The difference between air conditioning evaporator and condenser coils is not just their location in the system. When the air conditioner fails to provide the expected level of comfort, many homeowners believe that the internal cooling generator must be malfunctioning and immediately believe that they need an air conditioner to be repaired.

1. Evaporator coil

The function of the evaporator coil is to extract indoor heat from the air and add it to the refrigerant. The evaporator is installed in the indoor air treatment device and continuously contacts the hot air drawn by the system fan from each room in the room through the return air duct. The refrigerant circulating through the copper tube in the coil is cold steam at about 40 degrees. In this state, the heat absorption performance of the refrigerant reaches its maximum.

The heat energy from the airflow in the warm room is transferred through the refrigerated copper coil and is easily absorbed by the refrigerant flow. The heat is extracted through the coil, and the cooled air flow is pushed into the supply duct by the blower and dispersed throughout the house. While extracting heat, the hot air comes into contact with the surface of the cold evaporator coil, causing condensation, thereby reducing the humidity level in the airflow, just as Willis Carrier designed to "condition" the air a century ago.

After leaving the evaporator coil, the refrigerant flows through the insulated pipe to the outdoor air conditioning component, which is usually located directly behind the house. This cabinet contains compressor and condenser coils. The refrigerant entering the compressor is pressurized, concentrating thermal energy molecules, and raising the temperature of the refrigerant vapor to more than 100 degrees. This overheating state ensures that the heat energy is effectively transferred to the outdoor air, even when the outdoor temperature is high, such as in the hot summer.

3. Condenser coil

The design of the condenser coil is similar to that of the indoor evaporator coil. However, the difference between the A/C evaporator and the condenser coil is completely opposite. The evaporator coil absorbs heat from the indoor air, and the condenser coil releases the heat to the outdoor air. The heat extracted from your home is compressed into hot refrigerant vapor, which is quickly released when the refrigerant circulates to the coil and condenses into a liquid. When the refrigerant releases its heat load, the fan in the unit blows out air through the condenser coil channel, and the heat is dispersed into the outdoor air.

The high-pressure liquid refrigerant leaving the condenser coil turns around and flows back to the evaporator coil. The expansion valve in front of the evaporator restricts the flow of refrigerant, forcing it through a narrow orifice, and converting it back to a vaporized state, ready to absorb more heat from the home.

3. Coil maintenance

There is no difference between the air-conditioning evaporator and condenser coils, and an annual adjustment by a qualified HVAC contractor needs to be arranged. This is a critical part of maintaining the performance and efficiency specifications of your air conditioner manufacturer. The maintenance requirements of each coil are affected by its different functions and positions.