Along with negatively impacting our indoor air quality, the dirty air conditioner was causing higher utility bills
Last summer, my whole family had especially severe issues with allergy symptoms. My husband, myself and my kids suffered from sore throats, congestion, itchy eyes, sneezing, coughing and headaches. We had difficulty sleeping at night and felt sluggish during the day. It took me a while to realize that our complaints worsened whenever we were inside the house. Since outdoor temperatures were consistently in the high eighties with excessive humidity, the air conditioner was operating just about non stop. When I started paying attention, I noticed that there was more dust and other particles circulating throughout the house. I was vacuuming and dusting a lot more than usual. Plus, there was a slight musty odor wafting from the air conditioner’s supply vents. I got suspicious that the cooling system was to blame for our health problems. I scheduled a repair from a local HVAC contractor as soon as possible. The technician removed the cabinet from the cooling unit and immediately found the source of the concerns. There was a significant build up of dust on every component. There was algae thriving in the condensate drain and a great deal of mold growing on the coil. Every time the air conditioner started up, it was spreading contaminants into our breathing air. Because the buildup of grime was blocking essential airflow, the cooling unit needed to run longer and more often than normal. Along with negatively impacting our indoor air quality, the dirty air conditioner was causing higher utility bills. The technician provided a thorough cleaning that made an immediate improvement.