With the historic cicada emergence now fully underway in the Chicago area, many homeowners may be wondering how the insects may impact their HVAC systems.
John Yelton, an HVAC technician with Four Seasons Heating and Cooling is now seeing an increase in cicadas in and around air conditioning systems.
"What you want to look for is any buildup of them on the outside of the unit, restricting air flow," Yelton said.
Yelton said the insects are drawn to both the sounds made by fans and the heat produced by the air conditioning units. Cicadas crawling on the units can possibly lead to them being sucked in, leading to necessary costly repairs.
"You are going to restrict the air flow of the coil which means it cannot dissipate the heat, and energy costs go up and that could cause a breakdown," Yelton said.
Yelton added that window air conditioners may also be impacted by the emergence due to the heat emitted, though cicadas would have to work harder to get inside those than units on the ground.
As far as steps you can take to keep the insects away from your unit, removing nearby vegetation and sealing gaps as well as removing any nearby cicadas, dead or alive, can all help protect your unit.
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