Everything You Should Know About Heat Pumps

Air Conditioner Coils And The Dirt Insulation Problem

10 February 2016

Jessica Jimenez

Air conditioner coils are usually made up of copper. This is because copper is a good conductor of heat, something that helps to ensure efficient heat loss or heat gain when necessary.

Heat loss at the condenser coil

An air conditioning system's condenser usually facilitates the conversion of a high-pressure refrigerant gas into a liquid. For this to take place, the refrigerant has to lose heat. The fact that the coils at the condenser are usually made of copper usually ensures that this heat loss happens as efficiently as possible.

A problem will however arise if dirt accumulates on these coils. This is because dirt is a poor conductor of heat. Its accumulation on the condenser coils will therefore form an insulation layer that will make it harder for the refrigerant to lose heat.

This will create a problem in that even if the heat loss will be enough to convert the gas into a liquid, it won't be enough to cool the resultant liquid as much as it should. This will eventually affect the capacity of the liquid to absorb heat when it finally arrives at the evaporator coil.

Heat gain at the evaporator coil

The first way that dirt affects the air conditioning system's efficiency at the evaporator coil area is by affecting the capacity of the refrigerant to absorb heat from the air that it is supposed to cool. As explained, this reduced capacity usually results from dirt-caused heat loss inefficiencies at the condenser coils.

The second way is by forming a layer of insulation over the evaporator coils. As a result it usually affect the transfer of heat between the refrigerant and the passing air. And since the refrigerant has to gain heat in order for it to change from a liquid into a gas – a process that usually produces a cooling effect – the insulation effect of the dirt will end up reducing the efficiency with which your home will be cooled.

The problem with inefficient heat gain/loss

The heat transfer problem that dirt causes usually reduces the efficiency with which an air conditioner cools a give space. As a result, dirty coils will cause your air conditioner to work harder and longer, something that will lead to not only a need for unnecessary repairs, but also a reduction in the lifespan of your unit. There is also the headache of increased energy costs that usually accompany a drop in an air conditioner's efficiency.

Preventing dirt from entering your system is the best way to combat these insulation problems. Investing in good air filters will go along in helping to avoid these problems since they can trap any incoming dust particles way before they have the chance of gaining entry into your air conditioning system. For assistance, talk to a professional like Burks Service Company.

Share

Search