Many individuals and businesses now use air conditioning units and systems to keep their home or business cool. It’s important to keep your air con well maintained, or it could lead to a fire breaking out.
What Cause Air Conditioning Fires?
Any type of air conditioning system or unit that doesn’t have regular servicing carried out, could be a potential fire risk. There are many different things that can cause air con fires some of which are fault fire dampers, dirt and debris and worn out filters.However, there are many other common causes that could lead to your AC catching fire. Some of these are faulty equipment, malfunctioning control or flammable materials being stored close to the unit or system. Most of these things are usually noticed during a maintenance check, so if you don’t have your system regularly checked, then it could be a potential fire risk.
Flammable Materials
There a good chance you store flammable materials near to your air conditioning unit and you probably don’t even realise it. Materials such as paper, leaves, debris or flammable liquids should be kept at least 3 metres away. Allowing any type of flammable materials near your system or unit, could lead to a fire breaking out and spreading.
Poor Maintenance/Cleaning
If you don’t regally have your system cleaned or maintained, then it’s likely problem will start to occur. Most people think systems and units will look after themselves, however this isn’t true and an unmaintained system could lead to a fire. It’s important to have all parts of a unit or system cleaned which included things such as the coils, air vents and filters. If you have any obstructions to your air con, then it could cause a fire.
Faulty Equipment/Parts
Any air con system that has been neglected is likely to develop problems with its parts. Over time parts and the system itself will degrade and faults and issues will start to occur. This may leads to specific parts failing which could lead to a heat built up or dust and dirt gathering, which could cause a fire. AC units and systems need to be regularly serviced to keep them running smoothly.
Preventing Air Con Fires
There are a number of things that can be carried out to help prevent air conditioning fires. By having a proactive approach to fire protection you help to protect your business, property and the people in it. Below we take a look at some of the most effective ways to prevent air conditioning fires from happening.
Maintenance & Servicing
It’s important to have regular servicing and maintenance carried out, this will help to keep your system clean and fully functioning. Any air con service should be carried out and skilled professional, to ensure that a comprehensive and thorough servicing is provided. At AirForce UK, we offer professional air con services.
Fire Sprinklers
Fire sprinklers are one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of fire. Companies offer a range of sprinkler systems and many are now concealed to blend in with the decor. Sprinklers can be placed throughout a whole building with only certain parts triggering in the event of a fire, protecting your property without causing a large amount of water damage.
Fire Dampers
A fire damper is a piece of equipment used in cooling, ventilation and heating systems. We install fire dampers into all types of ventilation systems. A fire damper will trigger once the temperature in the vents reaches a certain level. When this happen, the fuse in the damper will melt which release a door that cuts off the air flow.
