As the weather warms, a cool house is always something to look forward to. Few things are worse than a broken air conditioning system in the sweltering heat, so keeping your AC in good condition throughout the warm seasons is a must.

One of the most common AC problems you must keep an eye on is frozen pipes and tubes. Once this happens, you’ll have minimal airflow and cooling and will be impossible for you to feel comfortable.

What causes your AC system to freeze?

A lot of factors can cause an AC unit to freeze. Common reasons include the following:

• Loss of refrigerant – low refrigerant levels can make the evaporator coil too cold.
• Clogs inside the piping – clogs restrict airflow in the system, which adds stress to the compressor and other AC components. A dirty air filter is often the culprit of restricted airflow, so be sure to clean your AC filter regularly.
• Thermostat issues – have the thermostat checked by an HVAC professional for issues.
• Drainage problems – your AC system has a condensate drain where excess water goes. If something blocks the drain, water can back up and freeze all the way back to the evaporator coil. Be sure to check and clear the drainpipe regularly, and do so more often the more you use your AC.
• Insufficient fan speed – the AC fan needs to have the proper speed to blow the cold air over the evaporator coil adequately. Otherwise, the evaporator coil would freeze.

What to do if the AC freezes

The first and best thing you can do when faced with a freezing AC is to shut it off to prevent wasting money and damaging the compressor. Don’t do anything to speed up the melting of the ice, as you may end up damaging the piping. As you wait for the ice to melt, locate the condensate drain and ensure it isn’t blocked. Later, call an Edmonton air conditioning professional to take a look at your system, diagnose the cause of the freezing problem, and solve it.

Annual preventive maintenance conducted by a professional technician of Edmonton air conditioners is the best way to keep a freezing AC problem at bay. To learn more solutions to a freezing AC problem, or to schedule an inspection or repair, contact a trusted HVAC company such as Capital Plumbing and Heating Ltd.