do is get rid of the ice. Don’t try to chip it away! That’s an easy way to damage the coils. If you didn’t have a refrigerant leak before, you will now! What you need to do is shut off the air conditioner completely and let it melt. This should only take 12 to 24 hours, depending on how thick the ice is. Check the condensate pan occasionally to make sure it’s draining properly and not overflowing.
Once all the ice is gone, you can take a couple of steps that might mitigate the problem. First, change the air filter. This will maximize airflow through the system, which will help the refrigerant to absorb heat. Next, clean those evaporator coils so there won’t be anything caked on that might block absorption. Be careful and gentle! You really don’t want to damage them.
Now you can start up the system again. How’s it working now? Maybe your problem is completely resolved. But if your evaporator coils start developing ice again, it’s time for professional air conditioning repair in Plainfield, IL. An expert technician can determine exactly what’s gone wrong with the system and put it right.
Call J&A today, Sleep-tight tonight!