Arachnophobia, the fear of spiders, affects millions of people in the United States. Although most of these uninvited guests to our homes and workplaces do not harm humans, arachnophobia continues to be one of the most common fears in the U.S. However, you may be surprised by the damage that spiders can do to an important component of your home.
Today, Erik from Kilowatt discusses a hidden danger outside of your home—spiders damaging the outdoor condenser unit of your air conditioner. If you haven’t scheduled air conditioning maintenance yet this year, there’s a possibility that dirty components, low refrigerant, or even spiders are keeping your unit from running at peak performance and lowering its efficiency.
For one, any kind of dirt and dust in your outside unit can cause problems for your system. If all of the parts in your air conditioner are not working as well as they could, the AC has to run for longer periods of time, which means you’re actually paying more for air conditioning. If there is dirt and debris inside of your indoor condenser unit, it simply cannot perform at its best, and spider webs are a common way this may happen. During professional air conditioning maintenance, a technician will clean out any part of your unit that may be afflicted with webs and other blockages.
Another surprising problem that stems from spiders on your outside unit is electrical issues. A panel on your outdoor unit holds the contactors and wires that send an electrical charge to the motor and compressor of your unit. This is a common area for spiders to make a home and lay their eggs. But as webs buildup inside of this unit, they may interfere with the electrical connections. In fact, a buildup of spider webs can act as conduits, allowing power to move through the webs. This can cause problems with electrical components, tripping the breaker or affecting the circuit board.
Spiders in the condenser unit are just one of the many reasons to schedule air conditioning maintenance in Sherman Oaks. Call the maintenance experts at Kilowatt today!