Q: My unit outside has ice on the lines. What is causing this to happen?
You notice that your system is running, but it isn’t blowing out cold air, so you go to take a look at your condenser outside and notice the line going from the condenser to the wall is covered in white “stuff”. What you are actually seeing is ice!
Ice forming on condenser lines
When the system is having trouble it can literally freeze up. The lines at the condenser and/or the evaporator coil itself get too cold then start to form a buildup of ice. This is often an issue with either the refrigerant charge or a restriction in the system.
Frozen evaporator coil
The first step is to turn off your system so that the ice can melt as nothing can be done until then.
Check your house filters. If the filter is clogged, the restriction slows airflow over the evaporator coil causing it to freeze up, which will eventually causes the outside lines to freeze if it is left on for too long.
The second cause may be that the system is low on refrigerant.
It is also important to note that as the system de-frosts, there will be a large amount of water going down the drain, make sure the drain lines are free flowing and keep an eye on the pan to make sure it isn’t backing up.
After shutting off the system give us a call at 713-861-1977 to come out to perform a full system checkup.