Reasons Your Air Conditioning May Freeze Up
The function of an air conditioning unit is to keep a home or business cool during the hot summer months. However, there is always the chance of air conditioning lines freezing up. When those AC lines freeze, there are a number of reasons to explain why that happened. Here is a look at those reasons.
Dirty Air Filter
An air conditioning unit depends on air flow across the coils in order for it to work properly. If that air becomes blocked and there is no air flow, your AC lines will freeze. The coils are actually what freezes and cause a build-up of ice. Take out your air filter, hold it up to the light and if you cannot see through it then it is too dirty and needs to be changed.
Low Refrigerant
In order for an air conditioning unit to function, there needs to be an adequate amount of refrigerant running through the lines. When a system becomes low on refrigerant, the freezing point becomes lower and that results in ice accumulating on the tubes.
Bad Thermal Expansion Valve
Another reason for frozen lines in an AC unit is due to a faulty thermal expansion valve, also known as a TXV. This controls the flow of refrigerant through your AC unit. If this malfunctions then not enough refrigerant will pass through the system and the coils. That will cause a freeze up. Some people also refer to a TXV as a metering device.
Faulty Furnace or Blower Motor
Frozen lines can indicate that the furnace or blower motor has quit. Reasons for this malfunction could be a bad circuit board or just a faulty motor. That will result in a lack of air flow that will result in your system freezing up.
No Low Ambient Control
On an air conditioning unit that does not have a low ambient control, a cold night will freeze its lines. If these systems run on a cold evening, that will also cause the system to freeze up.
Solutions To Frozen Lines
To solve any problem with frozen lines, turn the AC unit off, let the fan run and then call a service technician. It usually takes hours for the lines to melt out, so immediate service is not required or even possible. If you experience any type of frozen lines on an air conditioning unit, it’s recommended that you hire the services of a trained a/c repair professional.
That is when it’s time to call Fred Holder and his experienced team of technicians at Cool Masters. Our air conditioning service in York and the surrounding areas is the just the solution for any of your in-home cooling issues. Cool Masters also provides service to residents of East York, Hellam, York Haven, Dallastown, Downtown York, Shiloh and more.
