Can Dust and Dirt Cause Problems for My AC?

You don’t want dust and dirt to build up inside your home, so you don’t want it building up inside your air conditioner. However, where getting rid of too much dirt in your home can be as simple as using a broom, a cleaning cloth, and elbow grease, cleaning a dirty air conditioner is a more difficult job. When you’re looking to remedy trouble from a dust-clogged AC, contact the air conditioning repair experts at Ideal Services Heating & Cooling.

You can guess that dust and dirt are bad news for your air conditioning system. But what are some of the specific problems they can cause?

Here’s a list of troubles that a clean AC can help you avoid:

Iced-over coils: You might notice ice forming on the inside of your air conditioner along with the indoor evaporator coil. This can be a huge hindrance in getting effective cooling from your AC: the ice will prevent the evaporation that removes heat from your indoor air. The icing usually happens because of dirt on the coil, making it harder for the coil to absorb heat and warm up the refrigerant inside it.

Damaged air filters: The component of your AC that does the main work of keeping out dust and dirt is the air filter. If it becomes excessively clogged, pollutants can get inside the AC and threaten to damage the compressor, fans, and motors. Make sure to change the filter at least once a month during the cooling season. If dirt begins to get inside the unit, have professionals clean it.

Decreased energy efficiency: An air conditioner that has dust and dirt contaminating its parts will not work as efficiently. It may still reach its target temperature, but it will strain harder to do so. This can cause a jump in your electrical bills.

Keep in mind that cleaning a dirt-contaminated air conditioner isn’t like mopping the floor or wiping down windows: pulling open the AC cabinet and going to work with a spray bottle and paper towels won’t get the job done—and you might accidentally cause additional damage. This is a task you should leave to HVAC professionals, who will get your AC back to its peak ability.

If you have a dusty and dirty air conditioner, or if you want to schedule preventive maintenance to keep it from getting that way, contact Ideal Services Heating & Cooling today. We’ve provided air conditioning repair for over 20 years.