When Do You Need an AC Repair?

You want your central air to blow cool air, it's kind of the purpose of having an air conditioning unit in the first place right? But when your AC unit is freezing up the unit it won't be blowing any air at all including cold air. There are several reasons why you may be finding ice on your unit so it will take a qualified and experienced AC repair tech to diagnose why your unit isn't working correctly.

There are several things an AC repair tech will check starting with your refrigerant- or Freon- levels. Your unit should not be "burning up" refrigerant since it's not like a source of fuel that gets used up the way gasoline does in a car. If your refrigerant levels are low you may have an undiagnosed leak that is making your unit run without the proper coolant levels. Be sure to have the tech check for leaks if your coolant level is low. Any qualified and licensed AC repair specialist will do this automatically but if you find one that doesn't make sure you have them do it before they leave. It's not legal in most states to fill up a faulty unit without doing the repair first so be careful if you have a tech that is willing to do so- this is a red flag you shouldn't ignore.

Other things that can make your unit into a Popsicle include a dirty air filter which can prevent the proper air flow within the unit. Yes the unit actually needs warm air to circulate in there to keep the cool air from getting too cold and freezing. This is at least an easy and relevantly cheap fix and ideally you have your filters changed out every year as a preventative maintenance step and this is never a problem.

Another relevantly easy AC repair fix is your fan. It may be set on the wrong speed or it may not be operating correctly and pushing the air around to circulate it correctly. This can mean fixing the speed or replacing the fan unit if it's faulty.

Other more spendy or at least troublesome problems with your unit include a faulty thermostat making your ac unit think it's warmer than it really is and freezing things up. This usually requires a thermostat replacement which can become a more expensive repair than just making an adjustment to the fan or replacing the filter.

Finally the most expensive AC repair will be to replace the condenser unit- the heart of the AC unit itself. If the coils are freezing up and you keep running the unit not only will you be wasting time- you will be wasting money since the unit will only be blowing warm air and costing you money to run. Plus running your AC with frozen coils will damage the condenser unit and become an expensive repair. So stop using your unit when it freezes up and have it fixed as soon as possible.