When you notice your home is warmer than normal, you may try to determine the reason why yourself. When looking at your air conditioning system, you might discover there is ice on your evaporator coils. If so, you have found the reason. However, why is there ice on the evaporator coils and what do you do to restore your cooling system? New York Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing will share how to troubleshoot ice on your evaporator coil what is needed to restore your air conditioning system.

Why is My Evaporator Coil Freezing Up?

An evaporator and its coils will be cold but not so cold that ice will form. The evaporator coils will cool and they do collect the vapor in the air forming condensation. However, the condensation should drip off the coil and into the condensate trap, not turn to ice. On average the evaporator coil will drop down to reach 40 degrees which is not cold enough to turn the condensation into ice, so when ice forms there is a problem. If ice does form on the coils, it can cause damage to the blower fan and overheat the motor. Ice will often form when the evaporator coil becomes too cold which occurs when the cooling system runs for too long a period of time. The reason there is ice is that the cooling system is running too long which is the problem. To restore your air conditioning system you must determine why is the air conditioner is running too long of a cycle.

How Do You Unfreeze an Evaporator Coil?

When you discover ice on the evaporator coils you should first turn of you air conditioner to prevent further damage and to allow the ice to melt. You can turn the thermostat setting to “On” or “Fan” as this will help blow warm air over the coils and melt the ice faster. However, make sure to return the thermostat back to the “Auto” setting. Now you will want to determine why the air conditioner is running longer cycles. Start by checking the air filters. A dirty filter will cause the air conditioner to run longer due to the air flow restriction. Also check the air vents and make sure they are open and not blocked for the same reasons. The blower may also be dirty, or its motor is failing which is reducing the amount of air flow. Additionally, the evaporator coils themselves may be dirty.

Preventive Air Conditioning

As the homeowner, check and change out the air filters. If they are not dirty and your air vents are fully opened then you will want to have a professional come and inspect the rest of the system. You will want a professional to clean the evaporator coils as they can be damaged easily. If there is a problem with the blower motor, a professional will be able to determine the problem and assist in the proper repairs.

Central Air Conditioning Maintenance, Repair, Replacement & More in Bedford Hills, Manhattan, Flushing, Queens, Brooklyn & The Bronx, New York

When you have ice on your evaporator coils or you are having other
HVAC problems, contact New York Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing and schedule our services today.