How Dirty Coils Can Affect Your Cooling System

The condenser coils in your air conditioning unit are responsible for removing the heat from your home and transferring it outside of your home. Therefore, they play a major role in the efficiency of your air conditioning unit and in cooling your home and should be taken care of appropriately. This article will discuss different ways in which dirty coils can affect your cooling system and also provide some tips for keeping the coils clean.

The condenser coils are located in the condenser unit, which is located outside. Although it’s the condenser unit’s job to prevent the coils from becoming dirty, due to the condenser unit being outside, it is inevitable that some dirt and debris will make it’s way through the condenser unit and collect on the coils. These dirty coils, if not cleaned regularly and properly, will have a negative impact on the efficiency of your air conditioning system.

One way that the coils can negative impact the efficiency of your air conditioning system is by causing the system to use a significant amount of energy. The condenser coils have a difficult time transferring the heat outside when they are dirty, which causes your air conditioning unit to work unnecessarily harder, thus using more energy. This then leads to the second way in which dirty coils can negatively impact your air conditioning system, which is that the system is not able to properly cool your home, because the heat is not being removed properly through the condenser coils. The third and final way that the dirty coils can negatively impact your air conditioning unit is that it ultimately leads to a system failure. The more your air conditioning unit has to work, the more it wears down and eventually will lead to failure. Because the coils serve such an important role in the air conditioning system as a whole, the air conditioner will eventually overwork itself and cannot ultimately perform without proper condenser coils. All of these issues will lead to your home being too warm and uncomfortable, and can also lead to your air conditioning system experiencing more problems than necessary.

The best and most effective way to clean the condenser coils in your air conditioning system is to first turn off the power to your air conditioning system. Remove the grate and brush off the debris from the fan blades and lubricate with oil if necessary. Next, with a stiff brush, whisk away debris and dirt from the outside coils. Last, spray away any trapped dirt using water in a spray bottle, or water mixed with a mild cleaner. This might require some time to set and then be wiped away in order to remove all the dirt necessary to successfully clean the coils. Another way to clean your coils or to insure that they stay clean is to have your air conditioning system serviced routinely once a year. During the routine maintenance check, the technician will clean the coils for you to insure they work properly.