The importance of cleaning and maintaining your air conditioner

There’s nothing more important to good health than the food you eat, the water you drink and the air that you breathe. So, what if the air you’re breathing in on a day-to-day basis is contaminated? While it’s a horrifying scenario, it’s a lot common than you might think.

Every time you turn a mouldy air conditioner on, it’s spewing mould spores and bacteria into the air and your lungs. If you have a mouldy air conditioner, you are exposing yourself and the most vulnerable members of your family, friends, and colleagues to a raft of potentially serious, even deadly health problems. A mouldy air conditioner is a recipe for chronic illness and you need to fix it fast!

At Voltora we understand that nothing is more important than the health of your family, friends and colleagues which is why we recommend professional major service of your air conditioner at least every 12 months.

Regular Air Conditioner Maintenance Is Important as It Ensures Your Air Conditioning Unit Continues to Run Effectively and Efficiently

You would not expect your car to keep running reliably without its scheduled service and tune-up. You would not expect your body to perform at its best without committing to regular exercise and a balanced diet. Why should your air conditioner be any different?

Cleaning and maintaining your air conditioning unit may sound like an unnecessary and daunting task. After all, why fix something if it is not broken? Why bother cleaning it if it can keep your house cool, right? Wrong! Regular cleaning of your air conditioning unit brings about a lot of monetary and health benefits for you and your family.

1. Improved Air Conditioner Efficiency

Cleaning your air conditioner regularly allows it to perform more efficiently by reducing the stress and pressure, that dust and debris build-up usually put on your unit. When air filters get clogged and become dirty, the normal flow of air is impeded thus making your unit work harder than it should. In addition, when dust covers your evaporator coil, its ability to absorb heat is impaired, which further reduces efficiency and ability to cool your home.

2. Lower your Electricity Bills

In a normal household, air conditioners use a significantly large chunk of your monthly electrical consumption. On the same note, a dirty air conditioning unit consumes more power mainly because your unit is forced to work harder raising its operating costs. Such air conditioners in general use anywhere between 5%-25% more electricity. By cleaning your AC unit regularly, you can reduce your unit’s need to work harder and thus shave some dollars off your electricity bill.

3. Avoid Costly Future Air Conditioner Repairs and Replacement

Leaving air conditioners running in a dirty state will eventually lead to bigger problems or worse a complete failure of your unit. As your air conditioner unit gathers more dust and dirt, it will become more difficult to clean which may lead to costly replacement of parts. Additionally, all air conditioning units are prone to overheating as the evaporator coils are unable to dissipate heat effectively. These problems can be avoided by having your unit regularly cleaned by a professional air conditioning cleaning company such as Voltora Industries.

Furthermore, while in the process of cleaning your unit, an expert can detect and identify potential problems that your unit may encounter in the future. This will prevent more expensive repairs, or worse, having to replace your whole air conditioning unit. While it is true that it will cost you money to hire expert cleaners, it is still far cheaper than the costs of future repairs and replacement.

4. Better Indoor Air Quality

Your air conditioning unit does more than just cool your home; it also plays an important role in helping to keep the air circulating inside your home clean and healthy. A dirty unit provides a suitable breeding ground for mould, fungi, bacteria, and germs to thrive. Whenever you turn on your unit, these particles get blown into the room and contaminate the air, exposing you, your family, and friends to a variety of respiratory infection and trigger asthma attacks.

Keeping your air conditioning unit properly maintained and regularly cleaned provides a lot of benefits. Those listed above are just some of the main reasons why you should consider having a professional air conditioning company such as Voltora Industries to take a look and clean your air conditioning unit.

How often do I need to maintain and service my air – conditioning system?

The short answer is regularly. But in all honesty, it all depends on your level of usage. For example, in the summer it would be ideal to check the dust filters every month, but in the less extreme seasons when the air conditioner is being used less often, you may only need to check it once. For best results it is better to aim for at least once a year for a professional clean and service.

Major vs Minor service

Having a Voltora Industries Air Conditioning Major Service will safeguard you against the following:

Poor Indoor Air Quality
Old and poorly-maintained AC units have been shown as factors in many health conditions, including respiratory conditions and the spread of some diseases. The indoor unit of an air conditioning unit creates condensation all summer long when the air conditioning unit runs, and is a prime catalyst for mould and mildew growth. As the system lays dormant over winter, the mould can spread and grow and, if not cleaned properly, can create respiratory problems and what some people refer to as a ‘dirty sock odor.’ The barrel fan and motor also can become dust covered, which is a food source for mould to thrive.

