Ice on Your Air Conditioner Is a Bad Sign
What would you do if you were walking by your AC and noticed that it had ice on it? Give it a smiling nod of approval, and thank it for putting in some overtime when cooling your home? If so, you need to reevaluate the situation. Yes, your air conditioner is obviously there to keep your home cool. There is a world of difference between your air conditioning system and a freezer, though, and there should not be ice anywhere your AC in Wake Forest, NC.
But what could be causing this problem to begin with? It is not as though there is water coursing through the air conditioner that can freeze anyway, right? As is the case with most air conditioning problems that you may encounter, there are a few different issues that could be the root cause of the ice on your AC. They range in severity, and you may not need professional intervention. In any case, however, acting fast is paramount.
Dirt and Grime
When is the last time that you cleaned your house? Don’t worry, we’re not here to guilt trip you. After all, even those of us that clean our homes regularly are not disassembling our air conditioning units to clean the components within, right? One of the most important parts of routine maintenance is the cleaning of various equipment in the system, and it relates to problems like icing.
If the evaporator coil in your air conditioning system is caked with dirt and grime, then that layer of sludge is going to insulate the coil. This means that the coil will not be able to absorb as much heat as it ought to from the air passing over it, and it can get too cold as a result. When that happens, the condensation on the coil can freeze up.
One thing that you can do on your own is change your air filter. If the air filter itself is all clogged up with debris, you are going to encounter a very similar issue with icing on your system. You see, the dirty air filter will restrict airflow through your air conditioning system. That leads the coil to get too cold, and the end result is the same. Make sure that you are changing your air filter recommended and needed.
It Could Be More Serious
A refrigerant leak is another likely cause of your air conditioning ice, and it is a much more serious problem. Your air conditioner needs a precise level of refrigerant in it to function properly. If your system is low on refrigerant, it means that you have a leak — the system does not consume refrigerant the way that a car consumes gasoline.
Not only can low refrigerant impede the heat transfer process, but it can also put a lot of stress on the system, contributing to higher energy costs, increased wear and tear, and potentially irrevocable damages. Don’t let a suspected refrigerant leak go unaddressed.
Schedule your AC services with Raleigh Heating & Air.