“Surprisingly, we found that dirty air conditioner condensers often perform better than clean ones. The change in condenser coil heat transfer performance ranged from a 7 percent increase to a 7 percent decrease for the coils we tested. The average change was … none at all.
The coil that registered a 7 percent improvement after getting cleaned up looked quite dirty, with 7 grams of dirt per square foot of coil surface area. But the coil that performed 7 percent worse was even dirtier, with 17 grams of dirt per square foot. It was so filthy, in fact, that it was nearly impossible to see the metal fins before we gave it a wash. Most of the condenser coils we tested in the lab were cleaner than both of those.”
Read about this study here.
This is certainly an eye-opener for those who have always been taught to clean their condenser coils. The fact that these tests show that the effectiveness of a dirty vs. clean condenser is negligible is quite intriguing. It doesn’t also consider the appearance of the air conditioner. You wouldn’t want an eyesore, especially if it is in view of the public.
If your air conditioner needs more TLC than just a cleaning, call Apple Valley Eagan Appliance at 952-953-0080. You can also visit our air conditioner repair page for more information on our services.
