Reasons To Change Your Air Conditioner Filter Often

Question: If you don’t change your air filters and they are very dirty can this cause the central unit to freeze up? Will the unit be ok by changing the air filter? We had this happen 2 times before and we changed the filters. Our unit is only 2 years old.

Central air conditioner ice problems

Ice forming on central air conditioner coils is a common problem encountered by many home owners. This is usually attributed to poor air flow through the evaporator coil which creates low load conditions. Some of the most common reasons for poor air flow are undersized ductwork and dirty air filters. The result is evaporator temperatures at or below the freezing point which is 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius). Normal evaporator operating temperature for air conditioning equipment is above 32 degrees.

Usually all you have to do is set the thermostat setpoint above room temperature so the compressor doesn’t operate and this will allow the ice to melt. A better way to do this, depending on the type of thermostat you have, is set the fan to operate continuously and turn the cooling off. This keeps warm air moving through the evaporator coil and melts the ice much faster. Depending on how badly the unit is iced up, 30 minutes should do the job and 1 hour is even better to ensure all ice is gone.

Potential problems resulting from air conditioning equipment icing up

There are some potential problems with allowing an evaporator coil to freeze up. If the ice becomes bad enough it can actually cause the tubing in the evaporator coil to collapse or break. This requires a service technician to repair and possibly a new evaporator coil or worse. As you can imagine this is an expensive fix. Another problem with allowing the air filter to become this dirty is, equipment operating efficiency drops dramatically. The air conditioner will require longer run times to maintain space temperature and operating costs increase. You are much better off changing your air conditioner filters regularly.

There is also some risk of water damage when the ice melts. Often ice build up is bad enough to block drain openings and water overflows the condensate drain pan damaging walls, flooring and even ceilings if the unit located in your attic.

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