Air handling units and the importance of cleaning to maintain efficiency
Climalife UK
HVAC systems will always accumulate dust, debris and bacteria and under normal conditions should be cleaned once or twice per year, not just for health reasons but also to maintain the maximum reliability and efficiency of the system.
A clean, well maintained system can help to preserve performance, energy efficiency, can prevent contamination, remove offensive odours and increase longevity of system life.
When it comes to air handling units, prevention is always better than a cure as repairs can become costly when left and units not working at their top efficiency can cost significantly more in energy bills.
Coil Cleaning
Coils should be cleaned within ventilation systems as the coil is in the direct air flow path on all ventilation systems. Therefore, it has a direct impact on the rate of air flow, efficiency of heat transfer and indoor air quality.
When coils are covered in dirt or debris it adds an extra layer between the air that is blowing over the coils and the refrigerant inside that absorbs and releases the heat. This layer of dirt acts like an insulator and makes heat transfer less effective. With poor heat transfer it decreases the efficiency of cooling cycles and can lead to units running hotter and longer but with the requirement to produce the same degree of cooling making them work much harder for the same target temperature.
Having units with dirty coils not only leads to higher energy bills, poorer air quality and system reliability can also be adversely affected. Even relatively low levels of deposition on the coils can cause the longer run times at increased pressures and temperatures decreasing system lifetime.
A powerful cleaning product such as Frionett® Coil Cleaner, from Climalife could be used for the degreasing of indoor unit coils.
Its cleaning and degreasing power unblocks the airflow by eliminating dust, debris grease and other pollutants. Unrestricted airflow is critical to optimise the operating temperature and cooling efficiency, reduce wear on the system and increase its lifespan.
Don’t forget the outdoor unit condenser coils!
Cleaning the air handling unit is important but ensuring the outdoor unit condenser coil is kept in good condition is also critical to optimum system efficiency and reliability. Reduction in air flow through the outdoor unit will rapidly cause the system to lose cooling performance and energy efficiency. Products such as Frionett® Condenser Cleaner are specially formulated to remove outdoor pollutants from the external units of air-conditioning and refrigeration systems and maintain system performance.
