If you’ve ever looked into your AC unit you may have noticed ice or frost on the coils. It may seem like having frost on the coils would be a normal factor while your air conditioner works hard to keep your home cool. This problem causes a lot of confusion for homeowners. What does having ice on your AC coils mean?
Ice on an air conditioning unit is a serious problem. It’s a sign that your AC is in need of a repair. Never try to scrape the ice or frost off, you could cause damage to the coils. The first thing you should do when you see ice or frost is simply turn of your unit and call a service technician.
So where does the frost come from?
Frost or ice on your coils can come from a number problems. They are:
- Leak in Refrigerator Lines
- This is the most serious cause of ice on your ac coils
- It throws off the balance of your ac’s cooling process, causing ice to build along the coils
- Don’t continue to let the ice build, the problem will get worse if you continue to let the ice build up
- Clogged Filter
- This is the most preventable cause of frost on your coils
- Change your air filter once a month to prevent frost/ice from forming
- Changing the filter will help the problem but still call a service technician to professionally defrost the coils and check to make sure it’s not another problem
- Dirty Evaporator Coil
- If your coil is dirty it’s important to call a service technician to properly clean the coil
- The coil must be taken out of the unit to be properly cleaned
- Remember that scraping off ice will not solve the problem. It will just cause damage.
Ice blocks the air you want cool and the refrigerant that helps cool. Overtime, this will cause a unit breakdown because it requires the unit to work harder. If you see ice or frost on your unit don’t hesitate to call Holland Heating and Cooling. Having a trained professional come out to look at your unit is the only way to fix this problem.
