It’s not poor indoor air quality in and of itself that causes damage to your air conditioner, but rather what causes the poor indoor air quality to begin with: dirt, dust, allergens, and debris.
We know you do your best to keep dust and dirt out of your home—a clean home is a happy home! But one thing most homeowners don’t think about is the debris that exists within their air ducts and other interior components of their air conditioner.
Just because your air conditioner’s ductwork and other components are hidden from view doesn’t mean you don’t need to worry about its cleanliness or overall condition. Air conditioners are often one of the biggest investments people make in their homes, and something as simple as dirt and debris can cost them way more than they even realize.
Dirt and Dust in the Indoor Air Unit
The indoor parts of your air conditioner include a number of components such as the coil with refrigerant running through it, as well as an indoor blower fan that sucks in warm air from your living space. As that blower fan sucks in air, it also sucks in dust and debris.
Your air filter prevents most of it from getting in, but if this isn’t put in correctly or if it’s not changed often enough, debris can eventually make its way to the motor of the blower fan. Your HVAC technician will certainly check and clean this during your annual or biannual maintenance session, but you shouldn’t wait that long if you suspect your system is dirty.
More About the Air Filter
We mentioned your air filter—have you ever had an HVAC pro recommend you change this every 1–3 months? This is solid advice! It’s important for your health to have allergens and other debris filtered out. But this isn’t the main reason we recommend this—in fact that’s not even what the air filter is for.
A dirty air filter can prevent air from moving over the indoor coil of your air conditioner, meaning the system can’t work properly, can’t keep you comfortable, and will malfunction the longer the problem persists. Essentially, a clogged air filter prevents air from moving through the AC system as it should—which is a problem!
Dirt on the Outside Coil
The outdoor coil of your AC system is where heat is released from the refrigerant into the air around the unit. This is a key part of the process in bringing cool air into your home—by removing heat. So, if there is dirt caked up on the outside coil of the air conditioner, it can interfere with the entire cooling process. Heat will have problems dissipating into the air, which means the air conditioner can’t adequately cool your home.
Scheduling annual maintenance (or biannual, if you have a heat pump) with a professional HVAC technician will take care of all the above mentioned problems for you. But if it’s been a while since you’ve had professional maintenance done, or if you suspect something is amiss with the performance of your air conditioner, it’s never a bad idea to give us a call.
For professional air conditioning repair in San Ramon, CA, contact Comfy Heating & Air Conditioning Inc. today!