What are Dirty AC Coils and Why Should You Have Them Cleaned?
One of the best feelings in the world is stepping into a nice cool house on a hot summer day. In this modern world, it’s hard for most people to imagine a summer spent in the heat and humidity of Louisiana without air conditioning. However, if your air conditioner has dirty AC coils, you could start feeling the heat as your system becomes less effective and efficient. In this article, we’ll review what AC coils are, how they work, and what happens when they need to be cleaned.
Dusty and grimy AC coils can have a negative impact on your home’s comfort and the energy efficiency of your air conditioner. Have a professional clean them on a regular basis.
Schedule AC Maintenance to Keep Your System Running Right
Here in Louisiana, your air conditioner probably runs for the majority of the day during the summer, and especially during our hottest and most humid days. It’s important to remember that—just like any moving, mechanical device—your air conditioner needs regular maintenance and cleaning to continue operating at its peak performance.
Think of it this way: you wouldn’t let your car go years without getting an engine tune-up, oil changes, and its wheels rotated and balanced, right? You should treat your air conditioner the same way.
An important part of our AC maintenance service here at Southern Air is cleaning dirty AC coils. Cleaning this component will save you money, keep the unit operating efficiently, and even extend its life expectancy.
Why Cleaning Dirty AC Coils is Important:
There is a limited amount of space between the coils already, so surface moisture from your unit’s cooling process, and the amount of air that flows in and out of it, can start to build up with dirt, dust, debris, and other outside pollutants. Eventually, this buildup of debris will reduce your system’s ability to transfer heat in and out of your home, which will also reduce the system’s ability to provide cool air during the warm months.
If the coils become too dirty and blocked, they can block the airflow intake that is critical for the system to function overall, which could result in a system failure on the hottest night of the year. Another added downside to dirty coils is that they can actually cause your system to work harder than necessary and can shorten the life of the unit, possibly leaving you with some very expensive repair bills to deal with this summer. In contrast, the cleaner the air conditioning coils are, the more efficient your system will run.
Dirty Coils Can Lead to:
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Increased operating temperatures
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Reduced comfort in your home
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Less efficient cooling
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Increased energy bills
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Wear-and-tear on the system
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More frequent repairs or replacements
How Often Should Your AC Coils be Cleaned?
The easiest answer we can give is that they should be cleaned whenever they are dirty. But, how quickly they get dirty depends on a few factors, including:
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How often your system runs
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How often you are changing the filter
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The number of people living in your home
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The amount of dust, debris, and pet dander both inside and outside of your home
Again, the best way to keep your coils in good shape is by scheduling regular tune-ups with the local HVAC professionals at Southern Air. We recommend booking your next tune-up right before the start of summer, but if your system is operating less efficiently than it should, there’s no bad time to have one of our technicians out to inspect it. During a tune-up, our technician will properly conduct a coil cleaning, change your filters, and test your system to make sure everything is running perfectly.
Many homeowners might be tempted to perform the coil cleanings themselves, but the best solution is to hire a trusted HVAC professional who knows exactly what they are doing. Regular maintenance and upkeep can be far less expensive than dealing with a whole-system failure due to never getting it cleaned. Southern Air will make sure that your system not only works, but that it works at peak efficiency all year long.
Schedule your maintenance appointment now to get started on cleaner air for your home and family.
