Where did your cool air go?

Depending on where you live, air conditioning can be a crucial addition to daily life during the warm summer months. Frost or ice forming on the coils of your air conditioner, regardless of the temperature of the surrounding air, can be a symptom of a significant issue and limit the system’s capability to cool your indoor environment.

If you find yourself with a frozen air conditioning unit in the sweltering heat of summer, it’s time to do some detective work and try to narrow down the cause. Sometimes you can easily handle the issue yourself, and other times an HVAC professional is necessary to getting your unit back into proper working order. Here we’ll take a look at the causes of freezing air conditioners and the issues you can solve yourself.

Check the Filter

Check the air conditioner’s filter first. If there is not enough air flowing through the system, the filter may be to blame. If the filter is clogged with debris, it may be limiting the airflow and causing your air conditioner to freeze up. Try replacing the filter with a clean one, and see if that fixes the problem.

Check the Airflow

Check other areas of the unit where airflow may be getting blocked. This includes the registers, the duct connectors, and the ductwork. Leaks or dirt obstructing the airflow may also be to blame for faulty airflow.

Check the Fan

Another area to check is the unit’s fan. If the fan isn’t working properly, the air cannot move out of the unit, causing it to freeze. If the fan isn’t moving and there is no visible debris blocking it, you may need to call in an HVAC professional to further assess the issue and handle the repair.

Overuse

If you are running your air conditioning unit night and day, you may simply be freezing your unit from overuse. Be sure to give your unit a break here and there. This simple process not only extends the life of your unit, but it can also save you some money on your energy bill.

Check the Thermostat

If your unit’s thermostat is broken, it cannot self-regulate properly and may freeze up as a result. If your unit is freezing up, take a moment to check the temperature on the thermostat for accuracy. If it seems to be off, it may be time to call in an HVAC professional to set it straight or replace it.

Check the Refrigerant Levels

An air conditioning unit that is low on coolant can also cause your coils to freeze up. Constantly adding coolant may signal that you have a leak in your unit. If a leak is the problem, this sort of issue is best resolved by a professional.

First and foremost, if you see your air conditioning unit coils freezing up, your first plan of action should be to shut off the unit and let it thaw. Neglecting to do so can damage the unit’s compressor and rack up a pricey bill for repairs. Check the unit’s coolant levels, filters, air ducts, thermostat, and fan to see if you can identify the problem yourself. Once you have assessed that everything visible is in proper working order, turn your unit back on and monitor it closely. If your coils continue to freeze up and you have identified each one of these primary areas of concern, it may be time to call in an HVAC professional to take a closer look.

All the leaks

If your air conditioner begins leaking, it can be difficult to find out why, especially if you’re not sure where to look. To preserve the efficiency of your unit, you should find the cause of the leak and address it sooner rather than later. Not only can a leak lower the efficiency of your unit, but this inefficiency can also increase your energy bill. Let’s take a look at a 3 common areas where air conditioners might spring a leak!

Air Conditioning Leaking: Refrigerant

An air conditioner that is improperly installed is vulnerable to refrigerant leaks. Poorly brazed copper refrigerant lines can have pinhole leaks that take months to notice refrigerant levels have dropped. Also if vibrating parts are up against the refrigerant coils, this can cause a hole and refrigerant loss. Check that the vents throughout your home are open and your filter is clean. Restrictions in an air conditioner system can raise refrigerant pressure and cause the valves of the unit to leak as the unit gets older.

Air Conditioning Leaking: Water

One of the most common causes of air conditioning water leaks is a broken or malfunctioning condensate pump. Test your pump by pouring water into the condenser pan or directly into the pump. A float switch inside will turn on the pump when the water rises to a certain level. If the pump doesn’t activate, it may be clogged, broken or without power. Make sure the pump is plugged in and has power, there is usually a green power indicator light. A condensate pump should be wired so as to shut down the air conditioning if it fails for any reason to avoid any water damage to your home. An HVAC professional will know how to do this.

