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I had my furnace/ Ac unit serviced 1 month ago. It had frozen up twice in June. The Hvac guy cleaned it and checked the freon. He said it was slightly low. Since he did his deal now it freezes if you run it more than a couple of hours. When it freezes there is no air flow through the vents.
When a central air conditioner freezes up, what actually freezes is the condensor unit's evaporator coil. This is the part of the air conditioning system that transfers (evaporates) heat from the inside to the outside of the home. There are two primary reasons the evaporator coil may freeze, it can either be due to 1) restricted air flow, or 2) lack of sufficient refrigerant. Either way, the result is that the air conditioner's evaporator coil cannot operate to properly dissipate heat, and in effect 'overcools' itself. The result of this super-cooling is condensation (that's water formation), and eventually ice from that condensation as it cools below the freezing point. Yep, the A/C just turned into an old-school icebox.
Read more... Basic Tips for AC Repair and Maintenance
Filter is brand new. he checked air flow and temp conversion etc. The unit is 12 years old and never used hard. I never have my temp below 76 in the summer. Input and out put lines also freeze so does the tank inside the unit out side.
Its a carrier high eff.
Well contact him to return and 1. either fix it properly or 2. you will have someone else do it and he will eat cost of the service if it is determined that his initial work, indeed made things worse.
The most common cause is a system that is low on refrigerant, or Freon, but that’s not the only cause. A system that is not moving enough air through the duct system can also freeze up. Low airflow could be caused by an under-sized duct system, a dirty filter, or even a dirty indoor evaporator coil (often called an A-Coil). A frozen system can also be caused by setting the thermostat too low at night. What’s too low? Every house is different, but we’ve seen units freeze up at night when they are set to 68 degrees.
#1 Turn the a/c off at the thermostat.
#2 Check your filter. Is it wet? This means the evaporator coil is frozen up, and the water that is melting off it is missing the drain pan. You better get some towels to line the floor to keep the water from ruining floors or ceiling when the chunk of ice really starts to thaw.
#3 Is the filter filthy? If not, you’ve probably got an issue that is going to require a trained professional. If the filter is filthy, throw it away and proceed to Step #4.
#4 Switch the Fan to the “On” position at the thermostat (leave the a/c turned to “Off”). This will help move more air across the frozen coil so it will thaw faster.
#5 Now you can head to the hardware store to get another filter. Don’t spend more than $10 on this one. Until your system is thawed out, it needs as much air as possible so don’t buy the $25 allergy filter that is probably too restrictive anyway.
#6 When you get back home, visually inspect the outdoor copper lines and the indoor coil for ice. It can take a couple of hours for all that ice to thaw, so you may need to give it a little more time.
#7 Put the new filter in, and turn the a/c back on.
#8 Keep a close eye on the system. If ice reappears, turn the a/c off and call a professional. If the system doesn’t start to cool the house down within a few hours, turn the a/c off and call a professional.
Could it be something else?
Other reasons for a frozen a/c could include a dirty indoor coil (that limits air flow), too low a temperature setting at your thermostat (remember, it’s an air conditioner, not a refrigerator), or an undersized duct system. Most of these items will only be diagnosed after the dirty filter or low Freon charge are ruled out. To be safe, Atchley Air recommends that you call a professional for an accurate diagnosis.
Use inexpensive fiberglass filters that need to be changed every month. Those high dollar thick filters restrict too much air flow and can cause problems. I buy a case of new filters each year from HomeDepot and change them monthly. Keeping a box of them around helps to remind me to change them out, if I got’em I change ‘em.
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