As you start to use your air conditioner more and more often this summer, you may notice ice starting to form on your system. This may seem like a good thing, since air conditioners are supposed to produce cool air. However, this is actually a sign that there’s a serious problem with the system, one that needs to be corrected as soon as possible. Let’s take a look at why air conditioner’s ice over, and what can be done about it.
Why It Happens
An air conditioner cools a home by using a part called the evaporator coil. The evaporator coil evaporates refrigerant to siphon heat from the air. Condensation forms on the coil as the air temperature around it drops below the dew point. Normally, the flow of warm air from the ducts is enough to keep the condensation fluid. However, if the flow of air to the coil is stopped for whatever reason, the temperature around the coil will drop below freezing. This will cause the condensate to freeze and form ice, which will soon cover the coil.
Problems With Frozen Coils
A frozen coil will be unable to siphon thermal energy from the air around it, which means that your air conditioner won’t be able to cool your home. That’s not the worst of it, though. The weight of the ice can eventually warp the coil permanently, which means that you’ll need to replace it. The ice can also spread down the refrigerant line to other parts of the air conditioner, causing them to malfunction and the system to break down. Call for repairs as soon as you see ice forming on your air conditioner, in order to prevent this from happening.
If your air conditioner has ice on it, call Sunset Air. We offer full air conditioner repair services throughout Olympia, WA.
