Tags: North Port, North Port AC Repair

Summer is almost over, but that doesn’t mean that you get to let your guard down when it comes to air conditioning problems. If you happen to notice ice forming on your air conditioner, it means that you have a pretty serious issue. Read on to find out where that ice comes from, and the kind of damage that it can do to your air conditioner.

The Evaporator Coil

Your air conditioner cools your home by using an evaporator coil to evaporate refrigerant. This absorbs the thermal energy from the air inside your ducts. The refrigerant gas then takes the collected heat outside to the other unit and vents it into the air. The temperature around the evaporator coil is very cool, as heat is constantly being sapped from it. Condensation forms on the coil, as the air temperature is below the dew point. The flow of warm air from the ducts prevents the temperature from dropping too low, and the condensate from freezing. If that flow of warm air is cut off, however, it can cause big problems for the system.

Ice

If the flow of air to the evaporator coil is cut off, the temperature will drop below freezing and the condensate will freeze. This will cause the entire coil to eventually ice over. While the coil is iced over, the system will not be able to properly siphon thermal energy from the air in the ducts. This will cause the system output to drop significantly. The ice can also spread down the refrigerant line to other parts of the system, causing them to freeze up and eventually resulting in a full system breakdown. This is why you need to make sure that you call for repairs as soon as you notice ice forming on your air conditioner.

Cliffs Air Conditioning and Heating, Inc. offers air conditioning repair services throughout Port Charlotte, FL.