We don’t really use ice to cool the air in our home. While ice might be a great addition to a cool beverage, or to a cooler when you go camping, it’s not going to do any good when your home is in need of cooling. For starters, ice only cools small objects and areas. You don’t want to know how much ice it would take to cool your entire home, and the energy involved in making that much ice would be absurd!
However, ice can still form on an air conditioner. We know this not just because we’re HVAC professionals, but because it’s a common problem that we hear about all the time. If you’ve ever noticed ice growing on the coil of your AC, then you’ve got a problem we might be talking about down below. Just make sure you call us for your air conditioning in Roseland, NJ.
1. Ice Can Form From a Refrigerant Leak
When refrigerant leaks from an air conditioner, it can have trouble cooling your home. Now, you might be thinking that this is a bit paradoxical. If an air conditioner is struggling to run properly, wouldn’t it warm up rather than cool down? Well, it depends on where in the cooling process the issue is expressing itself!
When refrigerant travels to the evaporator coil, it heats up as the air inside of your home cools down. But when an air conditioner doesn’t have enough refrigerant to run a normal cycle, it might send the refrigerant through without retaining all of the heat. Continue this for a few cycles and the interior components of the air conditioner will start cooling to below freezing, causing the moisture in the air to turn into ice as it condenses. The worst part about this is that your air conditioner will be supercooling the air inside of it, but not the air in your home!
2. Clogged Air Filter
Another reason for ice growth on an air conditioner is due to a blocked air filter. Your AC requires a continual flow of air through the system in order for it to function properly. If the air filter is clogged, the unit will struggle to blow air through it and into your home, causing it to stagnate while it operates. Then, over time, the air will cool too much and ice might start growing. This can be fixed simply by changing out the air filter every 1-3 months.
3. An Issue With the Blower Fan
The blower fan is in charge of sending cooled air through your ductwork and into the rooms of your home. If it’s not working properly, or if it’s not running entirely, the cool air will be stuck in your air conditioner as it continues to cool. Thus, if you’re following along, ice will start to form as the air inside your AC gets cooled but it can’t travel anywhere.
Do yourself a favor and contact a professional when you spot ice growing on your AC!
Contact MarGo Plumbing Heating Cooling Inc. for help with your air conditioner.