Frozen AC coil · Pueblo, CO
Ice on your AC lines or coil
Frost on the copper lines in July means the system is starved of airflow or low on refrigerant. Turn cooling off, let it thaw, and call us to find the cause.
- Answering calls 24/7
- Licensed & insured technicians
- Pueblo & Pueblo West, ZIPs 81001–81012
Do this now
- Turn cooling off at the thermostat. Running with a frozen coil can damage the compressor.
- Set the fan to On, if your system allows it. Moving house air across the coil speeds the thaw.
- Don’t chip, scrape or pour hot water on the ice. The fins and tubing are easy to puncture, and a punctured coil means a refrigerant leak.
- Protect the floor. Towels around the furnace or air handler, and check that the drain pan isn’t overflowing as the ice melts.
- Check the filter. If it’s clogged, replace it before you turn cooling back on.
While it thaws, close blinds and run ceiling fans. If anyone in the home is struggling with the heat, move them somewhere cool now — the repair can wait, they can’t.
What makes a coil freeze
Not enough air across the coil
A clogged filter, blocked return grilles, closed supply registers, a dirty indoor coil or a weak blower motor all reduce airflow. Less warm air over the coil means its surface drops below freezing and moisture turns to ice. Ice then blocks even more air, and it snowballs.
Low refrigerant
When a leak drops the refrigerant charge, the pressure in the indoor coil falls and so does its temperature. Refrigerant doesn’t get used up — if it’s low, there’s a leak to find.
What the technician does
Once the coil is clear, our technician checks airflow first — filter, blower, return path and the indoor coil’s condition — then measures the refrigerant charge. If it’s low, the next step is finding the leak. The repair depends on where it is: a fitting or valve core is one kind of job; a leaking indoor coil is another, and on an older system it’s worth weighing against replacement.
Typical U.S. range for a refrigerant leak repair: $250–$1,500, per Angi, October 2026 — a national figure, not a Pueblo quote. Your exact price comes after diagnosis.
If your system runs on R-22, refrigerant work costs more every year because the supply is limited. Our cost page explains why.
Questions we hear
How can an air conditioner freeze when it’s 95 degrees outside?
The ice forms on the indoor coil, not outside. That coil runs below freezing on purpose and relies on a constant flow of warm house air to keep it above the frost point. Cut the airflow — or let the refrigerant run low — and the moisture in the air freezes onto the coil instead of draining away.
How long does it take to thaw?
It depends on how much ice has built up — a heavily iced coil can take a few hours. Put towels down near the indoor unit and keep an eye on the drain pan — all that ice turns into water.
I changed the filter and it froze again. Now what?
Then airflow probably wasn’t the whole story. Repeat freezing after the filter is clean usually points to low refrigerant from a leak, a blower that isn’t moving enough air, or a dirty indoor coil. That needs a technician’s gauges and tools — call us.
Sources
- Angi — 2026 HVAC Repairs Cost: A Comprehensive Price Guide (updated October 2026)
- American Standard — Frozen evaporator coil? Don’t panic
- Bryant — Why does my AC keep freezing?
- U.S. DOE Building America — Measure Guideline: Air Conditioner Diagnostics
- Carrier — AC fan not spinning
- EPA — Phasing out HCFC refrigerants: what technicians and contractors need to know
- Carrier — R-22 refrigerant: what you need to know