What To Do When Your AC Evaporator Freezes

Having a functional air conditioner is critical when it comes to keeping your home cool during the warm summer months. If you notice that your air conditioner isn't producing as much cool air as it used to, you should carefully examine each of the components within your air conditioning system for signs of damage.

Discovering that there is frost on the exterior of the AC's evaporator can be disheartening. Here are three things that you can do to help remedy a freezing AC evaporator in the future.

1. Check the fan motor.

If you see signs of frost on your air conditioner's evaporator, this frost could be the result of a fan motor that isn't working properly. The fan motor is responsible for turning fan blades that produce a steady flow of air which moves over your AC's evaporator coils.

This flow of air is essential when it comes to preventing the evaporator from freezing and ensuring that your AC unit can function properly. Be sure to see if a faulty fan blade motor is to blame for your freezing evaporator coils when troubleshooting your AC unit in the future.

2. Check your air filter.

Your AC unit needs to continuously draw in air from the surrounding environment in order to generate the cool air required to keep indoor temperatures at a comfortable level. The air moving into your AC unit passes through a filter that is designed to remove contaminants and large particles that might damage the delicate components within your air conditioner.

Over time, the filter can become clogged. A dirty filter will cut off the supply of air coming into your air conditioner, causing the evaporator coils to freeze. If you see frost on your evaporator coils, be sure to check the quality of your AC's air filter.

3. Check for short-cycling.

It's important that you are using an air conditioning system that is the right size for your home. An AC unit that is too large will short-cycle. This short-cycling will cause the air conditioner to move a smaller volume of air through its system during each cycle time, which could leave the evaporator coils without proper airflow.

If you are spotting frost on your evaporator coils, have an experienced HVAC technician determine if you need to downsize to a smaller AC unit in the future.

Being able to address freezing AC evaporator coils successfully will help you keep your home's interior temperatures cool and comfortable well into the future. To learn more, contact a company like Allied Mechanical & Electrical, Inc.