Another common cause of leaks are the condensate lines. These are what drain condensation from the indoor part of your a/c system to the outside of your home. If the primary drain line becomes clogged, the secondary line will start to drip water over one of your outside windows. This is an indicator that you have a problem and should call a HVAC Technician. If the secondary line clogs, water will back up and flood the overflow pan, resulting in possible water damage to your ceiling and other parts of your home. A backed-up line can also cause the unit to automatically shut down if it is set up to detect an issue. You can clear a condensate line by using a wet/dry vacuum to suck out the clog or calling a technician, but routine care and maintenance is the best form of prevention.

Damage to the overflow pan or PVC condensate lines can be the source of water leaks. Check the pan and PVC lines for cracks and other signs of damage. You may need a professional technician to replace the entire pan or one of the lines.

Air Conditioning Leaking: Air

Poor installation or age of your system can result in leakage of of your cold air into the attic or under your home. The average duct leakage in California is up to 30% loss! This lowers your units ability to handle the heat in your home, lowers efficiency, raises your utility bills and wastes your hard earned money! If you notice your system runs a lot longer than it used to or it doesn’t cool your home like it should, this could be a sign of air leakage from your system. Call a professional HVAC technician to inspect your equipment and ducting system to fix these issues.

Most of these leaking issues can be avoided with an ongoing, annual maintenance program for your system. Getting an expert assessment of the issue can save you time and money and allows you to stay cool and comfortable throughout those hot summer months. Stay cool and leak free!

Defending against dreaded mold

The weather is heating up, which means you air conditioner is bound to get much more of a workout, which can easily cause ducts to get a little moist. Combine that with spring’s characteristic humidity and you have the perfect recipe for mold growth.

Mold presents significant health problems and can make your spring allergies feel even worse than usual, so let’s take a look at how you can keep mold from building up in your air ducts.

Control Condensation

Mold loves moist, dark areas, and the hot outdoor temperature can cause your cooler ducts to sweat, forming condensation inside and out. To keep moisture to a minimum, insulate your ducts and cooling coils. Wrapping a duct in insulating material keeps its surface warm, preventing the temperature differential that leads to sweating. Surround the insulation in a vapor barrier to prevent moisture from getting into the insulation itself.

Run a dehumidifier in your home. If your home experiences excessively humid conditions, consider a whole-house dehumidification system. Many times these can be added on to an existing system.

Have a UV Light Installed in Your Plenum

UV light from the sun it the best natural killer of mold. The inside of your system is dark and moist near your coil and at the beginning of your duct system. With a stand alone UV light installed inside your coil or supply-air plenum you can bring the sunlight right inside your system, keeping it mold free!

If you have a lot of mold in your system already, a UV light won’t get rid of it. First you’ll need to have your system professionally sprayed, scrubbed and disinfected, then install the UV light to kill mold spores before they land on any surface.

Better Filtration Stops Mold Before It Starts

Most filters in the average home are very poor and only catch the big stuff. Mold spores are tiny, measured as small as 3.0 microns! To put that in perspective, visible dust is as small as 10 microns. Only a MERV 10-16 Rated Filter can even think of stopping mold spores that small.

Maintaining Your Air Conditioning System

If your like the rest of us, things that are out of sight are out of mind. Our air conditioning system can get neglected because it’s in our attic or on the side of our house. The best way to keep your system running in top condition and mold free is think about getting a regularly scheduled maintenance from a professional HVAC contractor that you trust. Here are some of the benefits:

• They call and remind you when it’s time
• Schedule when it’s convenient for you
• You get a true professional cleaning, testing and ongoing evaluation of your system
• Each visit is usually costs less when you part of a maintenance club
• Some companies give a discounted rate off of repairs
• Some companies will waive their repair diagnosis fee for club members
• You can get priority service over new customers when it’s busy

Combo Punch Knockout

Preventing mold or getting rid of it will always require a combination of methods working together, cleaning, filtering, UV lighting surfaces, and maintaining your system regularly. Don’t forget, it’s important for your health and your systems longevity.