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What Dirty AC Coils Mean for Your System

two-condenser-unitsLook, we get it. You don’t want to focus on the negative. Why would we spend a whole blog post talking about potential problems that you may encounter with your air conditioning system? Well, because the more you know about how various issues could affect your air conditioning system, the more likely you are to handle any such issues before they are able to. By understanding how dirty coils can negatively affect your AC, you can ensure that you don’t let such problems develop.

Many homeowners may not realize that their air conditioners even have components called “coils.” Of course, we don’t expect you to be the expert when it comes to all things air conditioning. That’s what our professional technicians are here for. Even so, it is definitely beneficial for you to have some idea of what these coils do, and why dirty coils are such a serious matter. So read on, and leave your AC repair services to the pros on our staff.

Get to Know Your Coils

You may be looking at your AC and thinking “I don’t know what these folks are talking about. I don’t see any coils!” Well, trust us—they are there. In fact, you have both indoor and outdoor coils in your air conditioning system. The indoor coil is the evaporator coil. This is where the refrigerant in the system evaporates. The outdoor coil is the condenser coil. This is where—you guessed it—the refrigerant is condensed! Both the evaporation and the condensing of refrigerant are incredibly important to the overall operation of your AC.

What the Coils Do

Okay, so the evaporator coil and the condenser coils are where refrigerant evaporates and is condensed—but why is this important? Well, remember that your AC does not “create” new “coolness” the way that a furnace may create new heat by burning fuel or using electric resistance. Instead, your air conditioner removes heat from the air already in your home.

As refrigerant evaporates in the evaporator coil, heat is drawn out of the air surrounding that coil. If the coil is very dirty, then it will have a harder time drawing heat out of the air. That can actually lead to condensation that’s collected on the coil freezing up, and that further exacerbates the problem. It creates a layer of insulation which the system must then contend with.

The condenser coil is where refrigerant condenses, and it releases its heat as this happens. If the coil is dirty or the condenser fins are all bent, then the system will struggle to release heat. If the refrigerant isn’t cooled down properly once again, then it will be unable to cool your home as effectively or efficiently as it otherwise would.

Cleaning AC coils is a job for professionals. Don’t ever believe that you can do it on your own. Attempting to do so your self is only going to make it more likely that you’ll encounter serious problems, and you will likely wind up doing more damage to your system!

Let DuAll Heating & Cooling handle your AC services in Bolingbrook, IL.

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