Preventing moisture damage from your air conditioner requires a little vigilance on your part. When your A/C runs a lot, it removes humidity from the air and sends it into a drain pan. A drain pipe takes it away and sends it outside. If something goes wrong, water can collect inside your home close to the evaporator coil inside the air handler. The damage can be serious for your home and can even have health consequences should mold start to grow. 

Use these tips to keep moisture damage from happening this summer:

• Have your air conditioner serviced. Inspecting the drain pipe and cleaning the drain pan is part of annual service. The pipe can fill with algae, plant debris and even small rodents or insects. Ask your HVAC technician to use an algaecide to treat your system that prevents blockages algae can cause.
• Consider a safety float switch for the drain pan, especially if you are gone for hours at a stretch. When too much water collects in the drain pan, it automatically shuts off your system, preventing moisture damage.
• Clean your evaporator coil inside the air handler or ask the HVAC technician to do it. These coils can be hard to access, depending on your system. The coil can freeze over if too much dust collects on it. Our climate is particularly humid and when the frost that forms on the coil melts, it can overwhelm the drain pan and pipe.
• Keep the air filter for the air handler clean. Obstructing the airflow through the air handler can also cause the evaporator coil to freeze over.
• Inspect the outdoor condenser during the cooling season. Keep landscaping away from it and hose it off occasionally with a mild spray to keep the coils cleaner. Shorter running times reduce the risk of frost forming indoors.

If you would like more information about preventing moisture damage related to your air conditioner this summer, contact Smoky Mountain Heating & Air.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about avoiding moisture damage and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Smoky Mountain Heating & Air services Asheville, North Carolina and the surrounding areas. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!          

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