Even though it may seem simple to pump cool air into your home on a hot day, the fact is that your air conditioner is actually a complex machine. As with any complex machine, your air conditioner is made up of many different components that must work correctly to provide the cool air you crave in Frederick.
One of the most important components in your air conditioner is the evaporator coil. If this component malfunctions, you’ll be left with warm and humid air. The most common problem that we at Weather Masters Corp. in Fredrick see is simply dirty coils. To help overcome this problem, here is a basic guide to cleaning your air conditioner’s evaporator coil.
The Job of a Coil
Before you learn how to clean your evaporator coil, it’s important to understand why it’s so important. The job of your air conditioner’s evaporator coil is twofold. First, the coil holds cold refrigerant in place long enough to allow warm air from your home to blow over it. When this happens, heat exchange occurs, meaning the heat from the warmer indoor air is transferred to the cooler refrigerant so that it can be carried outside.
Another role of the evaporator coil is to dehumidify the air. As the cold refrigerant runs through the metal refrigerant line, the line becomes quite cold. As the humid indoor air moves over this cold metal, condensation occurs instantaneously. During your air conditioner’s run cycles, enough moisture is removed from the air to reduce the humidity, resulting in air that feels cooler and is more comfortable. Given these two important tasks, it’s easy to see why it’s so important to keep your evaporator coil clean.
How a Coil Becomes Dirty
One final word from Weather Masters Corp. on coils before we discuss the cleaning process in Fredrick. You may wonder how the coils in an air conditioner could become dirty in the first place, especially considering that your air conditioner is a closed system. One way this can happen is if you run your air conditioner without an air filter in place. As the air conditioner draws in air, it can become stuck on the damp coils, leading to a buildup of dirt.
If you have a filter in place, but it has larger gaps between the fibers, you can still experience a buildup of dirt. Additionally, if you are doing any construction projects in your home that release a lot of dust and you run your HVAC system during the construction, dust can be sucked into your air conditioner, even with a good filter in place.
How to Clean Your Evaporator Coil
To clean your coil, you first have to access it. You can find your evaporator coil above the fan assembly and below the main HVAC duct. Some evaporator coils are more difficult to reach than others and may require removal from the system for proper cleaning. If that’s the case for your system, we recommend allowing Weather Masters Corp. in Fredrick to do the job to prevent any damage.
Once you’ve located your coils, you can spray the coil with a 1:1 mixture of evaporator coil cleaner and water from a spray bottle. Allow the mixture to penetrate the dust and dirt for a few minutes, then follow that up with plain water in a spray bottle until all of the dust and dirt have been removed from the coil. You can clean the area around the coil using a vacuum cleaner to ensure that no further dust will have a chance to enter the coil.
One thing to note while you’re cleaning your coil is to make sure that your drain pan and drain line are able to drain properly. If they can’t, then everything you spray will begin to back up until it overflows the drain pan, which can create a mess that can damage some of the electronic components in your system. If your drain line is blocked, you can clear it up using a mixture of bleach and water.
For All Your Maintenance Needs
When it comes to your air conditioner, there are many components that need to be maintained in order to keep your home cool. At Weather Masters Corp., we can help you with these maintenance needs to ensure your air conditioner enjoys a long life in Fredrick. We can also help you with repairs to your air conditioner or furnace should something cause your system to break down. Of course, if you need a new system installed, we offer excellent equipment that offers great value.
As a company, we pride ourselves on maintaining an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. This commitment to integrity is reflected across all parts of our business and in each individual employee of our business. The five-star reviews from our customers rave about our service, our price, and our timeliness. If you have questions about air conditioner maintenance in Fredrick, give us a call at Weather Masters Corp. today.
