3 Important AC Parts That Need To Be Cleaned During Annual Air Conditioning Maintenance

Air conditioning maintenance involves a number of steps and each one is important for the proper functioning of your equipment. Some parts need to be serviced while others just need to be cleaned. Here are three important parts of your AC that need to be cleaned to prevent a breakdown over the summer due to grime and dust buildup. 

1. The Evaporator Coil

The evaporator coil is in the air handler. Refrigerant flows through it to create cool air for your home. If the coil has dust built up on it, the refrigerant can't cool your house as well as it should. That might make your power bill higher since your AC would need to run longer. Plus, ice can form on a dirty evaporator coil.

This happens because the coil gets wet from condensation and the condensation freezes. Once that starts, the situation just keeps getting worse until the entire coil is coated in ice and your AC shuts down. All of this can be avoided when the air conditioning maintenance technician cleans the coil in the spring.

2. The Blower Fan

The blower fan is also in the air handler. It can collect dust between the blade fins that keep the fan from pushing as much air through the ducts as it should. A dirty fan can also stress the capacitor and burn the motor out if the fan gets harder to turn when it's clogged with dust.

The AC blower fan is the same fan that blows warm air in the winter from your furnace, so it's likely to have dust buildup, especially if you forget to change the filter on time. The air conditioning maintenance technician can take the fan apart and clean it so it's ready to keep spinning at an optimal speed throughout the summer.

3. The Condenser

The condenser can accumulate a variety of debris over the winter. There could be dried leaves, old grass clippings, dust, sand, tree fluff, and mouse nesting materials. The loose debris should be cleaned out of the condenser so it doesn't get stuck in the wiring or cause problems with any of the parts.

Another part of the condenser that needs to be cleaned is the fin area. The sides of a condenser are usually covered in small metal fins to allow for air circulation around the condenser coil.

The fins can get blocked with weeds, grass, leaves, and anything else that blows through the air. The technician has to be careful when cleaning the fins since the fins can be bent easily, and bent fins block airflow.

Contact a local air conditioning maintenance service to learn more. 


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