Your air conditioner plays an essential role in enhancing the comfort levels in your home so it's important to know when it starts developing faulty issues. A frozen air conditioner is one problem you may notice with your unit. Running your air conditioner without rectifying the cause of the freezing can place stress on your compressor, leading to damages that will cost you a significant amount in repairs. A frozen air conditioner will work inefficiently too, meaning you won't only achieve the indoor home temperatures you want but you may have to pay higher energy bills as well. To avoid such outcomes, here are the major causes of a frozen air conditioner and how to handle them.

Restricted Airflow

A blocked flow of air is the first reason your air conditioner may freeze because with improper airflow, your evaporator coils will drop below freezing. As the humidity in the air collects on your evaporator coils, you end up with ice build-up on your air conditioning unit. A few components can restrict the flow of air on your air conditioner. The first is your air filters. Clogged air filters will cause problems with airflow and in most cases, accumulation of dirt and other debris is the main reason your air filters will block. Cleaning the filters should fix the problem. Remember to do this regularly to prevent the problem from recurring. If your air filter is damaged, consider replacing it.

Airflow can also be blocked by dirty evaporator coils. Therefore, when cleaning your dirty air filters, remember to check the evaporator coils too to ensure they are free of any dirt. Also, check your ductwork, including the vents to ensure they are not blocked.

Low Refrigerant Levels

If the flow of air is not the concern, then your air conditioner is low on refrigerant. When your air conditioner is running low on refrigerant, the coils that contain this refrigerant will become too cold, leading to build-up of ice. Low levels of refrigerant are usually caused by leaks in your refrigerant lines so you need to call in a professional to inspect and fix the leak. Icing itself is a sign of low refrigerant but you should also watch out for long cooling cycles to confirm that you are low on refrigerant.

It is important that before you start your troubleshooting, you turn off your air conditioner and thaw the frozen coils to prevent potential damages to the unit.