At first glance, there may not seem to be anything wrong with frost on your air conditioner coils. After all, isn’t your air conditioner supposed to be cold? But in point of fact, frost or ice on the coils is a big problem, and the longer you let it linger, the greater the chances of a serious breakdown occurring. Never attempt to scrape the ice off of your coils. It won’t fix the problem and you could damage the coils in the process. Instead, shut it off and call in a professional repair service to take care of the issue right.
Potential Causes of Ice
The ice and frost is most likely caused by a leak in your refrigerant. Air conditioners depend on a specific amount and type of refrigerant, and when it leaks, that balance is thrown off. The frost is just a symptom of that. Frost can also be caused by a back-up of cool air in your system, either because of a clog in the ducts, a faulty fan motor or similar issues. Dust and dirt build-up can create frost as well. In all cases, the technician can take care of the source of this issue, and get rid of the ice for good.
Why Is Ice a Problem?
Ice is a problem because it forma an insulating barrier between the refrigerant in the coils and the air it needs to cool. That means the problem will only get worse the longer it goes unresolved. It forces your system to work harder than it should to cool the remaining air, and the added strain will eventually cascade, resulting in serious breakdowns and a big repair job if you’re not careful. Even if it doesn’t, the added strain will result in a significant increase in your monthly cooling bills.
Call D’Spain today to resolve any air conditioning issues.