Huge Power Bills
According to Energex & Ergon Energy, ensuring that your air conditioner filters and components are cleaned and properly maintained will ensure that the unit run as efficiently as possible and ensures that they are cheaper to run. Significant Power Savings are possible ensuring that the air conditioner is working correctly.

Denied Warranty Claims
Did you know that all Major Air Conditioner Manufactures place the responsibility on you as the consumer that annual and quarterly maintenance is conducted on the unit as per the recommendations in the owner’s manual for warranty to be valid. If this is not conducted and a product failure is found to be due to lack of service or cleaning, you will not be covered under your
warranty.

How do I clean my air conditioner?

Despite popular opinion air conditioning units do require more maintenance then just cleaning of the filters. Please read below for a breakdown of all parts of your unit that require regular maintenance and the potential consequences for not servicing your unit.

1. Filters

The number one maintenance task required is replacing or cleaning your air-conditioners filters (commonly referred to as Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning filters or HVAC filters for short). The HVAC filters used in your home’s heating and cooling system have an important job to do. They filter dust, pollen, pet dander, and other small particles out of the air that you and your family breathe. These particles are trapped in the filter to prevent them from being recirculated throughout your home. The higher the Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) rating, the more effective the filter will be.

What is MERV?

In the simplest terms, MERV measures how much matter passes through an air filter. MERV stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value. MERV ratings are on a scale of one to 20 depending on the minimum size of the particles a filter can be expected to capture:

– A filter with a MERV rating of one to four captures particles greater than 10 micrometers. This includes bugs, dust mites, and household debris. Most window air conditioners fall within this range.

– A filter with a MERV rating of five to eight captures particles greater than three micrometers. This includes mold, pet dander, and aerosol sprays. This is the baseline for permanently installed residential air conditioners.

– A filter with a MERV rating of nine to 12 captures particles greater than one micrometer. This includes most dust and common pollutants. Hospital laboratories and superior residential air conditioners fall within this range.

– A filter with a MERV rating of 13 to 16 captures particles greater than 0.3 micrometers. This includes bacteria, droplets from sneezing, smoke, and most other sources of pollution. This level of filtration is used in patient and surgery areas of hospitals.

A filter with a MERV rating of 17 to 20 captures virtually all particles. This includes viruses and the finest particles of smoke, dust, and other debris. This level of filtration is typically only used in clean rooms for the manufacture of electronics or scientific experiments.

What Level of Filtration is Needed?

As seen above, for a permanently installed residential air conditioner, the range is between five and twelve, which can seem rather large. In actuality, HVAC experts often state that there is generally little noticeable difference once the MERV rating is greater than seven.

One factor that may change this is allergies or other health concerns. In that case, a filter capable of removing allergens would be desired and an HVAC expert should be consulted to determine the appropriate level of filtration to help allergies and be appropriate for your system.

Modern construction may also create a need for increased filtration. This is because better insulation and airtight construction reduces air circulation. Although this decreases leaks and therefore utility bills, it also means that fresh outdoor air is not coming into the home and indoor pollutants from cooking, cleaning, and other causes can build up. The air conditioner filter may be the home’s only filtration or ventilation system and, in that case, a higher rated filter will probably be desired.

What Are the Different Types of HVAC Filters?

The HVAC filters used in your home’s heating and cooling system have an important job to do. They filter dust, pollen, pet hair, and other small particles out of the air that you and your family breathe. These particles are trapped in the filter to prevent them from being recirculated throughout your home. The higher the MERV rating, the more effective the filter will be.

Fiberglass Air Filters

Fiberglass air filters are disposable and the least expensive type of filter. They do cause less strain on HVAC systems when drawing in air and keep large particles out of your system. However, they do not do such a great job of keeping out dust and other smaller contaminant particles. If you or members of your family suffer from allergies or have respiratory problems, this type of filter may not be powerful enough to help relieve or prevent respiratory problems. It will typically have a MERV 4 rating.

Pleated Air Filters

Pleated air filters are made of cotton or polyester folds. They are slightly more expensive than fiberglass filters, but they are more effective with filtering dust and other small particles like pollen, mold spores, and pet dander. Those with more pleats provide better filtering and help prevent dust and other particulates from being recirculated in the air. MERV ratings for these filters typically run between 5 to 8.

