Just bougt a new one several weeks ago and the front keeps icing up. The screen is clean and it’s getting ventilation on both sides and nothing is blocking the back. At first I thought it was because of the extreme humidity we’ve had but that has gone. It is a small AC (10,000 btu) in a kitchen with a twenty foot skylight. The temperature is set at 70. Working too hard?
Turn off the freon for a little while (ie just let the fan run until the ice melts off.) Remember that some of the ice could be on the back of the coils also, so let it go for a while. Then you just have to find the spot on the thermostat where it gets the room cold but doesen’t ice up the coils. We’ve got the same prob with an AC at work.
Is it tilted rearward? The front shouldn’t ice up if the moisture it is drawing out of the air is allowed to exit properly.
It will if it has a chance to condensate (and then freeze) on the front coils. Especially when running it constantly on a very humid day. Or if the filter is dirty and the air flow is obstructed.
Set it no lower than 74 degrees
Also keep in mind that ice is an excellent insulator. That means it’s greatly reducing the efficiency of the heat exchange. And thus increasing your electricity bill. Don’t let the ice build up!
P.S., since no has stated it yet, never use a hard or sharp tool to chip at the ice. Too high of a risk of damaging the AC unit, especially the coils. It only takes a very small hole for all your freon to leak out.
Ice is usually sign of a problem, like a blockage, or flow issue…or overworking.
Also, make sure the unit is not too BIG OR TOO SMALL for the room. AC units have to be the right size…bigger = problems.
In high humidity or in a room where the unit runs to much, ice can build up. The AC unit should be properly sized for the room(s) and if the room isn’t sealed off from the rest of the house, it could overwork itself.
search google: ice a/c unit and a host of FAQs should pop up.