Here’s Why A/C Units Freeze– Don’t Let This Happen to You!

Spring Into Annual Home Maintenance: Why do A/C Units Freeze?

Most Monrovia homeowners quickly learn the importance of annual home maintenance– especially when it comes to their A/C unit. In the springtime, you can drive through just about any neighborhood and see people working on maintaining their homes – and you’re probably one of them. You might be cleaning your gutters, touching up the paint on your house, washing windows, or working on your lawn.

All of these tasks are well and good, and any responsible homeowner takes them into consideration. However, and quite unfortunately, one of the most important annual maintenance tasks often goes by the wayside: proper HVAC annual maintenance. This is a mistake commonly made by new homeowners.

Typically, HVAC maintenance becomes important at two times of the year: during the spring before the hot summer months arrive, and during the autumn before the chill of winter sets in. This is one of those maintenance tasks that, generally speaking, you don’t want to try and take on by yourself. There’s plenty of misinformation out there, with misguided “DIY” tutorials and so on. However, if you want your investment to remain in good working order for many years to come, with a minimal cost to you as a homeowner, consider working with a professional HVAC maintenance team.

Let’s take a few moments and explore some of the most common questions and concerns that homeowners have concerning the annual maintenance of their HVAC units.

Why do Air Conditioning Units Freeze?

Have you ever been sitting in your home during the summer, trying to beat the heat, and it seemed like your air conditioning unit just wasn’t pumping out the cool air like it used to? Or perhaps not at all?

It’s very possible that your air conditioning unit may have become frozen. If you’ve ever seen this common problem before, you likely saw your air conditioner covered in ice. As you might have discovered, simply chipping off the ice won’t solve the problem.

So what causes an air conditioner to freeze over like that, even when it’s a sweltering temperature outside? There are several different reasons, but one of the most common is that the air conditioning unit has poor air flow.

What happens in this case is that the air conditioner’s air flow has been restricted in some way, which causes the evaporator coil to freeze. This can be especially problematic if you live in a particularly humid climate, because the humidity in the air begins to collect on the now-frozen coil. This moisture eventually builds up and restricts air flow even more – and before you know it, you’re sweating away and wondering why your air conditioner isn’t doing its job.

Another common cause of air conditioning units freezing over isn’t actually a problem with the unit itself – most units are designed to operate in warm weather. However, if you live in a climate where the temperature dips significantly (most likely at night), the unit could freeze. This is a very common problem in areas where the temperature likes to vary quite a lot, such as in desert environments.

A professional HVAC maintenance company can help you resolve a frozen air conditioning unit, regardless of the cause. If your unit has suffered from the first cause of freezing, a reputable company will be able to recognize the issue immediately and restore air flow to your unit. They will also likely make any necessary modifications or repairs to prevent the issue from occurring again. Furthermore, a professional HVAC maintenance company can resolve the issue of a unit freezing up during low nighttime temperatures by properly insulating the unit so that this doesn’t happen.

Annual HVAC Maintenance: What Do You Get?

As many homeowners have learned, often the best way to maintain the integrity of their home and investment is to be proactive with their preventative measures. This means regular maintenance. While you might be perfectly capable of maintaining your lawn equipment or making small repairs around the house, you would be well advised to seek out a professional HVAC maintenance company to assist you with annual checkups of your HVAC unit.

When a professional does this kind of inspection, he or she will use a comprehensive checklist to ensure that your unit is functioning properly. You can likely expect the following to be done:

• Your furnace filter will be checked for integrity. If necessary, it will be replaced.
• All ventilation systems will be inspected for clogs that prevent air flow, as well as for any common wear and tear. If necessary, blockages will be removed and repairs will be made.
• Your air conditioning unit will be fully inspected. If any of the internal mechanisms are damaged or malfunctioning – such as the motor or belts – they will be repaired or replaced.
• The coolant levels of the air conditioner will be checked and refilled if necessary.
• All electrical components will be inspected and the professional will make sure that they’re in optimal, safe working order.
• The technician will also use a specialized sensor to check for carbon monoxide leaks – this alone can be worth the entire visit.

How an Annual HVAC Maintenance Contract Can Save You Money

At first glance with these kinds of home maintenance tasks, and particularly if you’re the do-it-yourself type, it might seem like one of those things that you can do on your own, or “wing it”.

However, the reality is that by hiring a professional team of HVAC technicians to annually visit your home or place of business, you will end up saving money in the long run. This is because (unless you are a professional technician yourself) these individuals are highly trained to recognize all HVAC related issues before they become a problem.

As you might know, making repairs or even worse, replacing your HVAC unit can be a costly and time consuming endeavor. Not only that, but it’s very inconvenience to have to go without heating or cooling during the months that you need these amenities the most.

By hiring a professional HVAC technician to perform an annual maintenance visit, you’ll be able to prevent these issues before they arise – and, worst case scenario, you’ll become aware of problems before your units start malfunctioning, which means you won’t have to go without. This is the kind of peace of mind and savings that only a contract with an annual HVAC company can provide.

Getting the The Right Annual HVAC Maintenance Contract

When looking for an HVAC maintenance contract, you’ll want to find the local Monrovia company that’s right for you. Ask the company if they’re familiar with the units that you have, and be sure to inform them about any special circumstances (e.g., older units or units in hard-to-reach locations in your house or on your property).

This is a simple task which likely won’t take longer than a single afternoon to sort out. Once it’s done and you’ve established an annual contract with an HVAC maintenance company, you’ll be able to know that your units will remain in good working order for years to come. This is going to give you the time to work on the annual home maintenance tasks that you can handle on your own.

With proper care, your Monrovia, CA air conditioning unit can live a long healthy life. Call Air-Tro Inc. at 626-357-3535 for quality air conditioning maintenance and repair.