It’s one of the strangest sights an aircon owner can see. On a blazing hot Singapore day, you check on your aircon because it’s not cooling properly, only to find it covered in a thick layer of ice.
How can something designed to fight the heat be frozen solid?
A frozen aircon is a very common problem, and it’s a clear signal that something is wrong with your system. You might see a block of ice on the indoor coil (behind the filter), or frost covering the copper pipes leading to your outdoor unit. This problem won’t fix itself, and continuing to run a frozen aircon can cause serious damage to its most expensive part—the compressor.
So, if you see ice, here’s what you need to do immediately, and then we’ll explain why it happened.
My Aircon is Frozen! What Do I Do Right Now?
Before you do anything else, follow these steps to prevent damage:
- Turn the Cooling Off. Go to your thermostat or remote and switch the mode from ‘COOL’ to ‘OFF’. This is the most important step.
- Keep the Fan Running. Switch the fan setting from ‘AUTO’ to ‘ON’. This will blow room-temperature air across the frozen coils and help the ice melt much faster.
- Be Patient. It can take several hours, sometimes even up to a full day, for all the ice to thaw completely. Much of the ice is hidden deep inside the unit where you can’t see it.
- Do NOT Pick or Scrape the Ice. The metal fins on your aircon coils are extremely delicate. Trying to break the ice off with a sharp object can easily damage them, leading to a much more expensive repair.
Why Did My Aircon Freeze in the First Place?
Now that your unit is safely thawing, let’s look at the reasons why it froze. There are two main culprits: poor airflow and low refrigerant.
1. Poor Airflow (The Most Common Cause)
Your air conditioner needs a constant stream of warm air from your room to flow over its cold indoor coils. This warm air keeps the coils from getting too cold. If this airflow is blocked, the coils will keep getting colder until they drop below freezing, turning any moisture from the air into ice.
Common causes of poor airflow include:
- A Dirty or Clogged Air Filter: This is the #1 reason for a frozen aircon. If you haven’t cleaned your filter in a few months, it’s likely clogged with dust and suffocating your system.
- Dirty Indoor Coils or Blower Fan: Over time, dirt and grime can build up on the indoor coil itself and on the blower fan that pushes the air. This buildup also acts as a barrier, blocking air.
- Blocked Vents or Grilles: Make sure furniture, curtains, or other objects aren’t blocking the vents where air comes out or the return grille where air goes in.
- A Failing Blower Motor: The fan motor inside your unit might be broken or failing, meaning it isn’t spinning fast enough (or at all) to move the air.
2. Low Refrigerant (A Sign of a Leak)
The second major cause of a frozen aircon is a refrigerant leak. Refrigerant is the special gas that circulates in your system to cool the air.
Here’s the simple science: When the refrigerant level is low due to a leak, the pressure inside the system drops. This drop in pressure causes the refrigerant to become extremely cold—far colder than normal. As it flows through the indoor coil, it will be well below freezing temperature, causing moisture to instantly freeze on contact.
Important: Your aircon is a sealed system. Refrigerant doesn’t get “used up” like petrol in a car. If you are low on refrigerant, it means you have a leak somewhere that needs to be repaired. If you’ve had a gas top-up before, it’s a sure sign the leak was never fixed.
How Vedha Can Help Fix Your Frozen Aircon
Once your unit has completely thawed, you can try running it again with a clean filter. If it freezes up again, it’s time to call a professional.
At Vedha Aircon, we don’t just fix the symptom (the ice); we find and repair the root cause.
- Thorough Airflow Check: We inspect your entire system for airflow restrictions, from the filters and vents to cleaning the blower wheel and evaporator coils.
- Professional Leak Detection: If we suspect a refrigerant issue, our certified technicians use professional tools to locate the leak. We will repair the leak before recharging the system to the manufacturer’s specifications. Simply adding more gas without fixing the leak is a waste of money.
A frozen aircon is a problem that needs attention. Taking the right steps can save you from a much bigger repair bill down the road.
If your aircon keeps freezing up, call the experts at Vedha Construction at 96540044 or send us an email. We’ll find the problem and get your system running reliably again.
Vedha Aircon: Reliable Aircon Maintenance Service, Fair Prices, No Fuss.
We specialize in Aircon installation, repair, and service. We have all type & model of recon compressor, full set & fancoil. Our technicians are highly proficient in their respective field and repairs and fixes aircon of various brands.
