A clean condensing coil is one of the pillars of a properly working air conditioning system. Refrigerant in the form of a high pressure hot gas enters the condensing coil where it is cooled to the point of fully turning to a liquid state. The cooling occurs as ambient temperature air is pulled through the coil, courtesy of the condensing fan. The heat expelled from the hot gas is transferred into this air.

If a condensing coil is dirty or restricted, this transfer of heat from the refrigerant in the coil to the air will not occur properly, which will prevent a portion of the refrigerant from turning to a liquid and none of the required subcooling of the refrigerant will occur.

In simple terms: Air conditioners don’t cool the air; they remove the heat from it. If the condenser cannot expel the heat, the heat cycles right back into the home, making the air conditioner very inefficient.

At this particular service call, Orlando found the system operating with a very low temperature drop, very high head pressure, and a 0 degree subcooling. An inspection of the condensing coil revealed it to be over 70% impacted with debris.

Some of the debris was regular dirt and leaves, where a majority was a result of the location of the dryer vent. The proximity of the exhaust vent causes lint from the dryer to be sucked up into the coil on a daily basis.
Sometimes re-routing the exhaust away from the air conditioner is not an easy or viable option. If this setup cannot be altered, system maintenance and cleaning will be required more frequently.

After Orlando cleaned and rinsed the condensing coil, the condenser was again able to exhaust heat properly. This allowed us to determine that the refrigerant was indeed in a liquid state when it left the condensing coil. This immediately increased the indoor temperature drop which made it much more comfortable in a short period of time.
Do you feel that your air conditioner is not operating as efficiently as it should? Does your system run more than usual, or not seem to keep up with the heat of the day? Your condensing coil may not be properly transferring heat and may just need to be cleaned.
Click Here to read more about maintenance, or give Beacon Services & Appliances and call at 352-726-7530.