As a resident of Singapore, you certainly know the advantages of installing air conditioning systems in your domestic as well as office environments. The summer days in this beautiful city can make you look forward to the chilled and relaxing comfort of your air conditioned rooms. However, leakages in your aircon system can be both irksome and difficult to manage -making it important to call in your annual maintenance personnel, plumbing agents or other service providers.
As you wait for the leakage to stop, you often wonder whether dirty coils are responsible for aircon leaking. Well, the flow of air over the evaporator coils located indoors can be restricted due to the presence of dirty coils or air filters. This in turn leads to the formation of ice on the evaporator coils and leakage of water from the edge of the condensate drain pans located in your system.
Importance of cleaning aircon coils and filters
Air conditioning systems installed in most houses and offices in Singapore contain two sets of coils. One of them blows out the warm air while the other sucks in the cooler air from outside. These are also known as the outdoor or condenser coil and indoor or evaporator coil. These coils are made of thin aluminum fins or tubular copper.
The condenser and evaporator coils tend to collect dirt over a period of time.
Apart from bringing about a reduction in air flow, this debris also decreases the ability of the coils to absorb the heat and suction out warm air. It then becomes important to clean the region around these coils, remove all the accumulated dirt and allow adequate airflow around the coils and filters.
Dirty condensate drain lines also cause leakage
One of the other reasons for leaking air conditioning units is linked to the clogging of the condensate drain lines, which in turn causes the drain pan to leak water and overflow. Most leakages occur during the warmer months, when excessive usage of air conditioners leads to a greater amount of moisture being suctioned out from the rooms.
The moisture drips along the evaporator coil into the drain pan and leads to the growth of algae and other forms of debris—which then finds its way into the drain line. If not maintained properly, dirty coils and clogged lines lead to overflowing and leakage of the pan in the long run. This causes great discomfort during the peak seasons– when you really need the best levels of performance from your air cooling unit.
Why do air conditioners need professional maintenance?
Aircon leaking can be best avoided by cleaning the dirty coils before and after the cooling season. Apart from preventing any unwanted blockages and clogging of line, regular maintenance also leads to energy saving, reduction in electricity bills and greater cooling. Proper and regular maintenance of these coils is a must and they should be kept absolutely free from contamination and dust.
Apart from decreasing the longevity of the aircon system, dirty coils also lead to a dip in the performance and aircon leaking. The life of the air conditioning system can also be increased by changing the filters intermittently. It is therefore important to keep the coils cleaned by professionals– and on a regular basis.