No, ice in the air conditioner is never normal

No, ice in the air conditioner is never normal. We explain it to you in this article.

Summer is here

Summer is officially here, and you know what that means!

It will only get hotter than it already is. And when the heat spike is upon us, you need an air conditioner you can trust. So if you suspect something is wrong with yours, now is the time to call in a professional.

Remember, only a HVAC trained professional should work and diagnose problems in an air conditioner, as it involves potentially dangerous chemicals and heavy equipment. But that doesn’t mean you can’t learn to spot the signs that something is wrong with yours, without a formal diagnosis. And when you notice it, we are the team to call!

What if I see ice in my air conditioner?

Too many owners assume that ice in an air conditioner is normal. After all, and the job of air conditioning is to cool, right? Well yes, but the process never involves ice.

If you notice ice, or even frost, on your air conditioning coils, then you should immediately turn off your air conditioning and call our team.

Ice creates an imbalance

The coils of your air conditioner are where the actual cooling of the air occurs. The refrigerant enters the coils in liquid form and under high pressure. From there, it expands in a gaseous form, drawing heat from nearby air in the process. Cold air can blow into your home with a fan.

However, when there is ice or frost on these coils, it interferes with the entire process. It forms an insulating barrier between the refrigerant and the air it needs to cool, which means that the air conditioner must use more energy than necessary to do its job. More importantly, it increases the stress on the various components of the system, increasing the chances of a more serious collapse.

So what causes this ice?

The ice in your air conditioner can be the result of a few different things. Your system may be leaking refrigerant, which can upset the balance required to properly cool the air. High humidity can also cause ice on the coil as the humid air cools. Low air flow, usually caused by problems with the fan motor or a clogged air filter, is a last possible cause.

What to do if you notice ice in your air conditioner

We do not recommend, in fact we strongly advise against trying to remove ice and frost on your own. First of all, it can unintentionally damage the coils of your air conditioner, which will only cause you more headache. Second, removing the ice does not eliminate the ice problem, so you will soon see this problem again.

Instead, we recommend that you call a professional so that your air conditioning problem can be properly diagnosed and repaired.

For expert air conditioning services in Alicante and The Costa Blanca, look no further than Alpino Clima Air Conditioning & Heating. Contact us today!