We see this happen a lot. It’s hot outside and your air conditioner just doesn’t seem to be doing the job. Your first thought is to turn down the temperature on the thermostat, right? But when turning down the thermostat doesn’t seem to help, what should you do next? HINT: The answer is not turn down the thermostat some more.
Air Conditioner Trouble Requires Investigation
When your home feels too warm and turning down the temperature on your thermostat doesn’t seem to be helping, you have a problem with your air conditioner. What you need to do is check your air conditioner for ice. Many times an air conditioner will freeze up – literally. Ice forms on the A-coil and the system stops cooling. Sometimes the refrigerant line from coil to outdoor unit can freeze as well. In either case, the worst thing you can do at this point is keep turning the temperature down. All that does is stress the system and cause more ice to form.
Where to Look for Ice in Your Air Conditioning System
We understand that many homeowners don’t know how an air conditioning system works. That’s okay. In case you’re one of them, we’ll tell you exactly where to look for ice. Ice can form inside or outside.
OUTDOOR UNIT
First check the outside unit. Ice forms when there’s a Freon (refrigerant) leak. Freon travels from the inside unit to the outside unit and back. Check the line coming from inside your home to the outside unit. Sometimes there’s just a little ice right where the line enters the unit. We’ve also seen entire outdoor units iced over. If you don’t see ice on the outside unit, check inside.
INDOOR UNIT
The refrigerant line comes in above the furnace. It is usually copper but can be wrapped for insulation. It leads to the A-coil which is inside the unit. You will have to take the cover/door off to look inside. You will see ice on the line or the A-coil if the unit is freezing up.
What to Do When Your Air Conditioner Freezes
The very first thing you should do when your AC freezes is turn it off. Even if you call us to come fix it, we can’t do anything until the system thaws out. This can take several hours. So, turn off the system, give us a call, let us know what you’ve seen and we’ll schedule an appointment. If you call us and the system is frozen up when we get there, all we can do is come back later when it’s thawed out.
We want to get your home back to cool as quickly as possible, so when your air conditioner isn’t working, take a look. If you see ice on it, turn your system off ASAP and give us a call. It will save us both time when it comes to repairing it. If you need AC repair help, call the friendly professionals at Jeremy Services at (913) 375-0070.
