So, the air conditioner isn’t cooling the home, and there isn’t any air coming out of the vents. What do you do? For starters, DON’T PANIC!
Two Steps You Must Take
When you realize your air conditioner isn’t working properly, take a deep breathe and go look at your furnace. Is the system running? If not, can you see ice or frost on the refrigerant lines coming into your home? If you can, the air conditioner is frozen and there are two steps you need to take:
1. Turn off the furnace
2. Check and change your furnace filter
After you have completed these steps, next is the waiting game. It could take hours for the coil to thaw out completely. If your filter was blocked, changing it may have fixed your freezing problem. If your filter was clean, there is little more that you can do without the help of a service technician from Four Seasons. Many homeowners will jump to the conclusion that the unit is low on refrigerant, but just because it froze up doesn’t necessarily mean that you have a refrigerant leak. Air flow issues could also be the source of your problem.
Prevent Water Damage
As a senior technician at Four Seasons, I have seen and repaired many frozen air conditioning units. In the course of my career, I have also seem many homeowners forget that the thawing ice turns into water, and that that water can cause some serious damage to the furnace. If your air conditioner is frozen badly, take extra precautions to ensure that the water is directed towards a drain or bucket as the unit thaws out.
There is a possibility that the water won’t find its way down the drain on its own, and it will instead run into the furnace. This could cause a short out in your control board and any other electrical components in the unit. This is why you need make sure you turn off the furnace, and keep an eye of the thawing process!
Get Professional Help from Four Seasons
When your air conditioner freezes, call Four Seasons Heating and Air Conditioning to have a look at the system. Water damage from it freezing up can lead to bigger problems in the future. Mold, rust and ruined electrical components are just a few of the issues that water damage can cause, and odds are you will have a difficult time locating the source of your freezing problem on your own. Have Four Seasons repair your air conditioner today, and call us as soon as possible!
Safety Note: The control board can make the furnace do strange and dangerous things if it gets wet. It is imperative you get it looked at if you suspect that it got wet!
