This is a pretty common problem that we see, and you’d be surprised with how many homeowners think that it’s normal! While it’s common, it’s not a good thing to have happen to your air conditioner, and we’re going to talk about why. If you take anything away from this blog post today, it should be that ice on your air conditioner should never be ignored.
The cooling process undertaken by your air conditioner is a complex procedure, with refrigerant lines that must be pressurized to a precise amount. This evaporation and condensation is what actually cools the air of your home, and ice forming on the coil can be a sign that the process has a hitch in it and that things aren’t running as smoothly as they should.
Ice on your AC’s coils is a problem, and we’re here to tell you why you should call us for AC repair in Maidstone, SK!
“Why Is There Ice on My AC’s Coils?”
In order to get your air conditioner set on the right track, we need to confront the elephant in the room. Why the heck would ice grow on the coils of your air conditioner? And why is ice growing on the coils a bad thing, isn’t ice cold and your air conditioner is supposed to cool your home?
Well, ice is a bad thing to have growing on your air conditioner because your AC system doesn’t use ice to cool your house. This ice is actually a byproduct of something that’s likely going wrong.
Remember that ice requires temperatures to be zero degrees Celsius in order for it to stay frozen. Your air conditioner does not cool your home to zero degrees, so the ice is actually a waste of cooled air and energy that’s not being used to cool your home. Here are two reasons why there could be ice growing on your AC.
- Refrigerant leak. When your AC has a low amount of refrigerant due to a leak, it can start to hamper the cooling process. Since your AC is cycling the remaining refrigerant too quickly, it doesn’t have time to absorb the heat in your home properly and instead keeps cooling until it gets ice cold. This then freezes the condensate on your condenser coil and leads to ice growth.
- Clogged air filter or vents. When your air conditioner’s air filter gets clogged, it can stifle the airflow through your AC system. This means that the cool air can’t escape the system properly and it starts getting cooled even more to the point of getting super-cooled to freezing temperatures.
Getting Rid of Ice the Right Way
Before you start revving up the hairdryer to start melting the ice, we recommend shutting your air conditioner off and letting the ice melt the natural way. If there’s ice on your AC’s coils, there’s something wrong with it and it should be repaired before you turn it on again. We recommend getting in touch with a professional from our team and scheduling a service appointment.
Contact Guardian Plumbing & Heating Ltd. for comprehensive AC repairs. Lloydminster’s Plumbing and Heating Authority.