Your air conditioner is essential for keeping your home cool in the summer. Depending on where you live, your air conditioner might have to work hard to combat rising heat and humidity outside. Your system works by absorbing heat and humidity from your indoor air and depositing it outdoors through your outside unit. With the heat removed, the coils in your unit cool the air and recirculate it throughout your home. The process of cooling your home requires several pieces of equipment to work together to perform complex operations. While there are many components involved in this process, the coils in your system are some of the most important.
Your air conditioning system has two main parts that include your inside and outside units. The inside equipment houses the air filter, evaporator coil, and blower fan. Your outdoor unit has a compressor and a condenser coil. A chemical coolant known as the refrigerant flows between both units. While inside your home, the refrigerant absorbs the heat from the air and helps cool your home. Once outside, the refrigerant releases the heat into the air. The refrigerant is then sent back into your home, where it begins the process again. Your system requires the cooperation of both units. Refrigeration evaporator coils in HVAC units are responsible for providing consistently cool air throughout homes. If the coil stops working or malfunctions, the unit will not be able to supply cold air. Let’s take a closer look at evaporator coils.
What is the evaporator coil?
As discussed, the evaporator coil is part of the inside unit in your HVAC system. The main job of the coil is to cool the refrigerant so that it can absorb the heat from the air. This is how the unit conditions your indoor air. As the refrigerant comes into your home, it goes through an expansion valve before entering the evaporator coils. The expansion valve decreases the pressure on the refrigerant, and it converts into a vaporous state. As the fan blows air across the cold evaporator coil, the refrigerant removes the heat and humidity, leaving dry, cool air to circulate through your home.
The evaporator coil works in tandem with the compressor and condenser coil in the outside unit. After the heat transfer, the evaporator coil sends the refrigerant to the outdoor compressor, where it is transformed into a gas. The condenser coil dispels the hot air and sends the refrigerant back to the evaporator coil to continue the process. If something happens to the evaporator coil, the entire process will be interrupted.
How can you maintain your evaporator coil?
Keeping your evaporator coil clean and well-maintained is crucial for ensuring cool air and system efficiency. Dirty coils can increase the energy use of your AC and leave you with higher-than-expected energy bills. Since your AC unit already accounts for around 12 percent of your total energy usage, you’ll want to keep your coils clean to minimize energy consumption. Poorly maintained coils can also lead to other problems like inconsistent temperatures, frozen coils, and an overheating compressor. You can keep your coils clean by changing your air filters regularly. A dirty air filter will allow dirt and dust to settle on the coils and eventually cause problems. You should also schedule regular annual HVAC maintenance to have your evaporator coil cleaned and inspected by a qualified service technician.
The evaporator coil in your air conditioning system is an essential component. The evaporator is responsible for cooling and conditioning your indoor air. If you suspect that your evaporator coil isn’t functioning correctly or causing the rest of your system to malfunction, you should contact a professional HVAC technician.
