How dirty evaporator coils can affect an air conditioner

Not many people are in the habit of inspection whether their air conditioners are in good shape or not. This is because most units are usually installed in inaccessible spots, which can only be accessed by technicians. However, if the air conditioning unit is in an accessible area, a person should take time to inspect the evaporator coils. Typically, an evaporator coil is a long tube, which is usually coiled and covered with metal fins on the exterior. For a person who has not had his or her air conditioning unit cleaned, it is usually a nasty site, particularly if a person now understands that the air conditioning unit affects the air he or she breathes.

Apart from the fact that a dirty air conditioner cannot effectively cool a place, dirty coils usually come with other disadvantages which include:

• Increased energy bills – when the AHU coils are not clean, the air conditioning unit is forced to work harder and to operate for longer hours for it to cool a place. As a result, the air conditioner uses a lot of energy, which translates to high energy bills. However, the energy bills can be reduced through regular cleaning of the air conditioning coil.
• Regular breakdowns – if an air conditioning system runs for long hours and works harder to cool an area, the AC system is usually strained, which causes its parts to wear out more quickly, and this can lead to a complete breakdown if it is unchecked.
• Shorter air conditioning system life – if the coils of an air conditioning unit are not cleaned regularly, the increased wear shortens the air conditioner's expected lifespan. A person can be forced to replace his or her air conditioner sooner than they expected.

How can someone know that the AC coil needs to be cleaned?

The answer to this is relative. But, in general, a person should clean the air conditioning coil at least two times per year, and this should be part of the regular maintenances. However, there are other factors which might force someone to clean his or her air conditioning coil frequently. These factors include:

• The condition and age of the air conditioner – old air conditioners are susceptible to collecting dirt faster.
• How the person uses the air conditioner – for how long does the air conditioner run per day and how many people occupy the area where it cools? If the air conditioner runs for long hours and the area is occupied by many people, then it will accumulate dirt more often. As a result, the air conditioner coil will demand to be cleaned on a regular basis.
• The location of the air conditioner – is the air conditioner located close to the street level where pollution is higher? Is there construction activity going on close to the building which is emitting debris and dirt into the air? It the air conditioning unit close to exhausting fumes from factories and kitchens nearby? If that's the case, then the coil will require being cleaned more regularly. 

However never allow anyone without air conditioning experience to clean the AC coils since they are very sensitive, and can be damaged easily. Also, cleaning AC coils require specialized handling since there is a risk of electric shock and handling of possibly harmful chemicals.