When Your Air Conditioner Won't Work

How To Deal With An Air Conditioner That Freezes Up

24 May 2022 by Clara Fernandez

Your AC works to keep you cool, but these units can also be notorious for the trouble they bring. An air conditioner can freeze up at the beginning of a cold season, and you need to know how to handle this problem.

Here are some of the most common causes of an air conditioner freezing up and a few solutions to help you.

Insufficient Airflow

If your air conditioner isn't getting enough airflow, it can freeze up. This happens when there isn't enough warm air flowing through the coils. Make sure vents are open without obstruction from furniture, so there is plenty of airflow through the system. 

A dirty filter can also cause insufficient airflow in your unit. You need to clean these filters regularly to get rid of debris. Also, replace worn-out filters to maintain high efficiency by keeping away foreign contaminants. 

If you use a foam or fiberglass filter, you should replace it more frequently, depending on how much dust is in your indoor air.

Blower Motor Problems

The blower motor pushes air through your ductwork and into your rooms. There are two main reasons that blower motors fail:

They Clog Up With Dust And Lint

The blower motor is constantly sucking air from inside and pushing it outside your house. So, it gets exposed to a lot of dirt and debris. If you don't clean out this dirt regularly, it will eventually block your blower motor. The clog can obstruct the smooth flow of air in your unit and make it harder to do its job correctly. Ultimately, the parts of your unit will freeze up.

They Wear Out With Time

There's not much you can do about regular wear and tear, except replace the blower when it finally fails.

If your blower motor isn't running correctly, you can try a few fixes. First, try turning off the breaker for a few seconds to reset some internal components inside the control board. If turning off the breaker doesn't work, ask an expert to replace your blower motor control board (the part that controls the blower motor).

Low Coolant Levels

If your coolant levels are too low, your unit is likely to freeze up. Check your coolant levels periodically during the winter months so that you don't run into problems later on when it's too late.

To check the coolant levels, you'll need to remove the drain pan from underneath the unit and look at how much water is in there. If there isn't much or any water at all, then the coolant levels might be low and need to be topped off.

You can also open up the access door on top of the unit and look inside where the coolant lines connect inside the unit itself. If they look dry and cracked, you might need to add more coolant.

For more information about air conditioning units, contact an HVAC service in your area.

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