Why Does Your Air Conditioner Freeze in Summer?

July 20, 2017

The summer can get very hot in Front Royal, 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 silly question, but you typically won’t actually see the ice except in extreme cases. Here are symptoms to look for that indicate you could have a frozen AC system that could be in need of air conditioning service:

  • Warm air is coming out of your registers while the air conditioner is running.
  • Water is leaking from or gathering under your air conditioner.

When we say the air conditioner is frozen, what’s actually frozen is the evaporator coil, which moves heat out of your home to keep it cool. There are two main reasons that an evaporator coil may freeze; one is a refrigerant leak and the other reason is a blockage of airflow.

If your air conditioner has a refrigerant leak, you will want to speak with your Dave's Diversified Services technician during your air conditioning service appointment to understand if you will benefit more from repairing or replacing your air conditioner. We can help you weigh the pros and cons using facts such as the age of your air conditioner and its service history, along with other things.

If your air conditioner has frozen due to an airflow blockage, it’s because there isn’t sufficient 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 fixed (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 running as it should with no potential challenges on the horizon. It’s also a valuable idea to mark your calendar or set a reminder on your phone to check your air filters regularly and change the filters when they are dirty. Always be sure that furniture, curtains and other household items aren’t blocking your registers, as even this could cause a significant airflow problem and the following freezing problems.

If your air conditioner freezes, turn it off using your thermostat and call the team at Dave's Diversified Services 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 540-636-3396 to book an appointment with us.