Protecting Your Commercial HVAC System from Smoke and Soot Damage

According to the National Weather Service, New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, and the nation’s capital are expected to experience unhealthy air conditions throughout the weekend due to wildfire smoke. Unfortunately, this can lead to detrimental effects on the interior surfaces of your HVAC system, even if it’s not in use. Particulates such as smoke residue, ash, soot, and other contaminants can accumulate within the system.

Exposure to soot and smoke can pose risks to the performance, corrosion resistance, and overall health of your HVAC system. To assess the extent of the damage caused by fire and smoke, it is advisable to arrange a comprehensive inspection and evaluation by the experts at South Jersey Heating and Cooling. They can determine the necessary restoration measures and recommend services to optimize your system’s performance. In many cases, customers have found that a Coil Cleaning service is essential to remove accumulated soot and ash.

Clean coils play a crucial role in the efficient functioning of your air conditioning unit. The condenser coil, responsible for releasing excess heat from your commercial building to the outdoors, is particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of weather, dirt, soot, and other external factors. If your environment is affected by smoke and soot, the likelihood of dirty coils increases significantly. Extensive testing conducted in California during their wildfire seasons has shown that thousands of HVAC systems have failed during or shortly after exposure to smokey environments. Therefore, taking proactive measures is essential.

One immediate action you can take to maintain the health of your HVAC system during this challenging period is to ensure regular filter changes. Neglecting to change filters can exacerbate the effects of smoke and soot on your system. Keeping your filters clean can help prevent the accumulation of dirt and grime on the condenser coil, which can lead to compressor overheating and catastrophic failure within weeks of a soot/ash incident.

At South Jersey Heating and Cooling, we are dedicated to assisting you with any questions or concerns you may have regarding fire, smoke, or soot-damaged commercial HVAC systems. Feel free to reach out to us for help or guidance in reviewing potential damage and exploring suitable solutions.