Cottonwood trees can be beautiful but their fluffy white fuzz can also be a nuisance. When it comes to your air conditioning unit, that fuzz can be damaging. Cottonwood seed tufts are notorious for getting pulled into the air conditioners and clogging them. In addition to the cottonwood issue, the recent storms have caused a lot of air born debris to enter and clog the air conditioners. Overland Park Heating and Cooling has received a significant number of “no cool” calls that are the result of units clogged with cottonwood and other debris.

Your air conditioner condenser works by sucking outdoor air, along with other debris, into the center of the unit and then expelling it back out through the top. When too many cottonwood seeds get pulled into your condenser, the air flow required to condense the refrigerant is slowed down, preventing your air conditioner from expelling the heated air from the condenser, thus making your cooling capacity diminished. This requires your condenser to work harder, which uses more electricity and wears out your unit faster. In some cases, your air conditioner may not be able to cycle off, which could affect your condenser performance and reliability- even requiring a costly condenser replacement.

In the event you don’t see cottonwood fuzz on the outside of your unit, the inside could still be completely covered and clogged. If you have cottonwood trees in your area and suspect your air conditioner is clogged, call Overland Park Heating and Cooling and one of our technicians will come out and give your unit a professional cleaning. We will clean the condenser thoroughly, removing cottonwood seeds and any other debris that may have collected in it.

After your air conditioning unit has been professionally cleaned, you will want to keep up on the maintenance by having Overland Park Heating and Cooling include you on a call list when its time for the next air conditioning service.

Annual maintenance by Overland Park Heating and Cooling, includes a thorough cleaning of your unit, is one of the best ways to ensure your air conditioner is running efficiently and extend its longevity.