An important air conditioning system service you may need is to have the evaporator coil cleaned. If you have annual maintenance done, the AC technician can clean it then if needed, but if you skip annual maintenance, you may need to call an air conditioning repair service to do it later when your AC starts to malfunction.
One serious problem that can arise due to a dirty coil is ice on the coil. This interferes with how well the refrigerant cools your home and it might also cause your AC to shut down. Here's how an air conditioning service might handle this problem.
Thaw The Coil
The technician won't be able to do much with ice on the coil or refrigerant lines, so the first step is to shut the AC down and run the fan so the ice will melt faster. While the ice is melting, the technician might check the refrigerant in your AC system since low refrigerant can also cause ice to form on the refrigerant coils. If the refrigerant is full, the problem is likely to be one or more dirty coils.
Since the evaporator coil makes condensation, it can get dust wet that's on the coil and create a grimy coating that causes ice to form. For that reason, the technician may check the evaporator coil first once it has thawed. The evaporator coil may be the only part with ice, or ice could be on the condenser coil or the copper refrigerant lines.
Scrub The Coil
An air conditioning technician has cleaning foam and chemicals they can use to clean all the grime off of the coil. They may need to scrub the coil too, while being careful not to cause any damage. The evaporator coil is a difficult part to remove, so the technician will probably clean it in place if possible. They may need to let the foam sit on the coil and work for a few minutes and let it drip into the pan as it falls off.
Check The Condensation Pan
Condensation from the coil drips into the pan. If the drain from the pan is blocked, the pain may not be draining properly and that might affect the coil. If there seems to be too much water in the pan, the technician may check the drain and clear it of clogs so the pan empties freely. It should be easy to tell if the pan drain is clogged after all the ice melting and falling into the pan. If the pan is full, the technician should check and fix the problem so water doesn't spill over on the floor and cause water damage.
Once the evaporator coil is clean, the technician can start the AC again and make sure the air coming out is cool. Since the coil is clean, you shouldn't need to worry about ice forming again.
Contact a local air conditioning service to learn more.
Share17 July 2023
Hello, my name is Betsy Jin. Welcome to my site about HVAC contractor services. When my air conditioning unit started pushing out hot air last summer, I knew I was in for a miserable couple of weeks. Luckily, I was able to call a HVAC contactor and have her come to my home to check out the problem. My contractor quickly identified and fixed the problem using brand new components. I want to help others know just when to call for professional help for their HVAC equipment. My site will cover all of the different repair options used to keep these intricate systems operating efficiently. Thank you for visiting my site.