Why Does My Heat Pump Freeze Up in Hoover, AL?

Despite the summer heat in Hoover, AL, certain mishaps may cause ice to form on your heat pump. The first step to dealing with this problem is understanding why it happens. Here are a few reasons why your heat pump might suddenly freeze up.

Refrigerant Leaks

Since refrigerant is toxic, leaks are dangerous in their own right. However, as a side effect of losing refrigerant, ice may also form on your system’s coils. Without enough refrigerant, your heat pump won’t absorb much heat, causing low temperatures to persist inside of it.

Dirty Evaporator Coils

The evaporator coils are the part of your HVAC system that absorbs heat from the air surrounding it. When the system is in cooling mode, these coils are indoors.

If debris should coat the coils for any reason, these will not be able to make as much direct contact with the ambient air. Hence, the coils’ heat absorption abilities will decrease, so the temperature inside your heat pump will drop. Once this happens, any condensation in the area will likely freeze.

To avoid this problem, you must schedule regular HVAC maintenance. During this visit, our technician will clean evaporator coils and perform other tasks to keep your system running at peak performance.

High Humidity

High humidity can also greatly increase the likelihood of ice spontaneously appearing in your heat pump. Humidity forces the system to work harder to keep your home cool.

This may lead to an unintended reaction. As the system works more intensely, temperatures inside the unit will drop, raising the chances that the moisture on the coil will freeze.

The system’s defrost mode should be able to counteract this issue. If it is not, professional intervention may be necessary.

The more your heat pump freezes up, the less ability it will have to keep you cool in Hoover, AL this summer. Call One Source Heating, Cooling & Electrical and schedule heat pump services so that our team can keep your system functioning.

Image provided by iStock