You and your family rely on a well-functioning air conditioner during the hot summer months here in Evans, Georgia. You set the thermostat for the desired temperature, and the cool air magically blows into your home. The air conditioner consists of several components and parts that make the magic happen; two of the primary ones are the evaporator coil and the condenser coil. Let’s look at the basics of how your air conditioning system works, and the importance of the evaporator and condenser coils.
The Basics of How Your AC Works
While you may think of the air conditioner as creating and delivering cool air into your home, it actually works on transferring hot air out of your home. The system has an inside unit called the air handler. Inside the air handler is the evaporator coil. The outside unit holds the compressor, condenser coil, and a blower fan. Connecting the inside unit to the outside unit are tubes and pipes that carry the coolant known as refrigerant. When the refrigerant is inside the evaporator coil, it becomes very cold and has the ability to absorb hot air from inside your home.
Then, the hot refrigerant travels back to the outside unit where the hot air gets expelled to the outside. The coolant then comes back to the inside of the evaporator coil where it gets chilled down and is able to absorb more heat. This is a continuous cycle.
The Role of the Evaporator Coil
As mentioned earlier, the evaporator coil lies on the inside of the air handler in your home. Its job is to cool the refrigerant down so it can absorb heat. The coil is made from heat-conducting metals and the pipes are U-shaped and inserted into panels.
The blower fan cools the refrigerant so it remains cold and can absorb the hot air. The liquid refrigerant then flows into the outside compressor where it becomes pressurized, turns into a gas, and is expelled. It is essential that the evaporator coil stays clean and functioning properly so that the heat transfer can take place.
The Importance of the Condenser Coil
The condenser coil’s job is to release the heat from the pressurized refrigerant outside of your house. Once the heat is released, the refrigerant goes through an expansion valve where the gas is now turned back into a liquid state. The coolant travels back to the evaporator coil, gets cooled down, absorbs more hot air and brings it back outside. The cycle of transferring hot air from your home continues while the air conditioner is running.
R-22 Phase Out
Keep in mind that as of January 2020, the refrigerant in older model air conditioners, called R-22, will become illegal to manufacture or import into the United States. Because of this, any lost refrigerant due to leaks will be more expensive due to limited supplies. At some point, you want to consider replacing an older model air conditioner with newer ones that use a new form of refrigerant.
Why Maintenance of the System Is so Important
As you can see, these parts all need to work perfectly in order for your home to be efficiently cooled. The outside condenser unit relies on plenty of air to do its job, so any debris that might block air flow needs to be cleared away. If the blower fan can’t move air around, the condenser can’t release the hot air.
The evaporator coil needs professional maintenance from our highly trained experts and must be cleaned and inspected every year. The refrigerant lines need an inspection to make sure there are no leaks. Also, the motors, fans, and electrical parts need to be inspected to make sure they are all in good working order.
Investing in a Comfort Agreement with us can help to ensure that your air conditioner is always running well and that any issues that do arise are spotted early and fixed before your system experiences larger problems.
Call our knowledgeable staff at Doc Savage Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc. today. We can schedule an appointment to discuss maintenance on your air conditioner or the installation of a new one. You can reach us at 706-426-9262.
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