Most homeowners do not really have a thorough knowledge of how their air conditioning systems work to cool their homes, much less the various components that the system uses to do so. While we don’t expect you to be an expert on such matters—after all, that’s what we’re here for—we do think that it is in every homeowner’s best interest to have a basic understanding of their air conditioning system. That is why we’re focusing on a couple of specific components today.
These components are your air conditioner’s coils. More specifically, the evaporator coil and the condenser coil. These coils perform fairly similar, if reversed functions. Do you know what else they have in common? If they are damaged or even just very dirty, your air conditioner and the overall quality of its performance is at risk. That is why the Fresno, CA air conditioning pros on our team want you to understand just how important your air conditioning coils really are.
Evaporating and Condensing: the Dynamic Duo of Cooling
The two coils that your air conditioning system uses are called the evaporator coil and the condenser coil. The evaporator coil is where refrigerant evaporates in the system. The condenser coil is where refrigerant condenses. Look, we never claimed that the names of these coils were going to be all that clever.
Both of these coils play a vital function in the heat transfer process. Remember, air conditioners don’t create cool air out of nowhere. They remove heat from the air in your home and then recycle that cooled air back throughout the house. This first step is completed via the evaporation of refrigerant.
Once the refrigerant has evaporated and drawn heat out of the air, that heat has to be released outside. That is where the outdoor condenser coil comes into play. As the refrigerant is condensed, it releases its heat and then heads back in to repeat this cooling process until desired temperatures are met.
Problems with Dirty Coils
If the evaporator coil is covered with filth and grime, then it is going to struggle in its efforts to remove heat from the air in the house. The coil can then get very cold, and that can lead to the freezing of condensation found on the coil. When this happens, the ice creates a further layer of insulation, inhibiting the heat transfer process further.
If the outdoor coil is dirty—or the condenser fins that help to release heat into the air outside—then it is more difficult to get the refrigerant to cool down. That obviously is not going to benefit the cooling process.
The harder that your air conditioner has to work in order to cool your home down, the more money it is going to cost in order to do so. Do not allow for such problems to develop in your home. Keeping the AC coils in great working condition is a top priority.
Schedule your routine AC maintenance with Donald P. Dick Air Conditioning. We strive to provide honest answers and solutions to the problems our customers experience while remaining highly competitive in price, and offer the fastest turnaround you can find!