Have you recently noticed your business’s energy usage and cost increase and unsure as to why? A key contributing factor may, in fact, be your building’s Air Conditioning system. As a business owner, it’s easy to forget and ignore problems you can’t visibility see until it’s too late.
This guide looks at why you should regularly clean your Air Conditioner coils and how it can save you money in the long-term, whilst extending your systems life cycle.
Commercial Air Conditioning systems are complex machines with many parts that require regular maintenance in order to perform efficiently. If you don’t regularly inspect and maintain your beloved AC units, there is a chance that your units coils are dirty and your HVAC system is suffering. Your coil is responsible for helping your heating system with heat exchange in the winter and helps your cooling system in the warm summer months.
HVAC experts estimate that if your air conditioner has dirty coils your unit could be consuming as much as 37% more energy than clean coils. This can have a dramatic impact on your energy bills, and your wallet, at the end of each month. On the contrary, air conditioner units with clean coils will run at optimal efficiency and can greatly increase your energy savings.
Steps to Cleaning Your AC Unit
Over the last few months, there is a good chance your Air Conditioning systems have collected and accumulated an array of dust, debris and bacteria. Over time with constant use, your AC unit’s filter will work hard in collecting this dirt and if left unchanged will become filthy which can result in reduced cooling and heating abilities as airflow efficiency is reduced. This is one of the main reasons why it is important to clean your Air Conditioning units to prevent overheating and excess energy consumption.
We first recommend to change and replace your AC units filter. This is easy to do and will require a replacement filter. This simple change will have considerable impacts on the health of your commercial air conditioning unit.
The next step is to locate, inspect and clean the Evaporator and Condenser coils of your AC unit. With all commercial air conditioning units, the external evaporator coil needs to be cleaned to perform efficiently. Failure to regularly clean and change your air filters can result in dirt building up on the evaporator coil which can lead to issues. Be sure to remove any debris you find such as leaves, twigs and dirt on the external casing.
When there is too much dirt and a build-up of debris on the evaporator coil it won’t transfer heat efficiently and can potentially lead to overheating issues or even a potential blowout. Therefore it is always better to maintain your Air conditioning units in advance to avoid a costly repair job or even having to purchase a new replacement AC unit.
While you can try changing your AC units filter and clean your own coils, it’s not best advised. The reason for this is there are health and safety procedures that must be followed, especially with larger commercial units that may not be easily accessible if they are wall or ceiling mounted. You have to turn off the system’s power and use an expert cleaning solution to clean the coils properly. You may need to remove foil tape to do this. You will also need to pour down a bleach solution into the drain pan and down the drain to keep it clean.
At ADK, we advise avoiding cleaning with soaps or detergents as these kinds of products can leave residues which can eventually clog the components of the evaporator coil. Instead, we advise using a commercial cleaning solution that won’t harm your unit. In this case, it is best advised to call in a trained professional HVAC engineer to help.
With all commercial and domestic air conditioning units, you may notice common tell-tale signs that there is something not right with your AC unit. For example, if you notice it doesn’t cool down well, making odd noises or it may be leaking then you should plan to have your system inspected. It is essential that coils, filters and vents are cleaned monthly and replaced every 3 months to ensure maximum efficiency of your AC units.
By having planned preventative maintenance (PPM) visits scheduled, our engineers can inspect and clean your AC units to ensure your systems are working as energy efficient as possible – saving you money in the long-term on breakdowns and repairs. It is well known that an efficiently working AC system will save you money on repair costs and lower your energy consumption by as much as 20%.
Effects of Dirty Air Conditioner Coils
We have summarised the effects a dirty evaporator coil and the problems commonly associated with them.
Higher Energy Bills: If left unchecked, a dirty evaporator coil means your unit is having to work harder to regulate your room temperature and may overheat as it tries to push out clean cool air. As a result, your unit requires more electricity consumption and this leads to higher costs.
Health Hazard: The quality of air pushed from an AC unit with dirty coils and filters can potentially cause a health hazard as overtime your unit becomes a source for bacteria and contaminations which are circulated throughout the room. This can be dangerous in the long-term to respiratory health when breathed in by staff and customers.
Higher Chance of Breakdowns: The evaporator coils are an important part of your AC unit and if left uncleaned, they may cause your AC unit to break down more frequently which can be costly over time, especially if it’s too late and beyond repair whereby a whole new unit is required.
Shortened Life Cycle: Evaporator coils can be repaired or replaced, however, the damaging effects of dirty coils impact the performance of other areas of the AC unit, often leading to a shorter life cycle of the overall system.
At ADK, planned preventative maintenance visits can be arranged with clients tailored to their personal requirements within a timescale to suit their business needs and budgets. Tailoring our works for minimal disruption to your schedule, we’ll ensure that your AC unit is maintained and that your cooling system is always working to the best of its capabilities, as efficiently as possible.
When problems occur with your AC system, you need to be able to rely on a company who can respond quickly to your breakdown, diagnose the problem and efficiently carry out repairs. If you have a broken commercial AC unit that needs a repair service, our expert team of engineers will be able to assist you.
For more information about our Air Conditioning services, please get in touch with us today or call 0208 831 8900 and we’ll be more than happy to help you with anything you need. Alternatively, you can contact us to request an engineer and site survey.