Why Is My Air Conditioner Frozen in the Middle of Summer?

It can happen at any time when the weather’s hot and your air conditioner is working hard to keep your home and your family comfortable. Over a short amount of time, usually a few hours, your air conditioner stops pumping out the cold air you’re used to. Before calling an air conditioning service Orlando homeowners often take a look at their air conditioner and discover that despite the heat, it’s frozen. Why is your air conditioner freezing when it’s so hot out? Here are some possible problem areas to consider.

Why is My HVAC Frozen?

• Has something changed to block the air flow to the unit? When air flow becomes restricted, the temperature of the evaporator coil can drop below freezing very quickly, causing condensation on the coil to freeze as even more condensation lands on the new ice. As the ice builds up, the air conditioner loses the ability to pass the cool refrigerant into your home to cool it. Possible sources of restricted air flow include a dirty filter that needs to be replaced, a dirty evaporator coil that needs to be cleaned, a damaged blower motor that needs replacement or ducts that aren’t passing enough air through the system because they’re undersized, damaged or crushed, requiring repair.
• Are there problems with the refrigerant? If your air conditioner has low refrigerant levels or a leak, the low pressure can cause your unit to work inefficiently. When the refrigerant pressure is low, the evaporator coils can become much colder than they do in normal operation, allowing moisture in the air to freeze to the coil, further lowering the unit’s efficiency and allowing more ice to build up.
• Has it been cool at night? Temperatures below 60ºF can be too low for the unit to work properly, causing it to freeze up.
• Is the drain line clogged? If moisture is backing up into the unit, it can then freeze on the evaporator coil, causing ice buildup.

If your HVAC unit has frozen up, it’s important that you immediately turn it off and leave it off to defrost naturally. Don’t try to use anything to remove the ice, as this can damage the unit. If fixing the airflow issues or turning it off at night isn’t helping, it’s time to call the professionals. We’re the Orlando air conditioning service that’s been serving central Florida since 1991. Whether it’s residential or commercial air conditioning Orlando residents need help with, please contact our Orlando AC repair technicians to get your cool air working well again.