Rust And Air Conditioners: Get Answers To The Questions You Have

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If you see rust on your air conditioning unit, you want to act fast and have it removed as quickly as possible. Rust can spread quickly and what looks like a minor patch of rust can quickly spread and affect various parts of your unit. Unfortunately, many people do not know a lot about rust and their air conditioning units. Here is what you need to know about rust and air conditioners. 

Why is Rust Problematic For Air Conditioning Units? 

Rust can be extremely problematic for an air conditioning unit. Rust weakens metal, and if left for a prolonged period of time, can even eat through metal. This reduces the lifespan of the metal items within your air conditioning unit, which may cause you to need to have a new air conditioning unit installed quicker than you imagined. Additionally, rust can affect the metal, causing items such as gears and blades not to turn as they should. This can decrease the efficiency of your air conditioning unit, causing it to not properly cool your home. 

How Do You Remove Rust From an Air Conditioner? 

If there is rust on the exterior of the air conditioning unit, you can attempt to remove it yourself. Lightly scrub the rust away with either a nylon bristled brush or fine grit sandpaper. If these methods do not remove the rust, there are rust removal products available to purchase at home improvement stores. Be sure to remove all of the rust and watch the area carefully in the future to wipe out any new rust spots before they form. 

If you notice rust inside of your air conditioning unit, you will want to call in a professional to assist you. The inside of your air conditioning unit is complex. As such, you should never attempt to move any of the parts yourself, even if you are trying to clean them or remove rust. 

Can You Prevent Rust From Forming? 

Your air conditioning unit is exposed to moisture from a variety of sources, including rain, sprinklers, and humidity in the air. However, while you cannot control the moisture the metal in your unit is exposed to, there are a couple of tips for preventing the unit from rusting. When you are selecting a new air conditioning unit, look for one that has a rust-prohibitive coating. This will help to prevent rust in the future. The other tip is to have a professional reapply the coating if the current coating scratches or begins to wear away. 

Having your air conditioning unit inspected, cleaned and maintained on a yearly basis helps to minimize the chance of your air conditioner being affected by rust. If it has been a year or longer since your unit was last maintained, or there is rust inside of your unit, contact a heating and cooling company to help you care for your air conditioning unit. 

For more information, contact a company like Nova Air Conditioning & Heating.


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