If you look at your air conditioner with ice forming on the coils and think it must be doing a good job, you’re poorly mistaken. We haven’t used ice to keep homes cool since a few hundred years ago. In this day and age, if you notice ice forming on your air conditioner during the summer, it’s safe to say that there’s something wrong.
Before you get the hairdryer to start melting the ice, remember that something is causing that ice to form. Just melting it over and over again is not going to do you any good. Only signing up for air conditioning repair in Plano, TX will get at the heart of the problem and leave your air conditioner off better than it was.
Don’t believe us? Keep reading as we get into what causes this ice and why it’s so important that you call us!
How Does Ice Form?
That’s a good question and it’s exactly why you’ve come here. We’re going to answer it for you. Basically, there are a few processes that your air conditioner does that cool down the temperature of your home. When something goes wrong with these processes, the temperature can lower too much and moisture can also form. Low temperatures plus moisture equals, you guessed it, ice!Let us explain in more detail.
The air is cooled in your AC by the evaporation and condensation of refrigerant. When refrigerant evaporates, it draws moisture and heat out of the air so that your home can feel comfortable. When it condenses, that heat and moisture is deposited. However, if something changes this process, either through a refrigerant leak or stifled airflow, the temperature can drop too quickly. Moisture will still be drawn out of the air but it will be kept at a much lower temperature since it’s having trouble being deposited outside. Eventually ice will begin to form around your coils and you’ll start to suffer from huge leaps in inefficiency.
Clogged Air Filter
This is one of the simplest reasons that ice forms on an air conditioner’s coils. The air filter is supposed to keep dirt and debris from reaching the coils of the system, but when it gets too clogged up, it will actually inhibit the flow of air. This then makes it hard for the AC to cycle the cold air it creates, causing the temperature to drop lower than it should. Remember, if there’s low airflow in your system, then it’ll likely get too cold and start forming ice! Go replace your air filter at once to mitigate this issue.
Refrigerant Leak
When refrigerant leaks out of your system, it’s got less of the material to work with. It starts working harder to cool the same amount of air, using less refrigerant to do the same job.
Think about this experiment—when a large gallon of water freezes, it takes longer than just a small ice cube tray, right? Well, the same principle works for your refrigerant. The less refrigerant in the system, the more likely it is to drop too low in temperature, too fast. This will cause ice to form and your system to start running at a fraction of its efficiency level.
Get both of these issues addressed today by calling for professional help!
Call Hutchins Plumbing & Air Conditioning today. Get it done right… Right now!
