Why Are Refrigeration Pipes Important?
It may seem surreal to see the external and internal pipes of your air-conditioning unit frozen over with a thick layer of ice even in the middle of summer when the temperatures are soaring. The bad news is that while this may seem like a good thing, it is actually indicative of problems with the unit and must be addressed immediately.
All air conditioning and refrigeration units depend on good, unobstructed airflow to keep critical components such as evaporator coils warm and functioning correctly. When air flow is obstructed, the coil’s temperature drops leading to a frozen coil or pipes. Poorly maintained air filters or overcrowded refrigerators can cause ventilation issues leading to frozen pipes.
Why Do Refrigeration Pipes Freeze?
Any number of mechanical problems and other issues can cause an air conditioner’s coils to freeze. Moisture that is condensed by the cooling process freezes due to the coil’s low temperature before it can drain away, creating the ice you see on your cooling coils. This ice acts as an insulator, preventing the heat transfer that creates cooling.
Low Refrigerant or Coolant Levels
Another common reason for frozen air conditioning and refrigeration pipes is a refrigerant leak. All cooling systems require the correct levels of coolant to operate, so when the levels drop, so does the overall temperature causing the coil to freeze.
The refrigerant inside the evaporator coils is responsible for cooling the air. When the level of the refrigerant drops, it causes ice formation because the pressure inside the evaporator coil drops when the AC is low on refrigerant. As the pressure drops, so does the temperature of the refrigerant and over time, results in thick ice formation on the inner surface. As more and more condensation freezes, ice begins to form on the outside as well.
Signs of Leaking Refrigerant are:
A bubbling or hissing sound coming from the air-conditioning unit.
Air-conditioner releasing warm air into the cool room even with a low thermostat setting.
Limited Airflow Can Cause Pipes to Freeze
Your A/C or refrigerator is a machine that sucks in warm air from the atmosphere outside and pushes cooled air into a cabinet or room. At any given time, there is sub-cooled refrigerant flowing through the evaporator coils which needs to remain dry and cool with the help of warm air passing over the coils. When warm and cold air come into contact it creates condensation which should typically collect in a drip pan which then flows through a drain line.
However, when the flow of air over the evaporator coils is restricted, the temperature of the refrigerant plummets to its freezing point, making the pipe excessively cold and freezing all condensation to ice.
Limited airflow can be caused by the following:
- Poorly maintained and dirty air filters.
- Warped ducting lines.
- Electrical problems which cause blower fan malfunction
- Obstructed evaporator coils due to overloading of fridge.
- Blocked or closed vents.
Refrigeration Management and Air-Conditioning Repair
Cold-Rite provides the Sydney metropolitan area with the high-quality air-conditioning repair services and refrigeration management consultancy to a wide range of businesses. Our industrial cold storage systems are reliable, durable, easy to operate and come with 24/7 repair services, all year round.
