Care For Condenser Coils

Condenser coils get a lot of abuse thanks to their position on the outside of your house. Plants can encroach, the sun can heat them up, and dirt and grime can coat them. To put in perspective how important it is to take care of your coils, consider this: dirty coils can reduce your AC efficiency by up to 30%. Rather than pay too much to keep your home cool, you should take steps to keep your coils running properly. 

Keep Plants back

Condenser coils depend on airflow to cool the refrigerant running through them. If grass, weeds, bushes, flowers, or other plants grow up right next to or inside your coils, they can obstruct airflow. The less airflow you have, the longer it takes for your coils to do your their job. In order to keep your coils running at their optimal level, you need to make sure that you keep plants back at least a couple of feet back from your coils. So that you don't have to constantly trim plants as they encroach on your coils, you should lay down weed mat to prevent plants from growing too close. 

Sun Relief

Because condenser coils have to push the heat from your coils into the outside air, the hotter it is outside, the harder your coils have to work. Trees cool the air through a process called evapotranspiration. By creating a ready supply of relatively cool air, trees can help to reduce your cooling costs. To get the most value for your money, you need to make sure that you plant trees in such a way that they shade your coils and the yard around your coils. 

Cleaning Coils

As mentioned previously, dirty coils can reduce your AC efficiency by up to 30%. In order to keep your costs as low as possible, you should inspect your coils regularly, and clean them whenever you see that dust and grime is starting to build up on your coils. To clean your coils, spray them with a coil cleaner, wait to let the solvents in the cleaner do their thing, scrub the coils with a stiff bristle brush, then rinse your coils with a hose. 

Coils are an important part of your AC system. If you neglect your coils, you will pay for it with every utility bill. On the other hand, even homeowners who are not tool-savvy do-it-yourselfers should be able to do their own coils maintenance. 


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