If something is failing or going amiss with your HVAC unit, chances are, your HVAC unit is letting you know something is not quite right. However, most of the cues come in the form of sounds that many of us may overlook. If you hear your HVAC unit grinding, squealing, screeching or squeaking, it is letting you know it needs help. I was unaware of these cues and overlooked them. It ended up costing me a lot of money in repairs. I want to make sure that does not happen to other people, so I made this website. I hope you learn how to interpret the noises your HVAC unit is making so you can get it the repairs it needs before you incur a costly repair, or worse, permanently ruin your unit for good.
The evaporator is one part of an HVAC system that many homeowners know very little about. Not only do they not know what the evaporator does, they often don't even know where it is. It is helpful to know how an evaporator works, and how to best repair it, if only because it is such a central part of the system. Furthermore, evaporator problems can lead to other HVAC issues. That is, it can affect the efficiency and productivity both your heating and air conditioning appliances. This article explains how to best maintain your evaporator and the symptoms of a malfunctioning unit.
Where is the Evaporator?
Central HVAC system will usually have an evaporator connected to the air handler. This evaporator is in its own box, which is called the plenum. The plenum is basically where air passes through as it leaves the furnace and goes into the ducts. An evaporator is connected to the refrigerant lines, but it also helps to draw moisture out of the air. Having clean, filtered, and dry air is vital to the efficiency of your heating and air conditioning. So, just doing your job to make sure your evaporator is clean and free of ice buildup can contribute to the overall efficiency of it.
Working on Your Evaporator
First of all, it is easy to work on the evaporator without even shutting down the power to your air handler unit. All you really need to do is make sure that your actual heat or AC is not running while you are working on. If you open up the plenum, and evaporators are coated in ice, leave it open, turn the thermostat off, and wait for the ice to melt. Put a couple of rags into the base of the plenum so it will soak up the moisture.
If your plenum is not icy, but just dirty or dusty, you can clean it quite easily with a vacuum. You want to be careful when working around the evaporator because the copper tubes are quite thin and fragile. They can be easily bent, pinched, punctured, or broken. If you use the brush attachment to your house vacuum, it should be delicate enough. You don't really need to use any serious scrubbing clean devices, and you don't need any cleaning liquids. At most, a moist rag might be necessary to wipe any dirt off of the copper.
For more information, contact your local HVAC installation service.
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