Chances are your indoor unit s evaporator coil is frozen solid and cold liquid refrigerant is flowing to the outside unit through the refrigerant line which is why it s covered in ice.
Ice on air conditioner pipe outside.
So if you have ice building on your ac refrigerant lines you have one of the following 2 problems.
As mentioned previously it s important for your air conditioner to have enough airflow and refrigerant for the air conditioning process to take place correctly.
If not a trained ac technician can come to your rescue.
In this article we ll go into more detail about each of these issues and what you can do to fix them.
Ice on your hvac unit wastes energy and it can cause damage or failure.
Restricted airflow over evaporator coils.
Obviously the ice would melt after you add ice into the cup.
Finding ice on your air conditioner pipes is a sure sign that you have air conditioning problems and most likely need air conditioning repair below is a list of things to do to see if you can fix it yourself or if you need to call an experienced air conditioning.
The end result is an ice bound air conditioner that can t work properly.
Your outside air conditioning refrigerant line is covered in ice which seems crazy in arizona heat.
You also have a hair dryer blowing hot air over the cup.
You can also speed up its melting by blowing warm air over the coils with a hairdryer.
So what s the deal.
Is your home air conditioning unit suddenly not cooling and do you see ice on your outdoor pipes.
A lack of airflow caused by an obstruction in the air conditioner or a blower fan.
Now ice build up on your unit can happen if you happen to be running your ac in sub 65 degree weather but we ll assume you aren t.
Imagine you have a cup of water and every hour you add 5 ice cubes into it.
Ice on air conditioner pipes outside is one such situation.
We don t need to go too in depth so bear with me but understanding this principle is the key to figuring out why your air conditioner is freezing up.
The first step in repairing your air conditioning unit and preventing freezing is to inspect the cold air line for any tears or damage to the insulation.
The joule thomson effect how your air conditioner freezes up.
Standby for a small high school physics lesson.
Meanwhile you can perform the steps mentioned above to get rid of ice that has formed on the ac.
The cooling line for your air conditioner will run directly from the ac unit outside to the furnace fan and will usually be covered in black insulation.
Unfortunately ice anywhere on your ac unit is definitely not normal.
The joule thomson effect is a principle in thermodynamics which states that if everything else is kept constant.
Ice can form on your air conditioner or heat pump in any weather if the refrigerant inside it falls below freezing.
Now imagine that you put something in between the hair dryer and the cup while you re still adding ice to the cup.
Low airflow over the evaporator coil.
If you have ice on your outdoor unit turn your system off check for problems and contact a professional to repair any damage.