If you’ve never heard of an air conditioner condenser, you’re not alone. Your air conditioning unit is somewhat of an afterthought for many business owners. More often than not, it’s not until something goes wrong that many people pay careful attention to various components of their HVAC system.
The AC condenser unit serves several crucial functions in your HVAC system. For starters, it allows your HVAC system to operate at peak efficiency. It also plays a critical role in allowing your business to stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
Below, we’ll review your HVAC system, discuss the role of each of its various components, and go in-depth about why the health of your AC condenser is vital to the overall functionality of your HVAC system. Continue reading below to learn more about the importance of the AC condenser in your HVAC system and why Design Mechanical is the number one team to trust for your HVAC services.
The Components of Your HVAC System
Before delving into how the AC condenser works, it’s crucial to have a solid understanding of how the various components of your HVAC system work and how they work together to provide adequate airflow and maintain the desired temperature in your business.
Thermostat
Your thermostat is most likely the most frequently used component of your air conditioning system. The thermostat works to keep your building at a specific temperature after you set it manually or program it in advance. When the thermostat detects that the temperature in your building is too hot or too cold, it activates the evaporator and condenser coil or the heat exchanger, which begins circulating hot or cold air depending on the desired temperature.
Furnace
The furnace is the largest and most crucial component of any HVAC system and is responsible for heating air and distributing it to other rooms in your business. The furnace is typically installed in a cellar, basement, attic, or closet space. It generates heat from one of four sources: natural gas, propane, oil, or coal combustion, the heat pump, electric resistance, or solar energy.
Heat Exchanger
The heat exchanger is housed within the furnace and is activated when the thermostat signals the furnace to begin heating air when the temperature falls below a certain threshold. As a result, the exchanger draws in cold air, the furnace heats it, and the heated air circulates through the air ducts to heat each room.
Evaporator Coil
The evaporator coil is another vital component of your AC unit and serves as a counterpart to the heat exchanger in the cooling processes of an HVAC system. When the thermostat indicates that the ambient temperature is too high, the evaporator coil cools the air circulating through the air ducts.
Refrigerant Lines
The refrigerant lines are heat and cold-resistant tubes made of aluminum or copper. They’re responsible for transporting the HVAC system‘s refrigerant in gaseous form to the AC condenser. Once the refrigerant vapor has been converted to a liquid, the refrigerant lines return the refrigerant to the evaporator.
Ductwork
Air conditioning units rely on a flow of air ducts to distribute heated or cooled air throughout the building. Ductwork is typically made of lightweight aluminum, but other materials such as plastics, polyurethane, and fiberglass are used on occasion.
The Importance of the AC Condenser
In an air conditioning unit, rather than producing cold air, refrigerant is used to remove heat from the air and return the remaining cooler air to your business. As warm air is drawn in from within the building via return ducts, the heat is absorbed by the gaseous refrigerant flow through the evaporator coils.
The remaining cool air is dispersed throughout the building to cool it to the desired temperature. The refrigerant, which contains the heat extracted from the interior of the building, then flows to the AC condenser.
So, why is the AC condenser so crucial to the process? The condenser is where the heat gets removed from the refrigerant.
When the heated refrigerant enters the AC condenser, it is compressed and pressurized by the compressor, causing the refrigerant’s temperature to rise significantly and transforming it into a high-pressure gas. The gas then leaves the compressor and flows directly to the condensing coils.
It is released as the condenser fan blows air over the condenser coils, where the refrigerant then releases much of the previously absorbed heat from your building. The refrigerant then cools and changes from a gas to a liquid and flows back into the indoor evaporator, and the process is repeated.
But what about when your building needs warm air? When it comes to airflow, AC condensers also pull double duty.
While more complex controls such as an adjustable temperature sensor, reversing valve, and defrost timer must be considered in these configurations, the compressed gas flow must be reversed depending on whether the system requires heated or cooled air.
When a building requires heated air, the AC condenser absorbs heat from the outside air and cools it. As a result, the coil becomes cold enough to collect frost, reducing airflow and making the condenser coil less effective.
From there, the automatic defrost control ensures that the unit switches to air cooling mode even when the condenser’s fan is turned off. This circulates hot gas through the coil, allowing it to defrost. When this occurs, the system begins heating automatically.
Trust Design Mechanical to Keep Your HVAC System Running Smoothly
Now that you’ve learned more about the AC condenser, it’s crucial that you have a reliable service professional to keep your HVAC system running efficiently.
Design Mechanical has been serving the Kansas City area and surrounding communities with commercial HVAC services for over 20 years.
We recognize the importance of maintaining the comfort and well-being of your business. With a team of over 100 certified HVAC service specialists on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, you can be confident that our comprehensive HVAC services will ensure your company’s HVAC system is always performing as expected.
If your HVAC system isn’t working correctly and you think it’s time for an inspection or overdue maintenance or repairs, contact Design Mechanical today to schedule a free consultation and learn more about how our HVAC specialists can help you.