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 Air Conditioning & Heat Pump Air Handler Cooling Coil Blockage
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Cooling coil blockage by debris, damage, or ice - diagnosis & repair: this air conditioning repair article discusses the problem of dirt or debris blockage of the air conditioning system's cooling coil or evaporator coil in an air conditioning system air handler,
how the dirt gets there, what problems it causes, how to clean a cooling coil (or evaporator coil), and how to prevent future dirt on the coil.
Green links show where you are. © Copyright 2013 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Author Daniel Friedman.
Blocked Cooling Coil: Air Conditioner Evaporator Coil Blocked by Debris
 This photograph shows how easily debris can stick to and clog the inlet side of the cooling coil in an air conditioning system. This evaporator coil was nearly totally blocked with dust and debris.
How does this happen?
There was no air filter installed in the system. Ordinary house dust is comprised largely of fabric fibers and skin cells.
These and other debris in building dust such as soot and organic particles like pollen and mold spores all join to form a gray mat on the
fins of the cooling coil in an air handler.
Debris sticks particularly quickly to this surface because of the combination of close spacing of the cooling fins (about 1/16" apart) and the fact that condensate forming on the coil keeps the surface damp. |
For A/C or heat pump cooling coil blockage problems, also see DIRTY COIL CLEANING PROCEDURES and FROST BUILD-UP on AIR CONDITIONER COILS . If your air conditioning or heat pump system has lost its cooling capacity or won't start see REPAIR GUIDE for AIR CONDITIONERS. See How to determine the cooling capacity of air conditioning equipment if the system seems to be working but is inadequate to cool your building.
Here is a close up photograph showing how fibers in building dust readily cross the blades of the cooling coil and how the fibers themselves then collect smaller particles to rapidly block air flow across the coil. The same principles that make an air filter work can also clog the cooling coil of an air conditioning system.
As a cooling coil (or evaporator coil) in an air conditioner becomes blocked with dust and debris the air flow across the coil is reduced.
This reduced air flow (in cubic feet per minute or CFM)
across the coil means that the cooling capability of the whole air conditioning system is reduced.
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How do we clean a dirty air conditioner or heat pump cooling coil or evaporator coil? See DIRTY COIL CLEANING PROCEDURES.
What Else Causes a Blocked Air Conditioning Evaporator Coil or Reduced Air-flow Across the Coil?
Dirty air filter: can be mistaken for a blocked cooling coil. Always check your air filter first. Replace it if it's clogged and dirty and check the filter regularly. See AIR HANDLER / BLOWER UNITS
Air Conditioner Evaporator Coil Frost or Ice Formation: When the coil becomes sufficiently blocked with debris as to slow down the air flow enough, the coil may actually become so cold that the condensate forming
on its surface freezes, completely blocking the coil.
That's because the rate of release of refrigerant into the evaporator coil was designed with an assumption of a sufficient volume of air moving across the coil to keep it from becoming too cold.
When the surface temperature of an air conditioning
cooling coil drops below 32 degF or 0 degC, condensate forming on the coil surface begins to freeze, leading to sometimes some pretty weird behavior of the cooling system as we discuss at FROST BUILD-UP on AIR CONDITIONER COILS where we explain that there can be more than one reason that a cooling coil ices-up but none of those conditions is desirable.
Damaged air conditioner coil fins: can occur on both the evaporator (cooling) coil and the outside condensing coil. See CONDENSING COIL REPAIR REPLACE for discussion of repairing bent or damaged coil fins. Only in extreme cases will fin damage be so severe that air flow across the cooling coil is severely blocked - enough to cause loss of function or coil icing.
Dirty air handler blower fan: see AIR HANDLER / BLOWER UNITS and its section titled DIRTY A/C BLOWERS This article describes the very significant reduction in airflow across a cooling coil that can occur if the squirrel cage fan blades are dirty on the blower fan in the air handler. A dirty blower fan can be the cause of reduced airflow across the cooling coil and can even lead to coil icing.
