The summer can get very hot in Southern California, so how in the world is your home’s air conditioner freezing over? It seems to make no sense. You may not even realize it’s taking place. How will you determine if your air conditioner is frozen? It may seem like a ridiculous question, but you typically won’t actually see the ice except in extreme cases. Here are symptoms to look for that indicate you could be working with a frozen AC system that could need air conditioning service:

• Warm air is coming out of your registers while the air conditioner is operating.
• Water is leaking from or pooling under your air conditioner.

When we say your air conditioner is frozen, what’s actually frozen is the evaporator coil, which moves heat out of your home to keep it cool. There are two main reasons that an evaporator coil may freeze; one is a refrigerant leak and the other reason is a blockage of airflow.

If your air conditioner has a refrigerant leak, you will want to discuss with your Econo Air technician during your air conditioning service appointment to understand if you will benefit more from repairing or replacing your air conditioner. We can help you assess the pros and cons of using background such as the age of your air conditioner and its service history, along with other things.

If your air conditioner has frozen because of an airflow blockage, it’s because there isn’t sufficient air passing over the evaporator coil to dry the condensation that develops on it—then it freezes. Airflow blockages are regularly caused by dirty air filters or even dirty cooling fins. These problems can be alleviated (and avoided!) by a routine air conditioner service appointment. At these service sessions, your technician will clean your system, replace your air filters, and ensure everything is working as it should with no potential challenges on the horizon. It’s also a good idea to mark your calendar or set a reminder on your phone to check your air filters frequently and change the filters when they are dirty. Always make sure that furniture, curtains, and other household items aren’t blocking your registers, as even this could cause a serious airflow problem and the ensuing freezing problems.

If your air conditioner freezes, turn it off using your thermostat and call the team at Econo Air to schedule an air conditioning service appointment. We’ll help you identify the issue and have your home back to cool and comfortable as soon as possible. Call us at 714-710-1070 or book an appointment with us online.