Does your heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system seem to lag in the efficiency department lately? If you run the system for extended hours just to heat or cool your house, you may want to get it inspected to find out if cleaning it will solve the problem. Find out below how dirt can affect the cooling and heating aspect of an HVAC system.

How Does Dirt Interfere with HVAC System Cooling?

It is important for you to know how an HVAC system works to cool your home before you will understand why dirt is a problem. Basically, cooling warm air takes place in the evaporator coil. When the air conditioner is running, a coolant is transformed into a gas that makes the evaporator coil cold. As warm air passes through the system, it touches the metal of the coil and becomes cold.

Dirt can prevent warm air from cooling down in the evaporator coil. When the dirt accumulates on the metal, it becomes like an insulator to keep the air warm. If you have never had the coil cleaned, it is probable that there is a lot of dirt on it that is causing insufficient cooling.

How Does Dirt Interfere with HVAC System Heating?

Heat is produced primarily by way of the HVAC system furnace. If you have a gas furnace, a gas valve releases gas into a burner to ignite a flame. The flame can be seen in the pilot area, and it must be present at all times when you are trying to heat your home. If there is dirt on the pilot, it can create a blockage for the flame. The burner may also malfunction if there is an accumulation of dirt on it.

The heat pump to the system can also malfunction and cause heating inefficiency if it is dirty. The pump takes cold air out of your house and brings in warm out from outside, but an auxiliary heater may kick in if the weather is cold. Keep in mind that the heat pump also plays a slight role in cooling, as it can bring in cool air in exchange for interior warm air.

An inefficient HVAC system can leave you with the burden of spending a lot of money on heating and cooling your home. Talk to a contractor about inspecting the HVAC system to find out if cleaning it is necessary for more efficiency! Click here for more info on HVAC systems.