No, You Should Not See Ice on Your A/c Unit!

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This is a confusion people typically have concerning their a/c systems. They think that because the Air Conditioner sends air that feels like it was blown over ice, ice should be a typical product of how the system runs. This does make some sense-- until you understand that an ac system works through a process of heat exchange, suggesting that it uses refrigerant (an unique blend of chemicals) to remove heat from inside and release it outdoors. Not only does this procedure not use ice, but it also should not develop any ice.
Simply put, if you see ice on your a/c unit, something is wrong.

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But what's really wrong?
There are a number of reasons frost may form on the internal parts of the AC. The normal spot where you'll see ice is along the evaporator coil and the locations around it. If the evaporator coil starts to lose its capability to absorb heat, the refrigerant inside the coil will stay too cold. This will in turn cause the wetness that condenses on the coil to freeze. The ice will further block heat absorption, causing more ice to grow, eventually resulting in a fully iced-over coil. This will stop the AC from cooling the air and may also damage the coil.

There are a variety of perpetrators for the coil losing its heat absorption capability:
Air conditioning repAir salt lake
Clogged air filter: The air filter for an Air Conditioner should be changed frequently throughout the summer (every 1 to 3 months, depending upon the type of filter). If the filter is clogged, inadequate warm air will pass over the coil, and the refrigerant in it will stay too cold.
Dirty coil: A layer of gunk over the coil will block its capability to draw heat from the air, setting off the icing-over.
Loss of refrigerant: Refrigerant escaping through leaks is a significant issue for the whole ac system, and can eventually cause a damaged compressor. Ice on the coil is one of the significant indication of this, so do not think twice to call for specialists when you area.