For your home air conditioner to provide peak performance, it needs to be clean. Dust and dirt in your A/C system reduces airflow and electrical current, hurting system efficiency and hindering performance.

High winds in Colorado and Wyoming stir up plenty of dust in the air, which can make its way into our air conditioning systems through leaks in ductwork, around air filters and even through the grilles and vents in our forced-air systems.

While your A/C system can handle a little debris without reducing its efficiency, excess dust makes your system work harder to provide the same level of cooling. Among components of your air conditioning system that suffer as a result of dusty buildup:

• The air-handling unit inside your home. While regularly changing your air filter helps greatly, sometimes dust gets past the filter, where it may end up on the evaporator coils. Dirty coils work less efficiently.
• The condenser, the unit sitting outside your house. Dust and dirt trapped there can reduce the transfer of heat from the condenser into the air outside. Again, this reduces the efficiency of the overall system.
• The electrical control box, especially the one that’s integral to the condenser unit. Left unchecked, dirt here can cause an electrical short, bringing your air conditioning to a halt. Even before a system shutdown, reduced flow of electrical current reduces system performance and efficiency.

To prevent the buildup of dust in your air conditioner, have your air conditioning system serviced and cleaned on an annual basis. Technicians can get into your system and clean the dust and dirt out of these areas, ensuring that your system is working at its best.

To get started on a regular preventive maintenance plan for your Wyoming or Colorado home, contact the professionals at the Rheem Pro Partner. We’re always glad to help.

A/C maintenance image via Shutterstock