It's important that your air conditioner operate efficiently and effectively through summer. If it's not properly maintained, including with clean A/C coils, your system will not use energy efficiently and may struggle to cool your home.
Why Are Clean A/C Coils So Important?
A/C coils serve as a sort of radiator, except carrying refrigerant rather than water. Refrigerant is a chemical compound that transitions from a liquid to a gas and back into a liquid at very low temperatures.
In an A/C, the heat-exchange process occurs inside the coils. In the evaporator coil inside the house, when pressure is eased on liquid refrigerant, it turns into a gas. As this happens, heat is extracted from air that's being blown across the coil. In the condenser/compressor unit outside, the opposite happens; heat energy is released into the air as pressure is applied to refrigerant and it turns back into a liquid.
If the coils are dirty, coated in dust, mold or other types of grime, the process of exchanging heat, extracting it from air inside and releasing it into the air outside, becomes more difficult. It requires more energy and more time, and may result in inadequate cooling.
How Do You Clean the A/C Coils?
Ideally, coil cleaning should occur during annual professional maintenance. However, if you're intent on cleaning the A/C coils, here are the basics. First turn off the A/C at the breaker box, then open the cover of the evaporator coil.
Wipe dirt and grime from the coil with a clean, soft cloth, then use a wet/dry vac to vacuum the coil. Spray coil-cleaning solvent on the coil, carefully following the product's instructions. While cleaning the coil, check the air filter and the condensate pan and drain. When cleaning the outside coil, follow the same instructions as the inside coil. For a quick cleanup, just spray the outside coil with a garden hose.
If you'd just as soon avoid all that hassle, please contact us at Valley Heating, Cooling, Electrical and we'll be happy to clean and maintain the cooling system in your South Bay Peninsula home.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the South Bay Peninsula and Santa Cruz areas of California about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).