{"id":921,"date":"2023-05-08T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-08T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hometownheatingandair.com\/blog\/?p=921"},"modified":"2023-05-07T19:17:41","modified_gmt":"2023-05-08T02:17:41","slug":"why-is-ice-forming-on-my-acs-evaporator-coil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hometownheatingandair.com\/blog\/air-conditioning-service\/why-is-ice-forming-on-my-acs-evaporator-coil\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Is Ice Forming on My AC’s Evaporator Coil?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A common question that we get from homeowners during the summer is: Why is ice forming on my AC\u2019s evaporator coil?<\/em> Although you might think that the appearance of ice on an air conditioner is normal\u2013after all, it\u2019s a system designed to make things cold\u2013it\u2019s an indication that something is wrong with your AC. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ice should never appear on any part of your AC system. Not only does the ice itself create a problem, but the reason why the ice is forming may be an even worse issue. Let\u2019s go over why your AC ices over in the first place and what it can possibly mean. That way, if you see this happening with your air conditioning in Walnut Creek<\/a>, you\u2019ll know what to expect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Why Is Ice Forming on My AC?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In a nutshell, the main reason behind it is when the evaporator coil loses its ability to absorb heat and raise the temperature of the refrigerant moving through it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the refrigerant in the coil doesn\u2019t warm up past freezing, which is what normally happens in a cooling cycle, its low temperature will cause moisture along the coil to freeze. Moisture naturally forms along the coil when the AC is operating, so there\u2019s always some amount of water to freeze if the coil is too cold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This leads to a snowball effect (no pun intended) as the ice further exacerbates the coil\u2019s ability to absorb heat, which leads to the formation of even more ice. If ice coats the entire coil, the AC won\u2019t be able to provide any cooling at all. Some homeowners will notice that their AC isn\u2019t working at all before they noticed the coils are frozen over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Source of the Problem<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So why does the coil lose its ability to absorb heat? Here are some causes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n