The possibility of your air conditioner freezing up seems quite bizarre since you live in the sunshine state. However, even in the sunny Florida weather, your A/C unit can be covered in solid ice. Wondering how it’s possible for an A/C unit to act like an igloo when it’s at least 85 degrees outside? Here are some ways your air conditioner can freeze over:

Blockages in Air Flow

In your A/C unit, blockages may occur, resulting in a freeze up. In most cases, this occurs when the cooling coil drains water that’s taken out of the air – the circulation of air allows the water to move. But, if the air isn’t circulating quickly enough, the water won’t move away from the coil. Eventually, instead of cooling the air, the coil ends up freezing the water.

Along with the cooling coil, a filthy air filter can also harshly constrain the desired flow of air. Rather than cleaning the air, it slows down the movement of your air conditioner and pushes it to work harder. So, before you do anything, check your filter. If your filter is clean and new, it’s possible that there’s a block in your ventilation system. Attempt to get rid of the blockage by checking your vents to make sure air is flowing out in smooth and strong gusts. Usually, you can clear obvious blockages, but you should hire a professional to clean old ducts.

Refrigeration Issues

The next place you’ll want to check is your refrigerant. Without a refrigerant, heat is moved from inside to outside, which makes the coil in your A/C unit freeze over. Normally, you can smell a huge loss of refrigerant—with a large leak, comes the smell of oil. Regardless of the leak’s size, you’ll need to contact a professional to detect it.

Freon is the most commonly used refrigerant, and if it’s released, it can be detrimental to both the ozone layer and the health of some individuals. If you are using Freon for your A/C unit, hire a professional to detect, replace and repair your refrigerant leaks.

Leaving On A/C During Cold Weather

As silly as it may sound, an air conditioner freezes up when you leave it on during the cold weather. Typically, this issue occurs when a faulty thermostat won’t turn your A/C unit off at the proper temperature. Also, people tend to sleep with their A/C running, meaning that sometimes the temperatures set at night drop too quickly for the thermostat to detect, resulting in a frozen A/C system. Installing an up-to-date programmable thermostat is usually the solution, as it can schedule your A/C to turn off while you’re sleeping.