Your air conditioning system should make your home feel as comfortable, cool, and cozy as possible. But if your AC blows nothing but hot air, you could have a frozen evaporator coil to deal with. Learn more about frozen evaporator coils and how to deice yours below.
What's Wrong With the Evaporator Coil?
Your air conditioning system couldn't keep your home cool without the assistance of an evaporator coil. The air in your home contains a lot of heat and moisture. In order to make your home feel cooler and dryer, the evaporator coil has to absorb it. However, the coil can stop working effectively if it builds up with debris and freezes.
The air filter covering the evaporator coil catches most of the debris that travels through your cooling ducts. If you don't replace the air filter about every three months or so, airborne particles can escape it and land on the surfaces of the evaporator coil instead. The coil can become so clogged with debris that it stops absorbing heat. A block of ice will eventually form on the coil.
You check the evaporator coil yourself to see if it requires deicing.
How Do You Deice the Evaporator Coil?
Before you check the evaporator coil for ice, switch off your cooling system for safety's sake. Also, remove the air filter from the air handler and set it aside until after you check the evaporator coil. Next, access the evaporator coil and examine it.
If the coil is free of ice, contact an AC or HVAC contractor and request that they run a diagnostic test on your cooling system. There may be something else wrong with the system that makes it blow hot air, such as a faulty compressor, clogged condenser, or broken coil.
If the coil does have ice on it, place a tablecloth or tarp beneath the air handler and allow the coil sufficient time to thaw. You can speed the process along by saturating the coil with warm water, or by turning the thermostat to fan mode. If you have problems turning the fan on, simply wait until the coil thaws on its own.
Once the coil appears completely free of ice, replace the air filter and turn on your air conditioning system. Allow the system time to cool your home. If your house begins to feel cool inside, then cleaning the coil was the right thing to do.
If your house still feels unnaturally warm or hot, call an HVAC contractor and schedule a maintenance visit. For more information, check out a website like https://www.advancedheatingandcooling.com.
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