Causes of Frozen coils in Air Conditioning units

After a few months or years of service, most air conditioners have a tendency to freeze up. Because of this, what was once an excellent functioning unit struggles to discharge cool air properly and sometime after, a huge block of ice has already built up on the evaporator coil. Meanwhile, in the drain pan, a heightened rate of condensation takes place. With all these things happening, the room where the unit is placed is no longer cool. This would be a huge problem especially in more tropical regions such as Singapore, Philippines and the Middle East. It is then appropriate to investigate what is causing the problem. With this at hand, here are a few of the possible causes:

Restricted Airflow

Any obstruction or disruption that is found in the interior parts of the air conditioning unit can cause freezing up of the coils and the unit itself. A few parts that will lead to a frozen coil are air filters and fan or blowers or evaporator units. Air filters are responsible in trapping dirt and other contaminants that get into the evaporator coils. One should also check the fan or blowers of the evaporator unit if they are functioning properly. This can be done by checking if there is air coming out from the unit. Also, check if there are some objects obstructing the entry of air inside the outdoor unit. So it is advisable to not put anything in front or anywhere near the evaporator units. Anything that restricts the exchange of thermal energy between the air conditioner and the room can lead to frozen coils. This is because most of the cool air can persist inside the evaporator coils and fins causing a gradual drop in temperature. The end result would be the formation of ice causing the unit itself to freeze up. In times like this, the help of aircon servicing Singapore might be useful.

Low Refrigerant

There would be a decrease in the saturation point of the temperature system whenever the refrigerant in the air conditioning unit is low caused by persistent leakage over time. Because of this, the compressed refrigerant liquid would require a lower temperature for it to be vaporized.

Because of this cooling coil’s operating temperature has significantly dropped which differs from the standard or set temperature range. As a result, moisture will be produced from the air and accumulate to become ice on the evaporator. This is apparent when the temperature drops below 32 degrees.

This accumulated moisture is now stuck in the evaporator coils and fins, constantly forming ice around them. Over time, a block of ice will be formed inside the evaporator coils which then will freeze up the air conditioning unit.

Drainage Problems

When air that is of high temperatures blow across the evaporator coils, they tend to overwork by removing both heat and moisture from the air. In temperate regions such as Singapore, a lot of water vapor is condensed inside the air conditioner. Normally, water flows out into a pan and end up in a condenser pan. Anything that blocks the draining process can force excess water all the way back to the evaporator coil which eventually freezes. When this happens overtime, a block of ice may be formed.