Ice on HVAC unit: 3 reasons and how to prevent them
Ice can easily form on your heat pump or your air conditioner regardless of the weather if the refrigerant inside your HVAC unit drops its temperature below the freezing point.
Ice on the heat pump or your HVAC unit wastes energy and causes a lot of damage to the only source of air conditioning. You can also face severe damage or failure of the HVAC unit.
Why is ice bad for your HVAC unit?
If you see ice on the outdoor unit of your HVAC, turn it off immediately, check for any problems but if you can’t find the source of ice, call a professional for help.
Chiseling and scraping from the ice on the HVAC unit could cause mold problems. Moreover, it could induce permanent damage to your HVAC system.
The main reasons for ice build-up on your HVAC unit might be the following
- Faulty wiring
- Low refrigerant levels
- Dirty coil or air filter
How to prevent ice from building on your HVAC unit?
Luckily, there are solutions to get rid of ice on your HVAC unit caused by faulty wiring, dirty coil, or low refrigerant levels.
Low refrigerant levels
If the refrigerant levels of your air conditioner or HVAC unit are low, it might have a leakage problem. It is best to call a professional to fix the leak because they have the proper equipment to fix the leak or to replace the damaged refrigerant with a new one.
When the air flows through your air conditioner’s evaporation or cooling coil, it condenses and removes all the moisture from the air.
Normally, the condensation formed by the evaporation coil drains down the collector pan. But if the refrigerant does not remove the moisture at the right speed, the water leaks and the low levels of refrigerant causes ice to build upon your HVAC unit.
The best course of action is to replace or repair the refrigerant.
Faulty wiring
If your HVAC unit keeps on running even after it has reached the desired temperature in the room, there must be a problem with the thermostat. A faulty electrical contact or wire on the outdoor unit of your air conditioner might also be the reason for ice build-up on your unit.
Usually, the ice forms when the compressor of your HVAC unit keeps on working even after the airflow or the fan stops.
The solution is to call a professional so he could inspect the wires, the thermostat, and the compressor to diagnose the real issue.
A dirty evaporation coil or air filter
The evaporation coil can’t prevent ice if the dirty filter would keep on throwing air over it. If you have spotted a dirty air filter, it is best to replace it with a new one and wait for the ice to melt before turning on the HVAC again.
If you are still experiencing the ice problem, call a professional so he could repair the most likely damaged evaporation coil.
Conclusion
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