Temperatures in Omaha, Nebraska, this week have repeatedly been above 90 degrees with high humidity. Air conditioning systems in St. Louis have been taxed as well as overnight temperatures barely drop below 75 degrees. Even Anchorage, Alaska, is dealing with unseasonable warmth. Whether you live in the often hot midwest or the rarely warm areas of Alaska, summer months can put a real strain on heating and cooling units.
A warning sign that air conditioner repair, or at least maintenance, might be needed is when you begin to see ice build up on even the best heating and cooling systems. In fact, a common question to companies that provide air conditioner repair in St. Louis and other cities across the country is, “Why is my air conditioner frozen?”
With extreme weather conditions throughout the country, it is no surprise the American HVAC industry is valued at $71 billion a year. In the six year time span between 2009 and 2014, in fact, the U.S. HVAC industry experienced a 4.1% yearly increase.
Even a knowledgable home owner can not always solve a complex problem like figuring out why is my air conditioner frozen? Making sure that no more than 20% of your home registers are closed at once to avoid taxing the heating and cooling supply might be a step in the right direction, but the answer is not always simple.
Heating and cooling repair specialists say a frozen cooling system is the result of one of two major issues. The ice build up is a sign the evaporator coil is freezing because of an airflow restriction or the unit is receiving insufficient refrigerant. The first step in this common air conditioning repair is to shut the unit completely off so it can begin to unthaw. In fact, this likely needs to be done before the next step in fixing this problem which is calling one of the 85,000 HVAC businesses located in the United States.
Once the thawing has occurred the trained heating and cooling service representative will begin talking to you about routine maintenance. They will ask you when was the last time you changed HVAC air filters? Almost all of the 300,000 HVAC industry employs agree that changing a filter every 90 days will limit costly damages and repairs. In addition to checking inside your home, the average a/c repair representative will also look at the outdoor units as well, checking to see that you have at least a two feet clearance around all heat pumps and air conditioning units. After these and other routine maintenance checks, the home air conditioning service can begin to answer your rap question–why is my air conditioner frozen?
After routine maintenance checks the home air conditioning repair specialist will begin to decipher if the evaporator coil problem is a result of low refrigerant or an airflow restriction.