AC Repair 77040: What Causes Freeze Ups?

The Cause of AC Freeze-Ups and the AC Repair 77040 Solution

At this time of year, homeowners can experience a common air conditioning problem—coil freeze-ups. The scenario might look like this:

• The system is working perfectly, and the home is quite comfortable, just as expected.
• Suddenly, the air from the AC is warmer and more humid, initiating an investigation.
• Upon investigation, one of the coils, either the condenser coil outside or the evaporator coil inside, has several inches of ice built up in a solid mass.

Even though the ice continually melts (creating a mess indoors), the ice remains and may grow.

Why does this happen? Two rather straightforward principles of science can explain the situation.

• The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that heat will spontaneously move toward cold. It can be observed when an ice cube is placed on a saucer at room temperature. Heat rushes to the ice and the saucer quickly contains a puddle of water. Changing the water back to ice requires moving it to a place that will remove the heat—back in the freezer.
• The second principle has to do with the nature of gas and several Laws and Effects define the principle. Simply described, incredibly small gas molecules receive energy whenever they bounce off other objects—other molecules or the sides of a container. When the container gets smaller, more bounces happen, and the temperature increases. When gas is compressed, the gas can get extremely hot, but when the pressure is released, the temperature drops suddenly.

Air conditioners use manufactured molecules (refrigerant gases, commonly called Freon) that enhance these two principles in this way to change the temperature and humidity inside an entire home. It happens this way:

• Freon is compressed outside in the condenser unit to a pressure between 100 and 143 pounds per square inch. At this point, the gas is usually between 120 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
• The compressor releases the gas into a coil of tubes (the evaporator coil), where the gas gets cold and becomes a liquid. At this point, the liquid is usually between 40 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit, a remarkable change!
• Hot air from the house rushes across the cold coils, giving up heat, and pushing cooler air back into the house. Excess humidity in the air condenses on the evaporator coils (like a cool glass of lemonade) and drips onto a container and drains away.
• The entire volume of the house flows through this chamber every couple of minutes during a cooling cycle, resulting in much cooler, dryer air.
• When the Freon collects enough heat, it returns to a gas state and is pushed outside to be cooled and compressed again.

This is what is supposed to happen. When a coil freeze-up occurs, something causes a malfunction in this seamless process. Here are several malfunctions and the changes to the process that cause freeze-ups:

• A dirty air filter. When a filter gets clogged and restricts the airflow onto the evaporator coils, the coils stay cold, and condensed humidity begins to freeze. For this reason, it is best to change the air filter at the first sign of trouble.
• A dirty condenser unit. The second function of the condenser unit (besides compressing the Freon) is to cool the Freon gas before it is compressed again. A huge fan inside the condenser draws air through the sides of the frame, a network of cooling tubes. If dust and debris collect on the sides, it interferes with the cooling. This can cause the condenser coil to freeze as well.
• Low Freon. When Freon leaks from the closed network, the amount of Freon is less. When the Freon is compressed to the same degree, the temperature changes between the pressurized and released gas is more extreme. When humidity collects on the evaporator coils, it freezes quickly and the ice continues to build.

All three of these malfunctions are maintenance and AC Repair 77040 issues. Annual maintenance of the air conditioner system and quick AC repair 77064 should prevent their occurrence except when a sudden leak happens.

Get Quick Relief From AC Freeze-Ups with the AC Repair 77040 Experts

With our four decades of experience as an AC Repair 77040 contractor, AirPro Houston provides you with the skill and expertise to assist with your AC Repair 77040 needs.

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