Evaporator coil repair in Birmingham, AL
The evaporator coil sits inside your air handler or on top of your furnace, out of sight until it freezes, leaks or starts to smell. We clean it, repair it or replace it with a coil that matches your outdoor unit.
Most evaporator coil problems are one of three things: a dirty coil choking airflow, a frozen coil from low airflow or charge, or a coil that has developed a refrigerant leak. Zeltman Heating & Air measures static pressure and temperature drop, inspects the coil face and drain pan, and tells you whether cleaning will do or replacement makes more sense.
Signs the evaporator coil is the problem
Ice on the indoor unit
Frost on the coil or the suction line at the air handler, or water pouring from a thawing cabinet, points to coil airflow or charge trouble.
Weak airflow from every vent
When every register blows weakly and the filter is clean, a matted coil face is often the restriction.
A musty, dirty sock smell
A sour odor when the system starts usually comes from biological growth on a wet coil and in the drain pan.
Water around the air handler
A clogged pan, a rusted pan or a coil sweating outside its cabinet can leave water in the closet or on the attic floor.
Cool but clammy rooms
A dirty or undersized coil can lower temperature without removing enough moisture, so the house feels damp at 76 degrees.
Refrigerant loss traced indoors
If a leak search keeps pointing to the air handler, the coil itself is the likely source.
What the indoor coil does, and how it fails
Your outdoor unit gets the attention, but the evaporator coil does the cooling. Warm house air crosses its cold fins, gives up heat and drops its moisture into the drain pan. In Birmingham's humidity, that coil can shed several gallons of water on a muggy day, so it stays wet for most of the summer.
A wet coil is a magnet for dust and pollen that slip past the filter. Over time that layer thickens into a mat across the coil face. Airflow drops, the coil gets colder than it should and ice starts to form. Musty odors often come from growth on the coil and in the pan.
Leaks are the other common failure. Copper coils can corrode into pinhole leaks after years of constant moisture, and aluminum coils sometimes crack where the tubes join. Once a coil leaks, repair is rarely practical. Replacement with a coil matched to your outdoor unit is usually the lasting fix.
Coil location shapes the job. A closet air handler is easy to open. A horizontal unit in a hot attic or a coil in a crawlspace takes more care, especially with ductwork attached on both sides. If the coil is part of a wider leak problem, our refrigerant leak repair page explains how we search.
How we clean, repair or replace an indoor coil
Thaw and diagnose
If the coil is frozen, we shut cooling off and run the fan to thaw it, then measure airflow, static pressure and charge.
Explain what we found
You hear whether the coil needs a cleaning, a drain pan fix or replacement, and what each option costs.
Clean in place when possible
We apply a cleaner made for coils, rinse it into the pan and clear the drain so loosened debris doesn't clog it.
Replace when it leaks
The old refrigerant is recovered, the matched coil is installed and sealed to the cabinet, and joints are brazed with nitrogen flowing.
Recheck performance
We pressure test, evacuate and charge as needed, then confirm temperature drop, drain flow and airflow.
What we inspect on an evaporator coil call
- Total external static pressure, and the pressure drop across the coil
- Coil face condition, viewed with a light and an inspection mirror
- Temperature drop across the coil and the humidity of the supply air
- Primary drain pan for rust, cracks and standing water
- Secondary pan and float switch on attic and crawlspace units
- Metering device, either a piston or an expansion valve, for restriction
- Electronic leak check along coil bends, headers and distributor tubes
- Blower wheel and filter, since both affect how fast a coil gets dirty
What evaporator coil repair costs in Birmingham
$215 to $2,940
An in-place coil cleaning with a drain flush usually runs $215 to $485. Replacing a leaking coil with a matched coil, refrigerant and testing typically runs $1,380 to $2,940. If the coil is still covered by the manufacturer parts warranty, the part cost may drop. We confirm the price with you before any cleaning or replacement begins.
Ask for a price (659) 777-4129What moves the number
- Clean or replace
- Cleaning costs a fraction of replacement. A coil that leaks or is badly corroded can't be cleaned back to health.
- Coil size and type
- Larger cased coils for upflow furnaces cost more than small slab coils.
- Refrigerant
- An R-22 coil replacement needs R-22 to recharge, which drives the price up sharply.
- Location
- A horizontal attic unit or a crawlspace coil takes longer to reach, open and reseal than a closet unit.
- Drain pan condition
- A rusted primary pan or a missing secondary pan adds parts and labor to the job.
Coil trouble in attics, closets and crawlspaces around Birmingham
In many 1960s and 1970s brick ranches in Center Point, the air handler sits in the attic, where a clogged coil drain can soak a ceiling before anyone notices. On split-level and hillside homes in Vestavia Hills, the coil may be in a tight crawlspace with ductwork crowding the access panel. Each layout changes how we clean the coil and how long it takes.
Pollen season adds to the load every spring, and homes that leave filters in too long see matted coils by midsummer. A better filter cabinet can slow that buildup. Trane, Lennox and Goodman cased coils are among the most common we replace, and we match each one to the outdoor unit it serves.
Areas we cover most often
We repair and replace equipment from these manufacturers, plus most other makes.
Questions about evaporator coil repair in Birmingham
Usually, yes. If the coil isn't leaking or badly corroded, an in-place cleaning with the right coil cleaner and a drain flush restores airflow. Replacement only makes sense when the coil leaks, is crushed or is too corroded to hold refrigerant.
Most often it's a clogged filter, a matted coil, a weak blower or low refrigerant. Ice is a symptom, so thawing it without fixing the cause brings it right back. We measure airflow and charge to find which one it is.
Not always. On an R-410A system in good shape, we can install a matched replacement coil. On an older R-22 system, a new coil plus R-22 often costs close to a full condenser and coil replacement, so we compare both.
Moisture plus dust on the coil and in the drain pan lets biological growth take hold. Cleaning the coil and pan, clearing the drain and keeping humidity under control usually ends it. A UV light can help in some homes.
The coil itself may be covered by the manufacturer parts warranty if it was registered and is within its term. Labor, refrigerant and testing usually aren't. We check the model and serial number and tell you what applies before any work starts.
In-place cleaning on a closet or easy attic unit usually takes one to two hours, including the drain flush. A coil replacement takes most of a day once the matched coil is on hand.
Related services and reading
- Refrigerant Leak RepairFind the leak, repair it and charge by weight instead of topping off every summer.
- Condensate Drain Line RepairClogged drains, tripped float switches, full pans and water on the ceiling.
- Air Handler and Blower Motor RepairBlower motors, capacitors, control boards and belts on the indoor unit.
- Air Filtration UpgradesMedia cabinets and higher MERV filtration sized so airflow does not suffer.
- Why your AC can't keep up on muggy Birmingham afternoonsCooling guide
- Pollen season and your HVAC filter: MERV ratings explainedAir quality guide
Need evaporator coil repair in Birmingham?
We answer 24/7. Tell us what the system is doing and we will tell you what happens next.