The condenser unit of the HVAC system plays a crucial role in keeping a comfortable home atmosphere. The interior unit of the mechanism absorbs heat from your home’s air, whereas the condenser unit is responsible for releasing that heat to the air outside. Here, the condenser unit as the exterior part of the system helps in a perfect heat exchange process. It performs the function from the ‘backstage,’ but it gets often ignored during the maintenance and repair schedules of an HVAC system. Here some importance of a condenser unit is highlighted so that it gets due priority in the whole system. But, before considering what the condenser does in the system, it’s necessary to understand how it is interlinked with other processes. Any air conditioning system operates through three operations.
- Evaporation
Firstly, the system starts with inside air being blown over coils in your home. These evaporator coils contain low-pressure refrigerant that absorbs the heat from the air and converts into a high-pressure gas.
- Compression
The gas is transferred into the outer compressing unit where it is compressed and converted back as the liquid. Subsequently, the cooling cycle continues, and the extra heat is produced.
- Condensation
Located inside the outdoor unit, the condenser includes fans, a set of coils, and refrigerant lines. When the refrigerant leaves the compressor, it flows down through the condenser coils. Here, a fan blows air over the coils dissipating the heat from the refrigerant inside them. At the same time, it’s sent back inside to start the process over again.
Role of AC Condenser in An HVAC System:
The AC condenser is responsible for carrying out the condensation process. The heat-laden refrigerant passes through coils in the condenser unit. It gets cools down and condenses into liquid form through a blowing fan. This liquid refrigerant then returns to the evaporator unit to continue the cycle. From the indoor unit to outside condenser unit, the refrigerant lines are connected in such a way that it keeps the process ongoing and releases heat to the air outside. However, the air conditioning disrupts, if the condenser unit doesn’t condense the refrigerant to its liquid form. It will make you feel uneasy because your air conditioning unit will give warm air. Besides, if the condenser unit of your air conditioning system is not working effectively, it will bring out hefty electricity bills. In such a scenario, when the refrigerant is not getting condensed completely, it is wise to call a professional HVAC contractor to look into the problem. During the maintenance, check for any leakage and make sure that the fan is blowing the air at its maximum efficiency. Generally, refrigerant leaks from the coiling of the system. The leakage of refrigerant slows down the air conditioning capabilities of your system. A decelerated fan speed also affects the cooling capacities of an air-conditioned unit. In all cases, routine preventive maintenance of the condenser is essential for the effective heat exchange process and proper functioning of all the components.
Overall, the structural design of the air conditioning system is developed to expel hot air from the inside to the outside atmosphere. AC condenser is one of the most essential parts of the whole system that is fit outside and blows warm air. Since your condenser is connected with vital components, it’s essential to take good care of it and protect it from the build-up of dirt and debris. Accordingly, regular inspections of your condenser units are essential to increase the functional life of your entire HVAC unit.
