A lot of people don’t even think about their AC’s coils. That kind of work is typically left to professionals such as the technicians of Action AC, but if you neglect them completely, you risk something bad happening to your AC; in the middle of summer.

If you have cleaned your AC coils before, you know how tedious and unappealing this task is, but it still needs to be done. If you want’ you can defer the job to paid professionals, or you can do it yourself, but don’t skip it under any circumstance. Here we will discuss how to clean ac coils and the importance of cleaning ac coils.

What are AC Coils?

There are two sets of coils in your AC unit. One is in the inside unit, which is cold and which cools the air down before it is blown out into your house by the fans. This part is called the evaporator coil. The other coil is called the condenser coil and it is located inside the outdoor unit. This part of your AC disperses the heat collected from your home and cools down the refrigerant so that it can return to the indoor unit and the evaporator coil to cool your house down once again.

Importance of Cleaning AC Coils

Both sets of coils rely on heat transfer. They are made of metal tubes which typically resemble a grid or tiny fins which increases their usefulness area. However, therein lies the problem. Over time, there are various particles and debris which will fall in and stick onto the coils. At first, you may not notice anything, but over time, the effectiveness of your AC might become compromised, and you may start using it a lot more in order to achieve the same result as before. Cleaning AC Coils is important as the coils work to draw the warm air out of your home, they also pull other things along with it that can cause a nasty buildup.

However, that’s not the worst thing that can happen to your AC if your coils are dirty. After a point, your AC will become de facto useless and as it struggles to reach the temperature you set on your thermostat, it will overload itself and some part of it will break down. Repairing your AC can be pretty expensive, and having to repair it during the hottest part of the year is even more inconvenient in every sense of the word.

On the other hand, a properly cleaned AC unit will function well, and it is likely that it will go through the whole season without a problem. What’s more, it will be more economical because it will use its full cooling potential.

Do I Need to Clean the Coils often?

How often you will need to clean your AC coils depends on a series of factors, but it is important to know that the metal is thin and can be very sensitive to physical damage, so you need to be careful when cleaning. Typically, once a year cleaning should be enough because, in normal circumstances, the protective plating of the AC is enough to block most of the debris out.

However, if you live in an area which is particularly dusty or windy, you might need to do it more often. Proximity to industrial complexes which produce fine dust, like quarries or cement factories might be considered a risk factor.

Similarly, if your outdoor unit is located under a tree which releases a lot of pollen, this sticky material might find its way inside and stick to the coils. Although it should be noticed and cleaned during your routine annual AC maintenance, it never hurts to check it yourself from time to time.

How to Clean AC Coils?

Well, the first thing to remember is how fragile they are, so don’t apply too much force. If you damage or break it, replacing it will cost you a lot of money, not to mention time without air conditioning in the middle of the summer.

The simplest way, which will get rid of most types of buildup, is to hose down the coil, but if that doesn’t help, it might be best to contact professionals to help you, lest you damage any part of it. If you insist on doing this task on your own, go to a specialized AC shop and purchase a special cleaner and a brush which you can use without damaging the sensitive equipment.