OT : air conditioner frozen

[duff_duffy]

On hottest day of year my AC froze over. Should I just defrost it and turn on tomorrow or worth the money to call tech out? I also swapped the filter out just now. It’s really hot and humid, hope it’s just a fluke but not my area of expertise. Unit is 15 years old and up to now been flawless.

[AngryScientist]

well, it literally is the hottest day of the year, so that sucks!

are you talking about a window/wall mount AC or a central cooling unit?

generally, they will ice up for one of two reasons, poor air flow across the coils, which could mean the passages are blocked or the fan aint fanning well enough - or the unit is low on refrigerant, which means you have a leak somewhere, though a slow one.

what to do next depends on the size/type of the unit...

[Tony T]

On hottest day of year my AC froze over. Should I just defrost it and turn on tomorrow or worth the money to call tech out? I also swapped the filter out just now. It’s really hot and humid, hope it’s just a fluke but not my area of expertise. Unit is 15 years old and up to now been flawless.

If the filter was really dirty, then you should be ok tomorrow.
Also check that the drain is clear.

[mktng]

always nice to have a tech check it out.
could also be low on freon.

[Louis]

Agree with the "possibly low on Freon" diagnosis.

[ColonelJLloyd]

agree with the "possibly low on freon" diagnosis.

+1

[duff_duffy]

Central, have 2 zone setup. This one covers about 1600 sq feet. Sweating badly in south jersey, going for ride to cool down!

well, it literally is the hottest day of the year, so that sucks!

are you talking about a window/wall mount AC or a central cooling unit?

generally, they will ice up for one of two reasons, poor air flow across the coils, which could mean the passages are blocked or the fan aint fanning well enough - or the unit is low on refrigerant, which means you have a leak somewhere, though a slow one.

what to do next depends on the size/type of the unit...

[charliedid]

Spray it with WD-40 :)

[ntb1001]

Pull out your filter and make sure it’s clean. If it is, more than likely you have a leak. I had that happen 2 years ago, and the tech was able to put a liquid in the line to plug the leak. Happened again this year, so just but the bullet and replaced the unit.


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[duff_duffy]

That’s so funny on many levels! I have cans all over the house:). Seriously!

Spray it with WD-40 :)

[charliedid]

That’s so funny on many levels! I have cans all over the house:). Seriously!

Get to work :p

[Gsinill]

I had this happen too and it was because the unit was low on Freon.
Also might want to check whether the coils of the condenser are clogged and need to be hosed off.

[jds108]

One other thing: make sure all of the registers and returns are fully open. If some are closed, it would reduce airflow which could be a factor here with the coils icing over.

[tuxbailey]

I had the exact issue with the unit in my rental. The inside unit was frozen solid and no cold air was coming out. Turn off the AC and it defrosted and of course wetted the basement. Outside unit was fine.

Tech checked out and concluded that the freon was low. Added some and it was fine. So far it has been 1.5 weeks and tenant is happy so far.

Of course there is some kind of leak inside so we will see how long this will hold.

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[Tandem Rider]

Turn the fan switch on the thermostat to the on position so the fan runs continuously, it will defrost faster.

Re-start the unit after it completely defrosts and check the temperature coming out of the registers and into the registers. the difference should be 18 - 20 degrees. Bigger difference is an airflow problem, (dirty filter which you replaced, dirty fan, ductwork issues, closed dampers, diffusers closed, or furniture in front of them) smaller difference is one or more of several other problems that you will need to call a tech for.

You might get lucky and the dirty filter might be the only problem. Good luck:)

[duff_duffy]

Turns out blown capacitor, fan never kicked on after defrosting system. $125 to come out, inspect, and have fixed. All in all the type of repair I’m happy to do. For those using the expensive filters to take out pollutants, my new friend said don’t as they restrict air flow too much. Thanks for all tips!

[zmudshark]

Turns out blown capacitor, fan never kicked on after defrosting system. $125 to come out, inspect, and have fixed. All in all the type of repair I’m happy to do. For those using the expensive filters to take out pollutants, my new friend said don’t as they restrict air flow too much. Thanks for all tips!

Good outcome. My guy says never buy the expensive filters, too much restriction.
I have no idea so I’ll let the HVAC experts way in. I’m sure there’s more than one here.

[Coda1]

Turns out blown capacitor, fan never kicked on after defrosting system. $125 to come out, inspect, and have fixed. All in all the type of repair I’m happy to do. For those using the expensive filters to take out pollutants, my new friend said don’t as they restrict air flow too much. Thanks for all tips!

Blown capacitor is one of the most common problems now days. The capacitors are all made in China.

[weisan]

Take a picture before you disconnect the wires from the old capacitor in case you forget which one goes where later on.

[Peter P.]

Blown capacitor is one of the most common problems now days. The capacitors are all made in China.

Happened to my friend's AC unit last week.

[tuxbailey]

For future reference, if the outside unit is not working, replace capacitor as well as the contact sensor before calling tech. That is a cheap attempt before calling service. My house has two units and the upstair one had this problem. Tech fixed it and then the downstairs one failed. I tried the same trick and resolved the problem with $40 and 30 minutes.

I have the worst luck with AC this summer. Basically every unit that own (main residence, rental, and both cars) have some sort of problem.