Ice can sometimes form on the coils of your air conditioning unit. When this happens, it is important to take the right steps to get rid of the ice and prevent costly repairs or even replacement of the entire unit. Besides, since the ice will block airflow, an iced-up air conditioning unit won't cool your home as it should, which means that you might end up with high energy bills. Therefore, to avoid falling victim of these problems, here is your guide to removing the ice.

Prepare the Air Conditioner for the Task 

You want to prep your unit first before removing the ice. Therefore, turn off your air conditioning unit and disconnect it from the power source. This will prevent any electricity-related accidents during the ice removal process. If you have a window unit, tilt it slightly outward to prevent the ice from melting inside your home and causing a mess. If you can easily reach your window unit from outside, go out and make sure the drain hole is clear to ensure that nothing won't be blocking it. On the other hand, if you have a central air conditioner, find the condensate drain and make sure that it's also clear.

If you'd like the ice to melt faster, consider blowing on the coils using a hair dryer. You can also run the fan of your air conditioning unit without running it's compressor. This should also help speed up the process.

Leave the Ice to Melt

After preparing your unit for the process, allow the ice to melt. The melting itself shouldn't take too long, especially if you live in an extremely warm area. Water from the melting ice should drain freely from the condensate and drain holes. However, you can open up the ductwork and simply remove the water using a shop vacuum. This might be a faster alternative.

Clean the Air Conditioning Coils

Once all the ice is melted and the condensate pan is empty, you want to give the coils a thorough cleaning. This is because excessive build-up of dirt on the coils can also contribute to ice-build-up. Therefore, using a commercial cleaner, scrub the coils until clean. Rinse using warm water and leave them to dry completely.

Prevent Further Ice Build-Up

It's important to keep your A/C unit ice-free after the process. This will involve taking action to find out the causes of the ice-build up and fixing them. Some of the major causes include drainage issues, nighttime use, faulty fans, dirty filters, closed supply vents, and low refrigerant levels.

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