Air leaks or unnoticed duct openings: in the duct system can interfere with proper airflow through the duct system, reducing air delivery into the building, and can be mistaken for a blocked or dirty cooling coil. Details are at DUCT SYSTEM & DUCT DEFECTS.
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Technical Reviewers & References
Related Topics, found near the top of this page suggest articles closely related to this one.
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- Mark Cramer Inspection Services Mark Cramer, Tampa Florida, Mr. Cramer is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors and is a Florida home inspector and home inspection educator. Mr. Cramer serves on the ASHI Home Inspection Standards. Contact Mark Cramer at: 727-595-4211 mark@BestTampaInspector.com
- John Cranor is an ASHI member and a home inspector (The House Whisperer) is located in Glen Allen, VA 23060. He is also a contributor to InspectApedia.com in several technical areas such as plumbing and appliances (dryer vents). Contact Mr. Cranor at 804-747-7747 or by Email: johncranor@verizon.net
 Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd., 120 Carlton Street Suite 407, Toronto ON M5A 4K2. (416) 964-9415 1-800-268-7070 info@carsondunlop.com. The firm provides professional home inspection services & home inspection education & publications. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors. Thanks to Alan Carson and Bob Dunlop, for permission for InspectAPedia to use text excerpts from The Home Reference Book & illustrations from The Illustrated Home. Carson Dunlop Associates' provides:
- Commercial Building Inspection Courses - protocol ASTM Standard E 2018-08 for Property Condition Assessments
- Home Inspection Education Courses including home study & live classes at eleven colleges & universities.
- Home Inspection Education Home Study Courses - ASHI@Home Training 10-course program.
Special Offer: Carson Dunlop Associates offers InspectAPedia readers in the U.S.A. a 5% discount on these courses: Enter INSPECTAHITP in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.
- The Home Reference Book, a reference & inspection report product for building owners & inspectors.
Special Offer: For a 10% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference Book purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.
- The Home Reference eBook, an electronic version for PCs, the iPad, iPhone, & Android smart phones.
Special Offer: For a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference eBook purchased as a single order. Enter inspectaehrb in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.
- The Illustrated Home illustrates construction details and building components, a reference for owners & inspectors.
Special Offer: For a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Illustrated Home purchased as a single order Enter INSPECTAILL in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.
- The Horizon Software System manages business operations,scheduling, & inspection report writing using Carson Dunlop's knowledge base & color images. The Horizon system runs on always-available cloud-based software for office computers, laptops, tablets, iPad, Android, & other smartphones.
- Carson Dunlop, Associates, Toronto, have provided us with (and we recommend) Carson Dunlop Weldon & Associates' Technical Reference Guide to manufacturer's model and serial number information for heating and cooling equipment
Special Offer: Carson Dunlop Associates offers InspectAPedia readers in the U.S.A. a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Technical Reference Guide purchased as a single order. Just enter INSPECTATRG in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.
- Modern Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, A. D. Althouse, C.H. Turnquist, A. Bracciano, Goodheart-Willcox Co., 1982
- Principles of Refrigeration, R. Warren Marsh, C. Thomas Olivo, Delmar Publishers, 1979
- "Air Conditioning & Refrigeration I & II", BOCES Education, Warren Hilliard (instructor), Poughkeepsie, New York, May - July 1982, [classroom notes from air conditioning and refrigeration maintenance and repair course attended by the website author]
- Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technology, 5th Ed., William C. Whitman, William M. Johnson, John Tomczyk, Cengage Learning, 2005, ISBN 1401837654, 9781401837655 1324 pages
- Wikipedia provided background information about the definition of HEPA and airborne particle interception.
Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
 The Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 25th Ed., 2012, is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume. Special Offer: For a 10% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference Book purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.
Or choose the The Home Reference eBook for PCs, Macs, Kindle, iPad, iPhone, or Android Smart Phones. Special Offer: For a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference eBook purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAEHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.
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