The leaves are now changing in color and providing a bright splash of color to our lawns and lives – indicating that the fall season is now upon us. While this is often a highly anticipated and exciting time of the year, those falling leaves have the ability to negatively impact your air and heating unit.
In this brief guide, you will learn just how leaves result in so much damage to your HVAC unit and will be given a couple of tips on how to keep them out of your system.
Why You Need to Keep Leaves Out of Your AC Unit
Your HVAC system has an outdoor cabinet. This houses the compressor and the condenser coil of the unit. These two components work by expelling the heat that is collected from the inside of the home. There is a fan in the outdoor cabinet that draws in the cool air from inside of the cabinet. It then pushes hot air through the top.
If leaves fall inside of your system, they will collect on the sides and the bottom of the cabinet. When this happens, the airflow will be cut off. This could result in a severe blockage that can negatively impact the overall functionality and the efficiency of your HVAC system.
In addition to blocking the airflow of your unit, when leaves enter into the cabinet of your unit, they can become lodged on the fan, compression, condenser coil, and other areas inside of your unit.
Leaves act like sponges and hold a large amount of moisture. This could actually damage the insides of your unit. It can also make the area more susceptible to the development of mold and mildew within the HVAC system. Both mold and mildew can destroy the insides of your unit, the duct work, and even get transferred into your home – which detrimentally impacts the interior air quality and possibly even your health.
Protecting Your HVAC System from Fallen Foliage
While fall leaves are gorgeous, they can result in devastation to your air and heating unit. It is imperative that you take the steps that are necessary to protect your unit.
First, you should rake the area around your unit regularly and have the inside of the system cleaned by a professional HVAC technician on a regular basis to ensure that no leaves become lodged or trapped within the unit.
Next, you should take steps to make sure that all limbs are cut from around your air and heating unit. This will help ensure that no leaves are permitted to fall within the system to begin with.
When your unit is not in use, you can use a protective cover to prevent leaves from finding their way into your air and heating system.
If you are in need of fall HVAC maintenance or need leaves removed from your system, we are here to help. For service in the Lithia Springs area, just give us a call today to set up an appointment and we will ensure that your unit is fully ready for the upcoming cooler months: 770-766-9212