why does my central air conditioner freeze up and stop working?

Answer 1

a couple things will freeze up a air conditioner,low on refrigerant,very dirty air filter,bad evaperater fan motor that shuts off on thermal overload,check your filter first,if thats not it and your not handy,call a good ac company

Answer 2

I have to agree with most of the answers already given. Start simple, like the filter-then check your coil. If you wait too long to change your filter, then it can get so dirty that it clogs your coil. If you change your filter and that doesn't work then check your coil to see how dirty it is. Here is a little hint for you. You don't have to pay a lot of money for coil cleaner. Take a regular bottle of Tylex-you can get it a Walmart or any mass market store. Spray the inside coil with it. Let it sit long enough for the condensation coming from the coil to "wash" it out. Then take a soft bristle brush and GENTLY brush away the dirt. On the outside unit-spray it really well with a simple garden hose. When people mow their lawns, the grass can make it dirty along with a lot of other things.
If that doesn't work, call a repairman out. He will have some gages that can check your freon or puron, depending on the type of unit you have.
If you need a repairman, you can turn your unit off for a little while, to give the ice time to defrost until he can get their to check it out.

Answer 3

did it just happen or has this problem slowly come about.? most of the time units freeze up due to clogged and dirty coils both inside and outside. they sell a coil cleaner at lowes/ home depot, that you can use yourself. but, make sure your condenser drain from inside the house to the outside is clear and draining properly. then you can spry the coils down let it soak then rinse with garden hose( slowly ).... then dont forget about the outside coils they are just as important. they become clogged by mowing the grass, dust , etc. and they have no filter to protect them. if its a package unit ( mobile home type) then everything is outside and will require the unit to be partially disassembled. either way please turn the breaker switches off....part of the day and about $25 just might solve your problem.... and definitely remember to change the air filter... if you dont this will happen and more, like the fan blades on the " squirrel cage" will become caked with dust and debris. then you got to take that apart........all this is from personal experience

Answer 4

Call your Refridgeration Man.... Your Unit needs more gas or your controller is faulty.... Low gas will make your unit pump continously to try and get the room temperature down. This causes it to freeze at the valve where the gas is pumped through and slowly freeze up the whole unit... alternatively if your thermostat controller is faulty or badly adjusted it will continuously run and not cycle off at the desired temperature...

Answer 5

If your AC is set too low, like 60 degrees, the unit will freeze and stop working until it unfreezes, and after it thaws, it will work again. Check the settings on it to make sure this is not happening. I know it sounds stupid, but it can happen.

Answer 6

Your filter could be dirty, or you are low on freon. It is easy to check the filter although they seem to be hidden, you need to slide a folded piece of galvanized tin off an area of the duct work. It should be about 25 inches long.

Answer 7

This may be a simple maintenance issue, but it is probably more complicated than a simple filter. Dirty coils are often the problem. Perform routine maintenance and clean the condesnser coils and the problem should go away.

Answer 8

Yes it could be as easy as a dirty filter, or you are low on refrigerant. Make sure the coils are clean

Answer 9

When was the last time you change the filter? Have you done any work in your air-condition, to keep it working??