It’s frustrating when your home AC is not cooling enough. Maybe you put off calling for repair because the unit is running — in fact, it may run constantly as it struggles to reach the set temperature. But the hot weather will be here before you know it. So it’s time to get to the bottom of the problem before you find that your air conditioner is not blowing cold air at all.
Loss of cooling power often means there’s a problem with your AC coils. Especially if the unit hasn’t been serviced and the coils haven’t been cleaned in a while, you can end up with AC coil corrosion.
Keep reading to learn what causes coil corrosion, how it damages your system, and what you can do to fix it now and prevent it in the future.
How coil corrosion leads to your home AC not cooling
Home air conditioning systems typically have an outdoor unit and an indoor unit (maybe more than one if it’s a big house). Both types of units have copper coils filled with refrigerant, and their job is to remove heat from the air inside and release it outside.
The coils can get corroded when certain types of contaminants collect on them over time. Formicary corrosion is caused by the presence of acids in the air, from things like cleaning products and other chemicals, while pitting corrosion is caused by moisture and certain detergents. In either case, the copper coils get damaged by contaminants in the air, eventually causing small holes to develop.
Here’s an example of what AC coil corrosion might look like.
In some cases, corrosion may not be visible to the untrained eye, because the holes can be very tiny.
When corroded coils start to develop holes, the refrigerant inside starts to slowly leak out. As the amount of refrigerant in the system decreases, your air conditioner gradually loses cooling power. Eventually you find your home AC not cooling at all.
Repairing AC coil corrosion damage
If a repair technician determines that you have corroded coils, fixing the problem depends on the extent of the corrosion and how much damage it has caused.
If the damage is limited to a few small holes, it may be possible for the technician to find and repair the holes and stop the refrigerant leaks. This is the best possible scenario.
However, if your system has lost significant cooling power, it’s more likely that there’s extensive damage to the coils. In that case, you’re looking at replacing the entire coil. Because that can be an expensive repair, your technician might recommend replacing the entire unit, especially if it’s on the older side.
Don’t wait until your home AC is not cooling: cleaning prevents coil corrosion
Coil corrosion is NOT an inevitable problem that happens as systems get older. It can be prevented entirely with an annual system inspection, maintenance, and coil cleaning. Periodic cleaning removes the grime and contaminants coating the outside of your AC unit’s coils that can cause corrosion, refrigerant leaks, and loss of cooling power.
IMPORTANT: This is not a DIY task that you should attempt yourself, because you can very easily damage the sensitive coil fins if you’re not an expert. A trained HVAC technician will clean your AC coils using approved cleaning agents, tools, and techniques.
If you haven’t had your air conditioning system inspected and tuned up in a while, we highly recommend doing it this spring to prevent problems with corroded coils, as well as a whole host of other problems. You’ll have no more worries about your AC not cooling the house.
The time is now: call Bruni & Campisi for an AC tune-up.
Bruni & Campisi makes it easy with our Gold Membership Plan that includes annual AC maintenance along with coil cleaning. With our 24/7 service, we’ll get it done at your convenience and you’ll be ready for the first hot day with AC that works great!
Learn more about our membership plans and schedule your maintenance appointment now!
Bruni & Campisi provides 24/7 emergency service, installation, and maintenance for plumbing, heating, air conditioning, and generators in Westchester, Fairfield, and Putnam Counties. We also offer sewer cleaning, and chimney cleaning. With our 40+ years of experience and training, you get the quality service you need.
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I had a great experience with Devonte! He was professional, friendly, knowledgeable, and made sure everything was taken care of properly. He did a great job and clearly cares about providing good customer service. I would definitely recommend Devonte to anyone needing air conditioning service!
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Mya Arii
Jayson, was knowledgable and fixed the aircon quickly. Our house was cooling in no time. Best guy out there! Thank you.
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fine incessant needles (fin)
On-time, courteous and professional service. We bought new heating and air conditioning units last year, and had a replacement toilet installed, and are VERY SATISFIED with the installation, operation training, and maintenance from Bruni and Campisi. Highly recommend them for HVAC and plumbing. Today's call was an annual maintenance check on the AC unit. Service Tech Nick was great!
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Craig W
Our A/C went down during a heat wave. They came out same day to give us a quote. They then came back that night with portable A/C units and replaced our whole system the following day. We worked with Steve, Marco, Daniel, and Yuri and they were all beyond friendly. The pricing was honest and fair too. Really happy with everything
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Anthony Chillemi
Mike provided Fast response, professional technician, fair pricing, and excellent customer service. My air conditioner is working perfectly. Highly recommend!
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H. Katherine Hilario
Jason was great! He was friendly, professional, and took the time to explain everything to me. He got my air conditioner running perfectly and made the whole process easy. Highly recommend!
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samantha power
We had a 220 outlet that was not working for the air conditioner. We contacted another person who said the line was missing which would’ve been complicated.. Marco, the electrician that came was very thorough and found the line tucked inside the panel and within a half hour everything was working!!! Honest and knowledgeable work. Will trust them for future work.
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Nan Quest
Russell R was able to diagnose a problem on our Mitsubishi Mini Split unit. The needed parts were ordered and he came back to do the repair. He’s definitely an asset to B&C and we would welcome him back for any service/repair. He goes the extra mile. The only down side was that it took several weeks for the parts to arrive. I’m not sure where the hang up occurred. Good thing the unit was able to limp along during this very humid weather.
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ANN BRUNS
Jason came over today to do my A/C maintenance. He was friendly and articulate, working with my lack of knowledge on HVAC. My vents were in some hard-to-reach places and he was able to replace them.
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Ben Margolis
Ariel and Yourri installed my mini splits. They were the best, hard working, no nonsense workers. I am extremely happy with the job they did. Now I’m enjoying a cool and quiet house!
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Claire Miko
Jason Rees could not have been more respectful, informative, and honest. He advise me on what needs to be done to my 15-year-old furnace. The he checked all my mini splits. explained and recommended what I need to do in the future I hope Jason will continually be the perso bruni and Campisi sends Thank you. AnnLadd
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Ann Ladd
Yesterday Fabricio did an electrical inspection and today Scott did a plumbing inspection on our 120 year old house. Today, Vinny came and evaluated our home for ductless air conditioning. I was impressed with the knowledge, thoroughness, friendliness and professionalism of all three guys. We've had good experiences with Bruni & Campisi and expect to continue using them and recommending them to others.
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Michael Lee Stallard
We use Bruni & Campisi for all our heating and cooling needs at our retail showroom. Always top notch, rapid service! Tech Jason R showed up on time today, was friendly and professional, and did a great job thoroughly cleaning and servicing our heating. Happy to say our heat is back up and running, and our space feels comfortable once again. Thank you!
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maureen fallon
Erica was a great technician. Very professional and knew what it need to the central unit. I was very satisfied with Eric's work. Eric explained to me the process to fix the condition of the A/C. Also introduced me to the member of Bruni & Campisi for anual maintenance check up. Five starts.
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David Franco
I have been using Bruni & Campisi Heating and air conditioning for many years. I’ve had a wonderful experiences when Caleb, the Bruni and Campisi technician is assigned. He has handled various projects and always is thorough, knowledgeable and gets the job done. I highly recommend him.
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JoAnne DeVito
