Can Dirty Coils Cause an AC To Freeze in Ironton, OH?

You turn on your air conditioner for the first time this year, and it blows cool air as expected — at least for a little while. That cool air steadily gets warmer and warmer until the system refuses to cool your Ironton home at all. You wonder if dirty coils might be to blame.

Can dirty coils cause an AC to freeze? Discover the answer below, then call our team for AC services in Ironton, OH.

Your Air Conditioner’s Coils, Explained

You may know that your air conditioner contains coils, but you might not know what these coils do. Knowing their purpose can help you understand why regular air conditioner coil maintenance is a must.

Your system has two coils: a condenser and an evaporator coil. The evaporator coil sits in the indoor unit and holds refrigerant, which absorbs heat in your home’s air. It then sends the refrigerant to the condenser coil in the outdoor unit. The condenser coil helps remove heat and transforms the refrigerant back into a liquid state.

Both coils must be clean in order to do their jobs. If either the condenser or evaporator coil gets too dirty, a heat transfer reduction may occur, causing your unit to freeze up.

Can Dirty Coils Cause an AC To Freeze? Yes, and That’s Not All

Can dirty coils cause an AC to freeze? They certainly can, and they can cause an array of other problems, too. Before your air conditioner freezes entirely, you might notice issues like these:

• Poor heat transfer: If the coils are dirty, they cannot transfer heat outside as they should. Instead, warm air will flow back into your home.
• Insufficient cooling: Your system might run for a long time in an effort to cool your home to the desired temperature. The unit may be able to cool down a few smaller rooms while leaving the rest of your home much too warm.
• Higher energy bills: If your air conditioner runs for hours at a time, your energy bills will shoot through the roof.
• Frequent repairs: Frozen evaporator coils can impact other parts of your air conditioner, such as the fans, compressor, and blower motor. A struggling cooling system can run nonstop, causing its parts to wear out rapidly.
• Reduced lifespan: Allowing your air conditioner to run with frozen coils can significantly reduce its lifespan. You may have to replace the system sooner than expected.

Other Causes of Frozen Coils in Ironton, OH

Can dirty coils cause an AC to freeze? Yes, but coils can sometimes freeze for other reasons as well. These include:

• Restricted airflow: Your air conditioner needs unrestricted airflow to do its job. If the filter clogs with dust and other debris, cool air can become trapped inside the system, eventually causing the coils to freeze. A damaged blower motor can cause airflow restriction, too.
• Refrigerant flow issues: The refrigerant’s job is to absorb heat from your home’s air. If the refrigerant line is blocked or leaking, the inside of your system can get too cold, resulting in freezing.
• Clogged condensate drain line: Your system’s condensate drain line ferries moisture away from the unit. Should it become blocked by debris, moisture can flow back into the system, and your coils may freeze over.

How Can You Prevent Frozen Air Conditioner Coils?

The best way to prevent your air conditioner coils from freezing is to book annual maintenance from a professional HVAC technician. During maintenance, your technician will inspect the coils and clean them if necessary.

Here are some DIY maintenance tasks you can perform in between service calls:

• Change your air conditioner’s filter at intervals recommended by the manufacturer. Depending on your filter, you might need to change it every 30 days to six months.
• Clean the condensate drain pan regularly to prevent moisture from backing up into the drain line.
• Ensure your outdoor unit is free of blockages caused by tree branches, weeds, soil, and foreign objects.