Key Takeaways
Don't keep running the aircon on cool while it's iced up: it works hard, the room stays warm, and the compressor is at risk.
Switch it off and let the ice melt on its own, which takes about 2 to 3 hours.
A dirty filter or a very low setting you can fix yourself. If the ice comes back after cleaning the filter, get a technician.
Refrigerant leaks, fan faults and a dirty coil inside the unit are technician jobs.
Table of Contents
Can you keep running a frozen aircon?
How to fix a frozen aircon: thaw it safely first
Why is my aircon freezing? Read the signs
Aircon freezing and dripping water
What you can do yourself, and what needs a technician
How to stop it happening again
1. Can you keep running a frozen aircon?
No. Ice covering the cooling coil (the thin metal fins behind the filter in the indoor unit, called คอยล์เย็น in Thai) blocks the cold air from coming out. The unit keeps running but the room doesn't cool, you pay for electricity you aren't getting, and the compressor in the outdoor unit is put under strain. Left for long enough, the repair can cost far more than fixing the cause early.
The second problem is water. When a lot of ice melts at once, the drain tray inside the unit can overflow, and water runs down the wall, onto the floor or onto furniture below.
2. How to fix a frozen aircon: thaw it safely first
Stop the cooling and let all the ice melt before anything else. While there's still ice on the coil, you can't see what caused it.
Switch it off. Turn the unit off with the remote and leave it off while the ice melts.
Catch the water. Put a towel or bucket under the indoor unit and move anything that shouldn't get wet.
Let it melt on its own. This usually takes about 2 to 3 hours, according to Beko Thailand. Don't chip or scrape the ice, because the coil fins are thin and bend easily, and don't use a hair dryer with water and electrics this close together.
Take the filter out and look at it. Lift the front cover and slide out the mesh filter. If it's coated in a grey layer of dust, rinse it and let it dry completely before putting it back.
Restart it and watch. Once the coil is dry, run it at 25 to 26°C, the range Beko recommends. If the ice comes back, the cause is still there: use the table in the next section.
If you'd rather not open the unit yourself, or you want a technician to clean and check everything in one visit, download the gigit mobile app and post an aircon cleaning task. It only takes 2 minutes, and you'll receive offers from verified 5-star professionals in your local area.
3. Why is my aircon freezing? Read the signs
Every cause ends the same way: the coil gets so cold that moisture in the air turns to ice. The fixes are very different, though, so work out which one you have. Once the ice has melted, check these signs.
What you see | Likely cause | Can you fix it yourself? |
|---|---|---|
Filter coated in a grey layer of dust | Dust blocking the airflow over the coil | Yes: rinse the filter and let it dry |
Set to 18 to 20°C, fan on lowest, running all night | Settings too cold | Yes: set 25 to 26°C and put the fan on auto |
Clean filter, but weak airflow or black grime on the coil fins or fan | Dirty coil or fan inside the unit | No: needs a professional clean |
Fan not spinning, spinning slowly or making odd noises | Fan or fan motor fault | No: needs a technician |
Ice returns after cleaning the filter, and cooling has been getting weaker for weeks | Low refrigerant, usually from a leak | No: the leak must be found before refilling |
Recently installed, moved or repaired | Installation or refrigerant charge not right | No: ask whoever did the work to come back |
One thing to know about low refrigerant: it doesn't get used up over time. If it's low, there's a leak somewhere, and a top-up without fixing the leak means the ice will be back before long. So a technician should find the leak before any refrigerant refill. If your aircon isn't cold but there's no ice at all, the cause is usually something else.
4. Aircon freezing and dripping water
Water dripping alongside ice is almost always the ice melting, not a separate fault. Fix what's causing the ice and the dripping stops with it. In the meantime, catch the water and wipe the wall dry so mould doesn't take hold.
If there's no ice but water still drips, the usual causes are a blocked drain pipe or a unit mounted at a slight tilt. That's a different problem: a dripping aircon can often be fixed yourself in a few minutes, while a badly blocked aircon drain pipe may need a technician to clear it.
5. What you can do yourself, and what needs a technician
You can safely do three things: thaw the ice, clean the filter, and adjust the temperature and fan speed. Anything that means removing the unit's cover, touching the refrigerant or dealing with the wiring is a technician's job. It needs specialist tools, and a mistake can do more damage than the original problem.
If your aircon has iced up and hasn't been cleaned in a while, a full professional clean is usually the best first step. The technician sees the coil, fan and drain pipe in one visit, and if it still ices up afterwards, you know the next thing to check is the refrigerant or the fan. That's a job for an aircon repair technician.
6. How to stop it happening again
Clean the filter every 1 to 2 months, as Beko recommends, and more often if you live near a busy road or have pets.
Have the aircon professionally cleaned on a regular schedule. How often you should clean your aircon depends on how much you use it and how dusty your home is.
Don't leave it on the lowest temperature with the fan on lowest all night.
Keep furniture, curtains and clutter away from the unit's air intake and outlet.
If you'd like a technician to clean and check your aircon, post an aircon cleaning task on gigit, set your budget or leave it open to offers, and choose from the offers local gigit heroes send. Find out more at aircon cleaning on gigit.