What are the Benefits of Condenser Coil Cleaning for HVAC Equipment?

In spite of people opting to sign up for service plans and heating and cooling contracts for their commercial buildings and homes, they tend to forget to check if their contract actually includes coil cleaning during a maintenance visit.

Why Do I Need to Opt for Coil Cleaning for my HVAC Equipment?

One of the easiest ways for home or building owners to ensure energy efficiency is to have the HVAC systems’ condenser and evaporator coils checked once every year and have them cleaned as deemed necessary.  Dirty coils compel compressors to run for a longer period of time and work harder than necessary to achieve required temperatures. This not only increases costs, but also escalates energy use while decreasing the life of the machine and the comfort levels for the occupants of the building.

Some more Facts:

• The Canadian Environment Assessment Agency found that dirty condenser and evaporator coils can result in a significant rise in the HVAC energy usage as well as the associated cost of utilities, it has been found that dirty condenser coils can result in escalated energy consumptions as high as 30%.

• Experts suggest that almost 50% of the energy consumption in Canadian homes is owed to heating and cooling. Specialists believe that significant energy is being wasted every year by households where the systems are forced to struggle with clogged, dirty coils.

• A dirty evaporator coil results in decreased airflow which further leads to reduced heat transfer and a consequent reduction in the dehumidification process. All of this cumulatively results in decline of air quality and system failures. Regular checks through HVAC service providers on the other hand help increase the life of the equipment and also help make significant savings with regards to energy and hydro bills.

How do the Coils Get Dirty in the First Place?

When your heating and ventilation system is running on a “cool” mode, heat is exchanged in the evaporator and condenser coils.  Here, foreign materials on the coils tend to act as insulators and hinder the free flow of air through the coils.  This further reduces the rate of heat transfer that takes place between the air and coil, which in fact, is the basis on which most HVAC systems function.

Once your system is effectively charged with a refrigerant and a good airflow is established across the interior coil, your home will require only a basic service such as the change of filters or the cleaning of the internal unit.  This would be done on an annual basis to make sure that the system works at its highest levels at all times.

Furthermore, getting a dirty unit serviced results in misguided diagnosis of a problem or unnecessary and costly repairs. Irrespective of the age of your HVAC units it is important that you regularly get your system cleaned. In fact, it has been found that newer and more efficient systems tend to benefit even more from consistent coil inspections and cleaning exercises.

SD ATLAS HVAC is a leading name in heating, air conditioning and ventilation maintenance, repair and service. Servicing regions of Vancouver, Richmond, Surrey, Langley and the entire Fraser Valley. For all of your commercial, retail and strata HVAC upgrades and maintenance requirements please email us at [email protected].