The Purpose Of Air Conditioner Fins And The Maintenance They Need

Annual AC maintenance helps your AC stay energy-efficient so you save money on power bills. Preventative maintenance can also prevent breakdowns that leave you hot and sweaty in your home. An AC maintenance technician performs several duties during an annual service call. One you may not know about is fin maintenance. Here's a look at the purpose of the evaporator and condenser fins and how they're maintained.

Where The Fins Are Located And What They Do

A central AC has two sets of fins. One is on the condenser coils outside and the other is inside on the evaporator coils. The fins are thin strips of metal that run along the side of the coils, and they help with cooling and airflow. Air is pulled through the evaporator fins so the air can be cooled by the refrigerant lines and then blown through the ducts.

The fins on the condenser help heat escape so the refrigerant can cool back down before it circulates back to the evaporator. Both sets of fins play an important role in airflow through your air conditioning system.

What Kind Of Problems Can Develop With Fins

Since the fins are made of such thin metal, they can bend easily. This can be a problem if several fins get bent down, as this can block airflow and cause your AC to stop working optimally. Another problem with the fins is that they can get blocked with debris or dust and restrict airflow.

The condenser fins make up the outside of the condenser coils, and they face the outdoors. Grass clippings, leaves, and other outdoor debris can get caught in the fins and block air movement. While the evaporator coils are protected indoors, they can still accumulate a lot of dust that interferes with the flow of air.

How The Fins Are Maintained

The AC maintenance technician checks the fins during an annual service call. They look for dirt and debris stuck between the fins, and they also check for bent fins. The bent fins can be straightened out with a tool made for that purpose that fits between the fins and presses them back to their original position.

Dirty fins need to be cleaned. The condenser fins can be cleaned with a garden hose on a low setting so the water pressure doesn't bend the fins. The indoor fins can be cleaned out with the fin tool and a foam cleaning solution the maintenance technician uses to clean the coils.

Servicing the fins is important, but that's just one part of the AC maintenance technician's job. There are several more important parts in the AC that need to be cleaned and serviced too so your AC runs efficiently and keeps you cool all summer. For more information, reach out to a local HVAC company, like Laroc Refrigeration-Metal Division.