Air conditioners are supposed to produce cool air, but they're not supposed to turn into a block of ice. A frozen air conditioner is a problem that can occur for a variety of reasons. Knowing what you can do to fix the problem and how you can prevent it again in the future can help you take care of your air conditioning unit.

Thaw the Unit

Turn off the air conditioner to give it time to thaw. Your air conditioner will probably need at least a full day to melt. Place several pans, buckets and/or towels beneath the unit to capture the water melting off of the air conditioner, and plan to replace your buckets or towels once or twice throughout the thawing process. Don't attempt to chip away the ice with a pick, because you could accidentally do damage to the appliance.

Check and Replace the Air Filter

One of the reasons that your air conditioner may have frozen is because of a clogged air filter. Your air conditioner relies on warm air from your home to warm up the condenser coils in the unit. It is this air flow that causes the transfer of heat from your home to the a/c. Without a transfer of heat, your air conditioner will get colder and colder, causing ice to form.

To fix this problem, simply replace the air filter. To replace the air filter, you'll need to remove the filter from the slot between the blower and the return air duct. Buy a matching filter from a hardware store or home improvement center, then insert the new filter into place. If the problem was a clogged filter, the air conditioner should work well again once the system has completely thawed.

Contact an Air Conditioner Repair Person

If the replacement of the air filter doesn't fix this problem, a likely cause is a lack of Freon in the condenser coils, which causes low pressure and colder than necessary temperatures in the coils. If your air conditioner needs more Freon, then your coils have a leak that needs to be repaired.

This is a problem best fixed by an air conditioner repair person. Contact a reputable air conditioner repair person in your area for advice and service. He or she should be able to get your unit back up and running.

Practice Prevention

You can prevent this problem from occurring again in the future by replacing your air conditioner filter every three months and by getting an air conditioning tune up once each year. Schedule a reoccurring tuneup with your air conditioning repair person to ensure your air conditioner will continue to function for years to come. Click here for info on air conditioner repair and maintenance.