Home A/C doesn't work.

[Cordell]

Alright CR, Sunday night I realized that my A/C wasn't working. The evaporator had turned into a block of ice. Since I don't see anything blocking anything or visually damaged, I'm going to have to find someone who has the proper tools and know how to fix it.

 

So, does anyone know anyone who knows how to actually tell me what needs fixed? Because I don't just want someone coming out and trying to sell me a whole system, I need someone who knows how to diagnose it. This is why I haven't just cracked open the phone book and taken a shot because it could be the difference of $500 or $5000.

[Grudes]

Hopefully I don't sound like a smartass but is the filter plugged? I assume its not so I have someone I can recommend. Ill txt you his number

[Cordell]

Thanks Doug. I looked at it Sunday night, but haven't really had much time the last couple days. Thinking it's low on charge.

[Geeto67]

if the evaporator is turning into a block of ice it usually isn't low on charge. There are a couple of reasons why this happens but most of them are related to airflow over the evaporator. Blocked or partially air filter, restriction in the fan, burned out fan motor, clog in the charge line, failure of the check valve to shut it off when ice builds up, etc....

 

The evaporator works by having continuous air blowing over it as part of regulating it's temp while the gas passes through it. If the airflow doesn't or the charge slows down, it ices up and then it doesn't work at all since the fan can't blow through a solid.

[Supplicium]

Before you call a pro try:

Turn off your air conditioner.

Let your air conditioner defrost.

Change your air filter.

Open up all the air registers in your home.

Make sure none of your furniture or drapes are blocking return vents.

 

not sure if it actually helps but after I did that I powerwashed the unit

[KentStateTsi]

Let the evap thaw and clean the fins on it as well as change the filter. Not sure if yours is V shaped for more surface area but I paid for a service call once and the inner part of the evap had never been cleaned. Had some kind of spray and a tool similar to a radiator comb.

[TTQ B4U]

Here's a great read for the average guy:

https://asm-air.com/airconditioning/air-conditioner-freezing-up/

[Not Brian]

Had this happen to me. Needed a new blower motor because, like said above, it wasn't pushing enough air through to keep the ice away. Mine was like $260. Also remember to replace the capacitor, which is only a few bucks.

 

But yeah, in the meantime turn everything off for a while and replace your filter. While you have it all torn apart, give the fan a good cleaning.

[Green Bastard]

A couple good things were mentioned, but the one that sticks out is that it could be a dirty coil. Lack of airflow is typically what causes it, however, a low charge can cause icing.

[unfunnyryan]

Making assumptions here about how your system is set up, but close any return vents in your basement or in any particular cold areas. This greatly reduced freeze occurrences in a house I rented for a few weeks until a proper fix could be done. Also keep the fan on at all times to even out temperatures and help it thaw between run cycles.

 

Wouldn't hurt to go around with some silicone caulk and seal up and leaks to help keep cold air moving away from the unit.

[Richard Cranium]

Airflow was the culprit when I saw this happening. The blower motor gave out and there was no airflow. Duff on here does HVAC work.

[Cordell]

Well here's a little update:

 

The A/C has been off since Sunday so it was thawed out. The blower motor works fine. The Condensor outside was clogged with debris and dirt, so I cleaned that all out. Put the unit back together, turn everything on, only the bottom section of the evaporator gets cold and frosts up in that section. So I'm not sure why I had so much ice on it Sunday, but now I'm convinced that it is low on freon. Air flows through everything fine, like it always has.

 

I may go back down and see if i can get into the evaporator a little deeper and see what's collected in there, but this system is 14 years old and there is corrosion everywhere and some parts of the furnace are rusting through. Looks way worse when you get inside of it and look around. Fucking awesome.

[Turbs3000]

Call Duff from on here. He is honestly the coolest dude, does hvac for a living, and has helped me on a billion occasions with everything from little things to all new systems way below anyone else's prices.

 

Sent from my SM-G928V using Tapatalk

[Rocky31186]

The outside fan is blowing?

[Duff1647545513]

740-506-0994

Texts work best, I don't get on here as often anymore.

[Mensan]

if the evaporator is turning into a block of ice it usually isn't low on charge.

 

This is absolutely wrong. Your post is correct if there is no charge, but a low charge will create a lower boiling point for the refrigerant and therefore lowers the temp of the cooling action. More refrigerant = higher boiling point, similar to coolant in a radiator not boiling because it's under pressure.

 

I'm not going to argue with you over this. Google it.

[1Quik7]

Had an issue exactly like this a few years back. Blower was fine, charge was good, we nursed it along and just thawed it out every time...ended up being the unit outside starting to short-out and fail. And of course it failed on a nice August afternoon.

[RC K9]

When was the last time you cleaned your coils?