A/C is "frozen up" and airflow is restricted out of registers?
Question:My A/C has not been working too well for the last couple days. I keep it set at 72. 3 days ago it would not cool lower than 74, the next day 77, and now today 79. A tech came out today and said the unit is frozen up, he unhooked it and said he has to come back once it is defrosted. Also, the airflow out of the registers is very restricted, usually it blows at a much higher rate. The system filter is ~3 weeks old. What could the problem(s) be, and what should I possibly expect to hear from the service tech once he returns?
Answers:
As far as the airflow, make sure you have the filter pointing in the right direction. On the filter, there are arrows. If you haven't had your furnace and central air system on a preventive maintenance schedule, your system might be dirty and need to be cleaned. Look in the yellow pages for this service. It is not as expensive as you might think.
It means it's literally full of ice. The water in the air condenses and freezes, blocking the airflow. This eventually gets large enough to stop the ac entirely if it's not off enough to defrost (IE: at night)
When he comes back, he will plug it back in and it will work. In the future, set it higher at night to let the ice melt. I assume you're in a hot climate so this can suck, but if you don't, this will just keep happening.
He MAY have to replace a conduit as this can indeed be caused by a leak.
It's common for an a/c unit to freeze when it is out of freon. This will restrict everything - its ability to cool air, its ability to move air. Freon does not break down, so there is a leak somewhere and the tech can't tell where or how severe with it being frozen.
As for the temps, 72.3 degrees is way too cold to keep your thermostat setting. You are making the unit work too hard, not to mention wasting electricity.
The people above have good answers but here is a good idea to get you out of trouble. Turn off your central air and turn on your heat. Don't leave it on long enough for your fan to come on just 2 minutes or so. Let it sit for a while. You may have to repeat this process but it will get the ice out faster. I'm assuming your AC / Furnace are in the same area.
More Related Questions & Answers...