Maintenance of air conditioning systems is essential. One of the most important tasks is regular cleaning. Air within the space that is being conditioned will pass through the system several times in one hour. Filters are in place to try and catch air-borne dust, dirt and pollutants. Clean air is desirable for occupants, it is also desirable for an air conditioning system. A clean system will be more efficient, provide more cooling and be less likely to breakdown. And it won’t smell like a blocked drain. The words and pictures that follow show how bad things can get. Fans in A/C units are powerful, when filters become blocked they bend and distort and then allow unfiltered air to bypass them and flow through the unit in anyway it can. Dirt inside the unit will collect on the fan, reduce its capacity and cause noise, vibration and premature failure. Dirt will also collect on the heat exchanger, reducing its capacity, turn mouldy and smell horrible.

Partly cleaned louvres on a ceiling mounted air conditioner

These filters were so jammed with dirt that some scraped off during removal.

Inside of the unit when the filters could no longer function.

The blobby shapes on these fan blades are mould growth.

Air cooling coils and fins from with dirt and mould

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