AC Coil Cleaning: The Importance of Clean AC Coils

Many people are surprised to learn how important an AC coil cleaning is. In this blog post, The Air Doctor explains the two types of coils and why having your AC coils cleaned is important.

What Is An AC Coil?

Your AC system has several essential components, however, the air conditioning coils are the most important. The two basic types of coils are the evaporator coil and the condenser coil.

Where each coil is located depends on if you have a package or split system style unit. A package unit has both the condenser and evaporator coils located inside of it. This type of system is located outdoors. A split system unit has two parts. The indoor air handler that houses the evaporator coil and the outside condensing unit that houses the condensing coil.

What is the purpose of the AC Coils?

When running your AC, the evaporator and the condenser coils are essential. The evaporator coil works to remove humidity and heat from your indoor air. The condenser coil removes heat from the refrigerant and compresses the refrigerant back into a liquid.  

Why Should Coils Be Cleaned?

Properly maintaining and cleaning your AC coils can help extend the life of your system, help improve indoor air quality, and save you money.

Overtime, as air passes through the coils, they will get clogged with a build-up of dust, dirt, bacteria, and other pollutants. Decreased or blocked airflow caused by dirty coils can lead to the following issues.

Reduced Cooling and Comfort

A clogged-up, dirty coil forces your unit to work harder resulting in reduced cooling efficiency. This means your AC unit cannot remove humidity from your home or business as it should resulting in decreased comfort. A dirty coil reduces the cooling function by about 30%!

Increased Wear and Tear

A decrease in airflow often causes the compressor, motors, and other parts to operate less effectively and efficiently. This causes stress on the entire AC unit, resulting in parts breaking and costly AC repairs or even replacing your system.

Increased Energy Costs

The harder and longer your AC unit has to work to keep your home or business cool, the more you will pay on your utility bill. Did you know that a dirty AC coil uses up to 40% more energy than a clean AC coil?

Reduced Indoor Air Quality

As air attempts to pass through dirty coils, it picks up the coil’s dust, dirt, and other pollutants. These pollutants travel with the air throughout the system and into your breathable air resulting in poor indoor air quality. Click here to read more about improving indoor air quality.

How Often Should  AC Coils Be Cleaned?

The Air Doctor recommends that AC coils are cleaned at least once a year. We recommend to clean the coils in the spring before you start using your AC. However, how often you need a professional to clean your AC coils depends on a few factors. How often you change your filters if you have a UV light in your unit,  and how often you use your air conditioner all affect how quickly your coils get dirty.

How To Clean AC Coils.

The coils are essential when it comes to how your unit operates in order to achieve your optimal comfort level. They have delicate fins on them that if severely bent can cause airflow issues.  For those reasons, when it comes to cleaning your AC coils, it is best to leave it to a professional like The Air Doctor. The Air Doctor can clean the coils while performing the maintenance on the unit. For more information on coil cleaning or to schedule your next maintenance and AC coil cleaning, call The Air Doctor today.

252-215-0966