What’s not to like about ice in the summer? Think of everything you can do with ice:
- Ice keeps your soft drinks and adult beverages cold.
- Ice stops your potato salad from growing salmonella.
- Ice chills garden produce that needs blanching before going into the freezer.
One place ice is not a welcome sight is when it forms on your mini split air conditioner. And believe us when we say a frozen air conditioner in a Glenwood Springs, Aspen, or Vail, CO home or business is one of the most common summer complaints received at Climate Control Company.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
When ice forms on a mini split you might see it on the indoor air handler, the outside compressor, or in some cases at both locations. While it sounds silly, the ice is an indication your air conditioner is no longer cooling properly. Instead, it’s an indication the refrigerant in the AC is too cold and believe us when we say that’s not a good thing.
HOW CAN REFRIGERANT BE TOO COLD?
Ideally, the temperature of the refrigerant should be just above freezing. It’s kept at that temperature by the warm air circulating across the cooling coil. If there’s not enough air movement, the refrigerant temp drops below freezing and the moisture in the air turns to ice. The same thing can happen if the refrigerant level drops because of a leak in the system. Once the ice forms, the Mitsubishi mini split can no longer cool properly, and your house will get hot.
IGNORANCE IS NOT BLISS
Whatever you do, please don’t ignore the problem. Continuing to run an air conditioner when it’s iced up can result in serious damage requiring expensive repairs. The first step is to shut down the mini split so the ice can start thawing. While the ice is melting, check the filter in the wall-mounted air handler. If it’s dirty, clean or replace it then turn the air conditioner back on. If it starts to ice up again, you will need to call in a certified Climate Control HVAC technician to determine what’s causing the problem.
PREVENTION IS THE KEY
The best way to make sure the ice stays in your drinks and coolers and NOT on your mini split A/C is with regular air conditioning maintenance from Climate Control Company. Call now to schedule an appointment for your Glenwood Springs, Aspen, or Vail, CO home or business. Great information like this is always available by liking and following us on Facebook and Twitter.
