Evaporator coils cleaning is an integral part of the A/C system cleaning at home and commercial buildings since they perform a vital role in the working of the system. The work efficiency of the coils determines to a greater extent the work efficiency of the system. An air conditioning system has two units i.e. an inner unit and an outer unit. The inner unit of the system consists of the evaporator coils whose main purpose is to expand the cooling agent while the outer unit contains the condenser coils whose main purpose is to condense the cooling agent.
Since the evaporator coils also perform the dehumidification of the surrounding, they are damp and moist. This leaves them susceptible to getting contaminated and dirty. The dirt can build up on the coils over the course of time causing major issues to the working of the air conditioning system. There are a number of problems, which can arise due to the uncleanliness of the evaporator coils, and we will discuss them below in this article.
Problems Arising Due to Unclean Evaporator Coils
There are a number of problems, which can arise due to clogging of the coils. Some of the issues are stated below:
- Unclean coils can result in reduced heat transfer and hence affect the efficiency of the system.
- The cooling capacity of the system will decrease if the evaporating coils are not performing at 100%.
- The energy consumption by the evaporator coils will be greater than when they are clean.
- The ambient temperature of the system will increase leading to problems.
- The system will start to wear leading to reducing the life of the system. The life of the system can decrease drastically if regular maintenance is not carried out.
Necessary Precautions before Evaporator Coils Cleaning
Before cleaning the evaporator coils cleaning process, it is necessary to take some necessary precautions. Some of the precautions are listed below:
- Always check if the system is in need of cleaning to avoid unnecessary ordeal.
- Properly unplug the system from the thermostat and main circuit, as a high potential is present across it.
- Remove the screws and cover in order to get full access to the coils.
- Wear shockproof gloves and shoes.
- Keep the system in a clean environment so that it would not be contaminated from the surrounding.
Evaporator Coils Cleaning Procedure
Like carpet cleaning, there are different methods of evaporator coils cleaning such as cleaning through compressor coils, brush cleaning, using detergents, commercial cleaners, hot water cleaning (not dry), and heavy duty cleaning. In order to perform cleaning through a brush, the following steps can be followed:
- Get access to the coils of the evaporator. Make sure that the system is properly insulated.
- Now gently apply the brush to the coils of the evaporator. This will start to sweep dirt and contaminations of the coils.
- If something is hard to remove then using a hard scrubber. Scrub this place consistently for some period of time.
- Now vacuum clean the coils so that the loose dirt can be removed. This will also remove the dirt settled between the coils or at the bottom.