How to Keep a Window Air Conditioner from Freezing Up
A common complaint for window air conditioners, aside from not getting the room cool enough, is the complaint of ice forming on the air conditioner. Most people believe this is a symptom of too much refrigerant. It may be, but that's not the only reason why window air conditioners freeze up. Here are a few reasons why window air conditioners form ice. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Check your air conditioner's filter. A dirty filter can cause an air conditioner to freeze up. Clean your filter every couple of weeks. If there are extenuating circumstances like household construction where there's a lot of dust in the air, clean it more frequently.
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Clean the cooling coil. This is something you many need a professional to do. If the cooling coil is blocked or dirty, it can cause the air conditioner to freeze up. Clean it every two or three years.
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Determine if there is an inadequate amount of refrigerant. Too much or too little refrigerant contributes to air conditioner icing. If you suspect an incorrect amount of refrigerant, contact your service professional.
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Make sure you have the right size air conditioner. If you have purchased an air conditioner that is too large for the room, freezing may result. The air conditioner on-off cycle is short because of the room size. The constant short cycle can cause the air conditioner to freeze.
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Keep an eye on the outside temperature. If the temperature outside is too low, the air conditioners cooling coil also drops in temperature. As a result, the cooling coil may form ice.
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Tips & Warnings
Fall is a prime time for air conditions to start freezing up. The dropping nighttime temperatures can contribute to the cooling coil freezing up.
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Comments
View all 9 Comments-
looks I need proffesional help.
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ur just dumb
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This is by far the most, ridiculousanswer/explanation as to why an ac could be freezing up, home depot corporate should be more aware of who they have in place for a site like this, the last question/answer was a joke, and how to properly clean a window unit? Ae you serious? Qtips, bleach and a washtub and blowdryer, anyone who is out of high school knows you use a garden hose and flush out the unit from the outside!
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technoir
Aug 30, 2010
Bought two brand new Haier 5000BTU air conditioners for my 610sqft apartment. The one I installed in the living room works great. That window opens on to the balcony. The one in the bedroom, not so much. It's maybe blowing half as cold as the other one, and the coil just behind the air filter is icing up. It was caked over with a big block of ice this morning, so I turned it off and let the ice melt. Repositioned it a bit so the water would drip out the back/outside and not collect to become ice. A few hours later, it's still only blowing half as cold as the other one, but no ice (yet). The window in the bedroom is exposed to much more direct afternoon sun than the living room, which gets partial shade from the balcony above and the railing/wall. It only gets hit with direct sun for a couple of hours each day (and even then still continues to throw the cold). Ideas/suggestions?... -
mountainkiddo
Aug 30, 2009
I did all the steps listed above and still my Kenmore window AC unit continued to freeze up. I did some analysis on the airflow by taping little colored threads on the coils at the top inside the grill and on the outside the grill. Turns out the air flow was not even making it out of the grill and was going right back to the coils. This was not a newly purchased unit and I was not the original owner. It appeared that there was a part missing that would direct the air flow out of the top of the unit and over the coils preventing the air to drop onto the coils. There were 3 plastic tips sticking up which appeared to be fasteners for the original deflector which was now gone. I used an old leftover piece of vinyl flooring cut about 2 inches deep and the length of the AC unit to create a new makeshift deflector. It only needs to be deep enough reach the grill when the grill is placed bac...
