The productivity and energy efficiency of your central AC depends on a number of factor. The efficiency of your condenser unit is one of the most central factors. If your condenser is not working properly, you will experience reduced airflow, higher electricity bills, and you will put more stress on your unit. Ultimately, investing a little time and money into maintaining your condenser will save you money in the long run. You can usually improve the productivity of your condenser by straightening the coil fins.This article explains what coil fins are and the best way to fix them.

Prepping Your Unit

First of all, you want to turn the power off to your condenser. Most condensers won't have a power switch, so you need to cut the power at the breaker panel. Then, you might need to remove the protective cage from your unit. Some units have metal cages with wide openings between the grates. On these units, removing the cage might be unnecessary. However, in most units, it will be impossible to fix all the fins with the cage on. Most cages can be removed quite easily. You just need to remove the screws at the mounting brackets on the bottom of the cage. Then, you can lift the cage up and off of the condenser. This lifting will probably require 2 people.

Straightening the Fins

The outside of the condenser unit is lined with sheets of aluminum. These sheets have fins with small gaps between them. Since the fins are so thin, they can get easily bent. Also, the space in between fins can get clogged with dirt. This will hugely impact the condenser's ability to transfer heat out of the house and away from the fan. If this heat transfer process is slowed down by bent or dirty fins, your system will be inefficient.

First, you want to straighten the fins with a fin comb. These are inexpensive and easy to use. Basically, it works like a hair comb. As you run it past bent fins, it will straighten them out and ensure that the gap between the fin tips is even. Once your fins are straight, you can clean them out too. This is easy to do. Just spray them down with a strong stream of water from your hose.

After it's all clean, you can replace the cage and power on your unit. Finally, you can start to enjoy your more efficient AC system.

If you feel you cannot do this on your own or you continue to have problems, talk with professionals such as those at North Georgia Equipment Heating and Air.