Staying cool in the summer heat means making sure every part of your AC system is working properly.  While some components seem more important, all parts need to work together to keep you cool. Your air conditioning service must include a review of the often overlooked parts that work in the background – until the fail.

Air conditioning systems may seem complex – and they are! In this series, we’re going to talk about the five main components: the compressor, fan, condenser coil, evaporator coil, and the refrigerant. If you want to avoid AC failure, you need to know how these components interact and how to guarantee a functioning system.

In part three of the series, we’re reviewing the fan, the condenser coil and the evaporation coil. These parts are simple and don’t cause problems – until they do.

Air Conditioning Service – Keep the Air Moving

Your AC system has a fan. No, not like that one. Like this one.

But both types of fans move air and moving air is vitally important to keeping you cool this summer.

Yeah, that’s more like it!

The fan moves air through you air condition system. We probably don’t need to explain much about how a fan works. They’re pretty simple and usually last for the life of your system. Even if they do fail, replacement is pretty easy for a pro.

Air Conditioning Service for your fan is easy, really. Just keep leaves and other debris away from it. And there’s no need to cover the AC unit, ever – even in winter. If fact, covering the unit may attract rodents that will build nests under there. A cover can also cause mold and mildew to build-up.

The truth is, your AC unit is built to withstand both hot summers and harsh winters – right out of box! No cover needed.

“Covering the unit may attract rodents that will build nests under there. A cover can also cause mold and mildew to build-up”

All About Heat Exchange

The next two components are pretty simple as well. The condenser coil and evaporator coil are essentially long finned tubes that act as heat exchangers. The condenser coil sits outside while the evaporator coil is located inside your home.

When cooled liquid refrigerant flows through the evaporator coil, hot air from inside “evaporates” that refrigerant, turning it into a vapor. It’s just like when liquid sweat evaporates on your skin and makes you cooler. The heat from you home has now “transferred” to the evaporated refrigerant.

On the other end of the cooling cycle, the fan blows relatively cooler outside air across the condenser coil transferring heat from the compressed refrigerant to the outside air. Because heat is lost from the refrigerant, it “condenses” back into a liquid.

In this article, we’ve discussed the three parts of your AC system that often get overlooked – the fan , the condenser coil and the evaporator coil. They’re all pretty simple and usually don’t cause many problems. But looking over each of these components must be part of normal air conditioning service.

In the next and final article in this series, we’ll review the compressor, the heart of your AC system. And we’ll tell you about the two features you need to ask for when getting a new compressor.

The licensed technicians at Jerry’s Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning are available to deliver quick and friendly service. Call Us Today!