Professional AC Coil Cleaning

Learn about the 4 steps required for truly effective air conditioner coil cleaning.

maintenance-300x267Have you been keeping up with your air conditioner maintenance? We’re talking about more than just changing or cleaning filters here. There are many other tasks required to keep your unit in safe and reliable operating condition. Perhaps the most important one from an energy savings and performance perspective is air conditioner coil cleaning.

Air conditioners create cooled air by taking advantage of the heat transfer through their evaporator and condenser coils. When these coils become dirty, the evaporation and condensation process becomes less efficient. This means the system has to work harder to produce cold air, taking more time and using more energy in the process. The increased wear and tear on the system can also make your air conditioner break down or fail sooner.

By having your air conditioner coils professionally cleaned as part of an air conditioner maintenance visit, you can improve the energy efficiency of the system by up to 16 percent, improve its longevity, and restore cool and comfortable air to your property.

4 Steps in Professional AC Coil Cleaning

Vacuuming: Using a two-speed vacuum that can both blow and suck, an AC maintenance tech can remove most of the dirt and dust that has settled on top of the coils. This method is a good first step, especially for those tight corners and other hard-to-reach spaces inside an indoor unit.

Pressure Washing: For dust and dirt that has become stuck to the coils in an outdoor unit and can’t be vacuumed off, a pressure washer will do the job. Now, you can’t just grab the same equipment you would use to blast clean your deck or siding, as too much water pressure could damage the delicate aluminum coil fins. It’s best to leave this task to a professional air conditioner maintenance technician who has specialized equipment that can keep water pressures below 140 psi.

Degreasing: If your coils are particularly dirty—perhaps with chemical residue from spilled or leaking coolant—you need to have some kind of cleansing agent to take care of it. Again, it’s best to leave this task to the pros since using the wrong cleaners could actually damage your coils. Your AC maintenance technician will have the right biodegradable, non-toxic foaming detergent for the job. This detergent can be added right to the pressure washing equipment for easy and thorough application.

Mold Prevention: The final step in your coil cleaning service should be some kind of measure to prevent mold or mildew from forming in the unit, as this could affect your indoor air quality. A mold inhibitor could be sprayed on the coils and/or a biocide tablet could be added to the drain pan for this purpose.

If you would like to schedule a maintenance visit—including but not limited to coil cleaning—please contact us today.