If air cannot flow through it freely due to a buildup of ice, then the air that is processed by the system lowers in volume and this becomes noticeable as your home gradually gets warmer. There are two primary things that can cause your evaporator coil to freeze.
The first is a lack of airflow across the coil in general. Remember that there is refrigerant flowing through the copper or steel tubing that is designed to remove the humidity from your home.
If there is no humidity to remove, or even if airflow is blocked for some reason, ice will begin to develop. Second, your coil can freeze if there is a problem in the refrigeration system itself. You may also have noticed that the air conditioning unit has visible ice and condensation build-up.
These coils are supposed to be cool, but not freezing. In an optimally running air conditioner, the refrigerant vapor stays around 40 degrees. If the coils get cooler than that, they can freeze, and once they freeze, they continue to build up ice. The most common reason for frozen evaporator coils is insufficient airflow. This is commonly caused by a clogged or dirty air filter, backed-up drain clogs, low fan speed, or a dirty evaporator coil. Check to see how many registers are closed in your home.
If more than a quarter of them are closed, it could cause your evaporator coil to freeze. Sometimes low refrigerant levels and leaks are the cause of a frozen AC system. Your air conditioner could also be experiencing a malfunctioning defrost cycle.
If your fan has a broken motor, or even just dirty blades, this can cause a lack of air flow that could lead to frozen AC coils. Condensate lines are the part of your HVAC system that drains away excess moisture from humidity. This moisture, condensed into water, travels through pipes to a floor drain. If the water is stuck in one place because of a clogged pipe, it can freeze.
This is especially true if the obstruction happens near the evaporator coil, the coldest part of the AC. A blocked condensate line can cause the water, and subsequently the coils to freeze. Your thermostat works with your AC by regularly checking the temperature and controlling how hard the AC has to work to keep the building a consistent temperature.
If a broken thermostat senses the wrong temperature, or controls the AC improperly, it could cause the unit to run too long and wear out the system. You might suspect this if you have trouble keeping your building at a steady temperature, or if it frequently runs too cold. Refrigerant is the chemical that runs through your AC coil, changing pressure and temperature in order to absorb heat. If it leaks, the lack of pressure will make it absorb more heat than it should. This makes the refrigerant lines, and then the coils, freeze over.
Not only is leaking refrigerant bad for the environment, in some places it is illegal to leave refrigerant lines leaking. You might even be able to tell which of the five causes resulted in your problem. So what should you do next?
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