Your air conditioner is a complex system, with many different parts working together to keep your home cool. One of the most important parts of your system is the evaporator coil, without which the air conditioner would not be able to cool your home. If this coil is not taken care of, it can cause a complete system breakdown. Let’s take a closer look at how the evaporator coil in your AC works, and what happens if it isn’t cleaned.
What the Evaporator Coil Is
The evaporator coil is a part of an air conditioner that is designed to siphon heat from your home’s air through the evaporation of refrigerant. As the coil evaporates refrigerant, two things happen. First, the temperature around the evaporator coil drops as heat is adsorbed from it. Second, condensation forms on the coil as the air is cooled past the dew point. These are normally harmless side effects. However, if the coil is not cleaned on a consistent basis, it can cause problems.
Why You Need to Have Your Evaporator Coil Cleaned
Since the evaporator coil has air from your home being passed over it, the particles that air carries will become stuck to the coil by the condensate that forms during operation. If those particles are not cleaned off on a regular basis, they will eventually build up to the point where the coil cannot siphon heat as efficiently. If the buildup continues, the evaporator coil will eventually lose access to enough heat to keep from freezing over. If the ice is allowed to build up long enough, the weight can permanently warp the coil and spread to other parts of the system.
If you haven’t scheduled air conditioner maintenance in at least a year, call Roznovak’s Services. We provide air conditioner maintenance services throughout Austin, TX.
