Air Conditioner Compressor Covered In Ice

Low airflow over the evaporator coil.

Air conditioner compressor covered in ice.

The part of your air conditioner system that transfers evaporates heat from the inside your home to outside. Continuing to operate the unit can damage the compressor and other parts of the system. How to deal with ice buildup on your air conditioner. Ice on your outside air conditioner pipe is actually a sign of 2 ac problems.

The cause of this freezing is the evaporator coil. This is one of the reasons we strongly advocate regular air conditioning maintenance when an air conditioner is low on refrigerant or charged incorrectly the coils containing the refrigerant get too cold causing ice to build up on the coils. And you re right to be confused it s definitely not normal to see ice on your air conditioner refrigerant pipe when it s 90 outside. Your outside air conditioning refrigerant line is covered in ice which seems crazy in arizona heat.

The ice formed here is at the low pressure inlet to an air conditioning compressor condenser unit. Similar ice may form at the evaporator coil also called the cooling coil or at the refrigerant suction line on the cooling coil at other end of the air conditioning system as you can see in our iced up air conditioning cooling coil photograph. The problem of ice on your air conditioner needs to be addressed correctly because continued ice buildup will permanently damage the unit. As it turns out a frozen air conditioner is a relatively common occurrence and there are plenty of reasons this can happen to your unit.

This causes your a c system to work less efficiently and can also cause the air conditioner to freeze. But if notice your home s air conditioning system doesn t feel like it s working adequately you may find that your air conditioning unit is covered in ice. If the coil is dirty the system should be switched off until the evaporator coil can be cleaned or replaced. So what s the deal.

If you have ice on your outdoor unit turn your system off check for problems and contact a professional to repair any damage. Chances are your indoor unit s evaporator coil is frozen solid and cold liquid refrigerant is flowing to the outside unit through the refrigerant line which is why it s covered in ice. The coils become encased in ice and the air conditioning. Remember ice on your air conditioning unit is always indicative of a problem with your system.

Ice can form on your air conditioner or heat pump in any weather if the refrigerant inside it falls below freezing. When the refrigerant inside a central air conditioning unit falls below 32 degrees fahrenheit humidity that surrounds the coils freezes. Ice can form on the air conditioner if the evaporator coil is dirty.