Installing and Maintaining an HVAC System

Installing and Maintaining an HVAC System

Why Is There Ice on Your Air Conditioner?

Aaron Kennedy

While you expect your air conditioning to give you lots of cool air, you don't expect arctic conditions. If you notice that your air is colder than it was, and you can see bits of ice inside the unit, then something has gone wrong.

Why is ice forming in your air conditioning, and can you fix this yourself?

Why Can You See Ice in Your Unit?

Air conditioners are set up to cool air. If a unit is in good nick, then this works fine. However, if the unit develops a problem, then the cool air that is produced can get colder than it should and can end up in places it shouldn't be. This sometimes leads to ice formation.

For example, this can happen under the following circumstances:

  • The unit's filter isn't working properly. This is usually because it hasn't been cleaned recently. Dirty filters can't let air run freely through the unit. This disrupts the airflow path. When this happens, cold air gets blocked in parts of the system and turns to ice.
  • The unit's coils are getting too much exposure to air that is too cold. This can be related to dirty filters. For example, refrigeration coils can freeze if airflow is impaired. Alternatively, there may be a motor failure in the unit which has reduced the amount of air around the coil.

In either case, you need to fix the problem. This may be something you can do yourself.

Can You Stop Ice Forming in Your Unit?

Some air conditioning jobs need to be left to the experts. However, you can do some basic servicing work yourself as long as you have the unit's manual or instruction booklet.

Most manufacturers tell you how to clean a unit's filter. Given that filters are a common cause of ice formation, this should be your first job. Follow the instructions to access the filter and clean it.

When you put everything back together again and run the unit for the next few days, you'll see if this has worked. If you don't see any more ice, your filter was the problem.

If ice starts to form again, then you need professional help. Don't try to take things further — you shouldn't try to repair parts of your system that have electrical connections or that are fitted in the core of the unit. You might damage something or hurt yourself. To get your ice problem fixed at this stage, call out your air conditioner repair professional.


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About Me
Installing and Maintaining an HVAC System

Hello there, welcome to my blog. My name is Andrew and this blog is going to be about how to install and maintain HVAC systems. When I purchased a new office space in downtown Perth, I didn't have the first idea about HVAC systems. I knew that I would need one, as I couldn't expect my staff to work away in the heat of an Australian summer without any air conditioning. I contacted an HVAC contractor who advised me on the best type of system to install. He also gave me some top tips on how I could keep the HVAC system in good condition.

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