Ice on your AC almost always means one of two things: airflow is restricted, or refrigerant is low. Turn the system off at the thermostat, set the fan to ON to melt the ice, and check your air filter. If it freezes again after thawing, you have a refrigerant leak or an airflow problem that needs a technician.
The coil gets cold. Air moving across it keeps it above freezing. Cut that airflow and the coil drops below 32 degrees, condensation turns to frost, and the frost blocks even more air. It snowballs.
Low refrigerant drops the pressure in the coil, which drops the temperature below freezing. Again, refrigerant does not get used up. Low means leaking, and the leak has to be found rather than just refilled.
Running a frozen system will eventually kill the compressor. Liquid refrigerant returning to a compressor built to handle gas causes real damage, and the compressor is the single most expensive part of the system. If yours keeps freezing, stop running it and get it looked at.
Southeast Georgia humidity means far more moisture passes over the coil than in a dry climate, so there is simply more water available to freeze when something goes wrong. A system that would merely run inefficiently in Arizona will ice up here.
Common Questions
Light frost can clear in about an hour. A heavy build-up may take 8 to 24 hours. Setting the thermostat fan to ON while cooling is off speeds this up considerably, because room air moving across the coil melts the ice faster.
We do not recommend it. Direct heat can damage the coil, and mixing an electrical appliance with the meltwater is a shock risk. Running the fan alone is safer and works well.
No. Running a system that repeatedly ices over risks sending liquid refrigerant back to the compressor, which can destroy it. The compressor is the most expensive component in the system, so it is worth shutting things down and having it diagnosed.
We answer 24/7, weekends and holidays included. diagnostic, waived if you go ahead with the repair.
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