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When you turn on your air conditioning system to enjoy cool air for another hot and humid Georgia summer, that air feels crisp and icy as it first hits you. So if you notice ice starting to form on the evaporator coil of the air conditioner, you may think it’s natural. The AC is work hard and doing a good job.
Except … it’s not!
The truth is that you should never see ice forming on any part of your air conditioner. An AC doesn’t use ice to cool the air, nor should its cooling process create ice. If you do see ice, something’s wrong with the air conditioner, and you’ll want it addressed as soon as possible.
Why Ice Is Abnormal for an AC
You can use ice to cool the air. If you place a bowl of ice in front of a fan, the warmer air blowing from the fan will lose some of its heat to the ice and become cooler. But this isn’t how an air conditioner cools the air.
What an AC does is use refrigerant to pull heat from the air of the house: the cold refrigerant in the evaporator coil absorbs heat and moves it outdoors to release it. The refrigerant switches between liquid and gaseous form, and at no point does it become ice.
If ice forms along the evaporator coil, it’s because moisture in the air is freezing along the coil’s surface. This shouldn’t happen under normal operating conditions—the refrigerant in the coil warms up as it absorbs heat and will not be cold enough to cause moisture to freeze.
AC Troubles That Can Cause Ice Formation
There are several AC troubles that can trigger ice to freeze along the indoor coil:
Clogged Air Filter
If the filter of the air conditioner is clogged with dust and debris because it hasn’t been routinely changed out, it lowers the amount of warm air that passes through the coil. The coil won’t absorb enough warmth to raise the refrigerant past freezing and moisture will start to turn to ice on the surface. Changing the filter should fix this.
Loss of Refrigerant
An iced-over coil often warns that an AC has a refrigerant leak. With less refrigerant in the coil, heat absorption will decline and the remaining refrigerant will be too cold, leading to moisture freeze. Refrigerant leaks put the entire AC in jeopardy and must have expert repairs.
Dirty Evaporator Coil
A layer of dust, grime, or mold along the evaporator coil creates an insulation layer that impedes heat absorption. Once again, the refrigerant will remain too cold and ice will begin to form along the coil surface.
Call Pros for Solutions
If you have a frozen AC coil, don’t try to scrape off the ice, since you may damage the coil. Shut off the air conditioner and let it thaw on its own. This won’t solve the underlying problem, however, so please call for air conditioning repair in Forsyth, GA if the issue isn’t just because of a clogged filter. Our technicians can determine what’s wrong and find the repairs necessary to restore your AC.