Most of us are unaware that most problems with air conditioners occur due to a buildup of dirt and toxins on various system components. An unclean air conditioning system not only places your unit's operation and efficiency at risk, but it also puts your family or office employees at risk of the adverse effects of poor indoor air quality. Because of this, both homeowners and business owners must understand the importance of keeping your air conditioning system clean. First, though, let's learn how an air conditioner works.
Every air conditioner has an indoor unit and an outdoor unit. An air conditioner works by cycling refrigerant between the indoor and outdoor units to remove heat from the air in your home or office and then dump it back outside. There are two critical components in this process: the evaporator coils and the condenser coils.
The warm air inside your home or office is pulled through a vent, passing the warm air over the evaporator coil. The evaporator coil absorbs heat from the air and cools it using a refrigerant, creating a cool vapour that gets carried outdoors. A fan then transfers the cooled air into the air ducts and distributes it throughout your home or office. The vapour, meanwhile, as it gets carried outdoors, passes over the condenser coils. Heat is transferred from the refrigerant inside the coils to the air outside.
When dirt builds up on either the evaporator coils or the condenser coils, it compromises this heat-transfer process. This means that the refrigerant inside your air conditioner needs to work harder to absorb heat or release it outdoors. Not only will this impact the temperature indoors, and increase your system's energy consumption, but it can also reduce the lifespan of the air conditioning system.
Dirt will also clog filters, creating excessive air resistance, and this increased operating pressure means impurities are pulled into the ductwork's return side through cracks. Eventually, these congested filters become secondary sources of indoor pollution! The trapped dust, human and/or animal dander, mold, bacteria, and dust mites are known to trigger or exacerbate allergies and asthma and compromise indoor air quality, contributing to fatigue, dizziness, congestion, and eye irritation… and the list goes on!
Cleaning an air conditioner should be an essential part of any residential or commercial maintenance package. Qualified air conditioning system technicians can thoroughly inspect and clean every aspect of your system to minimise breakdowns. This ensures the system will operate efficiently, guaranteeing your interior air quality is the best that it can possibly be!
