Frozen AC Unit: How Long Does It Take To Unfreeze? (2024)

FAQs

Frozen AC Unit: How Long Does It Take To Unfreeze? ›

Your AC blower motor pulls in warm air from inside your home, and blows it over the refrigerant coils that make up the evaporator. How long will it take for your AC unit to thaw? It can take up to an 1 hour or 24 hours to unfreeze your air conditioner.

Your AC blower motor pulls in warm air from inside your home, and blows it over the refrigerant coils that make up the evaporator. How long will it take for your AC unit to thaw? It can take up to an 1 hour or 24 hours to unfreeze your air conditioner.

Turning the HVAC fan to ON will force it to blow warm air over any frozen coils—which will speed up the defrost process. Make sure it's actually set to ON and not to AUTO. Automatic settings cause the fan to cycle—starting and stopping over and over again. You want continuous, non-stop airflow over the frozen areas.

To thaw the ice out, first, you need to turn the AC's thermostat off and turn the fan on. Leave the fan on for a few hours to allow the unit to fully defrost. In some cases, it may thaw out after an hour. In other, more extreme cases, you may need to leave the fan on for a full 24 hours.

After turning off your AC unit, you want to see if your evaporator coil begins to defrost on its own. Sometimes, if you wait around 24 hours, your frozen coil thaws. However, thawing it naturally can only happen if the weather is temperate and air conditioning isn't necessary.

Air conditioners may be cooling systems but they are not meant to freeze up. It is not part of their design. If it happens, then the cooling system is not working as intended. It will not be able to cool down the house as well as it should.

If your air conditioner freezes in the winter, you might be hesitant to try other defrosting methods. Your air conditioner is not as sensitive to temperature variations. As a result, if you need to defrost or de-thaw an air conditioner, you can safely pour hot water over it.

By turning on the A/C, you will effectively dehumidify the air from your defroster before it is warmed.

You must be surprised to know this, but using a hairdryer can be the most accurate way to defrost your air conditioning unit. You can use a simple hairdryer or a blow dryer and run it after pointing towards the evaporator coils. However, you must ensure that you do not run the hairdryer at a higher temperature.

Will an AC freeze up if it runs too long? ›

If your A/C runs for too long it can cause the coils to freeze. If you notice that your A/C is running too cold, or for long periods, this could be the issue.

Visible ice: One of the easiest ways to tell if your AC unit is frozen is actual ice on any part of the AC unit, particularly the refrigerant pipe or evaporator coil. The house isn't cool: Place your hands in front of the air supply vents. If you feel warm air blowing out, it could be a sign that the AC is freezing up.

Whether you've confirmed for certain that you have frozen evaporator coils, or you just suspect it, you need to turn off your A/C. Then, your coils should be able to defrost, taking up to 24 hours to thaw out. You can also safely dry out the coils with a hair dryer.

If the AC unit is blowing hot air, first try turning off your air conditioner but leaving the fan on so it can defrost the AC unit. The AC's indoor fan will blow warm air over your AC's frozen coils, helping the ice thaw faster. Also check for a dirty air filter, which could be causing air flow blockage.

First, turn off your unit and let it thaw out by itself. It might take several hours for your unit to thaw out naturally, but if it's progressing too slowly, you can turn on your unit's blower to assist. After that, call a local HVAC expert to get to the bottom of what's causing your frozen unit.

A dirty air filter can impact airflow, causing your air conditioner to freeze and not turn on. If your air filter seems dirty or you can't recall the last time you changed it, it's time to get a new one. If your AC was frozen, wait for it to thaw after changing the filter before turning it back on.

There are a number of reasons why your air conditioner might be running but not cooling. It could be an issue with the thermostat, the compressor, or the evaporator coils. Or, it could simply be clogged with dust and debris, which is preventing it from working properly.

As always, turn the air conditioner off as soon as you notice freezing. Keep the fan on, though, so it will blow warm air over the frozen components. This will help thaw your system within a few hours in most cases. From there, the first step is to check your air filter and return vents.