HEPA Filters

If you or your family have allergies or other respiratory problems, high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters are recommended. While they are more expensive than fiberglass or pleated air filters, they are the most effective at screening up to 99.97% of dust, pollen, mold, pet dander, viruses, bacteria, and other irritants out of the air. Look for filters that are rated MERV 11 or higher. However, please be aware that the higher the MERV, the more difficult it is for your HVAC system to pull in air. You should check with us to see what MERV is best for your system.

UV Filters

UV filters are used in air cleaners that may be built into your HVAC system. Using ultraviolet light, these filters kill viruses, bacteria, and other microorganisms in the air that passes through them. However, they are not so efficient at removing dust and other contaminants, but they are great if you have concerns over indoor air quality that an air cleaner can address.

Filters also play an important part in keeping your system free from larger particles that could damage it. Therefore, you want to make sure that you are always using the right type of filter and change it when it is dirty. By having dirty filters, especially where a filter becomes blocked or clogged as this can severely impact the unit. Dirty filters block the standard air flow causing your unit to work harder than its supposed to, this is also where you can see an increase in power consumption. By replacing or cleaning these filters, your power consumption can reduce by 5-25%.

Do I clean or replace my filters?
This question does depend on which unit you have as filters are available in a mixture of types which all have different efficiencies. Some types of filters can be reusable and therefore can be cleaned regularly while other filters are disposable and as such will need to be replaced.

How often should I clean my filters?
Here at Voltora Industries we recommend cleaning your air conditioner filter’s every 6 weeks during peak cooling seasons, and then 3 monthly during the remainder of the year, however this all does depend on your needs and your home. For example, if you have pets or run your air con constantly, we recommend cleaning these more frequently. If you barely use the system and the unit is in a clean environment, you may not need to clean them as often.

2. Condensation Drains

The condensation drains on your air conditioner can become clogged, if you air conditioner is blocked or clogged the unit will stop reducing the humidity, and in our Brisbane weather reducing humidity is a key factor when we shop for suitable air conditioners for our home. Drains that are not functioning efficiently can cause some severe damage you your walls and carpets.

How can my drain become blocked?
There are many different reasons as to why your aircon drains become blocked this include but are not limited to: Ants, Wasps, Large Bugs, quality of the air con and drains, age of the system, and unsatisfactory installation.

What should you do if your drain is clogged?
If you see that your drains are blocked, or even notice water dripping from your indoor head unit, please seek professional help as trying to fix this issue yourself could cause more damage. Here at Voltora Industries we can help you clear out your drains and get your system up and running to the highest standard again.

3. Coils

Both your Air Conditioners Evaporator and Condenser Coils can collect dust and debris, this can cause your Air Conditioner to reduce not only the amount of airflow but also the standard and this Is where you could get stale smelling air blowing into the house. Another big point is damaged, or dirty coils can reduce your Units ability to absorb heat, this means your home/ room will take longer to cool to desired temperature and will use significantly more power.

What do I do?
We recommend looking over your coils to ensure the condition is satisfactory at least once per year. However, if your outdoor unit Is placed in a dusty area, a garden or in any position where your mower may flick debris towards the unit, we recommend checking your coils every 6 months.

How do I fix a dirty/ damaged coil?
Voltora Industries Specialist suggest you seek professional advice/ services to fix your coils, trying to fix these coils your self can cause further damage to your unit.

4. Yearly Maintenance Check and Service

Our Voltora Industries Specialists recommend a full service yearly, we recommend booking this in during the winter season to prepare for the peak cooling season. Your yearly service should be done by a seasoned professional. Your yearly service should include:

– Full Hydro Cell Bag System Clean.
– Clean filters in front of fan coil.
– Clean fan coil at head unit.
– Flush drain and check operation.
– Check electrical connections.
– Check airflow from head unit.
– Check refrigerant gas pressure at compressor.
– Remove any obstructions from outdoor unit.

Contact us today!

For the past 5 years, Voltora Industries has been at the core of providing superior commercial and residential air conditioning services. With over 1000 air conditioners serviced to date, our list of happy clients continues to grow by the numbers each day. Affordability and quality are what make us the best air conditioning company in the Northside and Southside area of Brisbane.

If you are considering getting your air conditioner professionally serviced, our skilled tradesmen are experienced in both minor and major service. Our solutions are tailor-made to suit the respective individual and their needs. Our team of tradesmen are able to visit your property, assess and give you the best advice suitable to you. We also offer expert advice on best market practices on how best to keep your air conditioner in good working condition.

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