Why Does An Air Conditioner Need To Be Clean?

When you own a home with an HVAC system, cleanliness is of the utmost importance. An air conditioner cannot operate efficiently when it is dirty and not maintained. Although you might assume your air filter is keeping the system clean, there are other areas of the system that need to be cleaned that are not protected by the filter. Here are some things you need to know:

Why Isn't the Air Filter Enough Protection?

The air filter in an air conditioner only there to protect the interior of the HVAC. It prevents the buildup of dust and debris from getting into the inside of the system. The air filter needs to be changed every few months to help prevent the contaminates from getting through.

However, the air filter has nothing to do with the air coils or the outdoor part of the unit.

Why Are Air Coil Important?

There are two coils in the HVAC system. One coil is the evaporator coil located inside the house. The condenser coil is located in the unit outside. Over time, the coils can collect dirt and debris that will prevent them from cooling your house.

In proper working order, the air coils are the most important parts of a cooling system. The air conditioner itself does not actually cool the air. It removes the hot air from your house and moves the heat to the outside unit. Then, it recirculates that air thorough the coils and brings it back inside cold air. This process only works if the coils are in good working order.

The evaporator coil allows the refrigerant to evaporate as a gas that draws the heat away from the air as it passes through. It then moves outside to the condenser coil to remove the heat, which then allows the cool air to come back into the house.

What Happens When the Coils Get Dirty?

When the coils get dirty, it disrupts the necessary processes that create the cold air. If the evaporator coil gets dirty, the system will not effectively remove enough hot air from the home. This makes the air conditioner work too hard and will increase the wear and tear on the system. If the condenser coil gets dirty, it will not be able to release the heat outside as well, which means the air that circulates back inside will not be as cool as it could be.

If your air conditioning system needs to be cleaned and you're unsure how to get started, consider talking to an air conditioning repair service.