Considering the frequently warm and humid Singaporean weather, it’s no surprise that many are dependent on their air conditioners. But while most know the basic functions of the AC unit, few aircon owners know how the machine actually operates. If the inner workings of your air conditioner unit is lost on you, you’ll soon learn that knowledge of the essential components of your air conditioner becomes extremely useful for maintenance and upkeep.
One thing to pay special attention to is the aircon fan coils. These are comprised of the evaporator and condenser coils. These aircon fan coils play a major role in the process of cooling, and should be maintained regularly to keep the air conditioner unit working optimally. In preparation for this kind of maintenance, it’s important to know the difference between the two aircon fan coils and how they work.
To understand what the aircon coils do, you’ll need a working knowledge of how the air conditioner actually works. In a nutshell, air conditioners remove heat from a space by circulating refrigerant or coolant between the indoor and outdoor units of the system. In this process, the refrigerant changes from a liquid state to a gas state, then back again.
The two coils are integral to this process of cooling. There are three stages that utilize the evaporator and condenser coils:
Stage 1
The indoor part of your air conditioner system draws in the warm air in the room. The refrigerant will pass through the evaporator coil, absorbing the heat and cooling down the air. It will then flow through the evaporator coils and into the outdoor unit of the air conditioner.
Stage 2
The coolant will reach the outdoor unit of the air conditioner, where it will enter the aircon compressor. The compressor will “compress” the gaseous refrigerant into a hot liquid before passing it to the condenser coils.
Stage 3
The condenser coils will dissipate the heat carried by the liquid refrigerant and throw it into the air outdoors. The refrigerant will then flow back to the evaporator, where it’ll return to its gaseous state and start the process all over again.
The difference between these two aircon fan coils is simple. Both aircon fan coils work with the same purpose of dissipating heat, but they do this from different areas inside the system. The evaporator coil is housed in the indoor unit, extracting heat from the air inside your rooms. Meanwhile, the condenser coil is in the outdoor unit, transferring the absorbed heat away from your house and into the outdoors.
Another key difference is that, apart from extracting heat from the indoor air, the evaporator coil lowers the humidity level inside the rooms, which helps speed up the cooling process. On the other hand, the condenser coil, working with the fan motor and control valves, help dump heat outside the house. These two aircon fan coils are the workhorses of the AC unit and are responsible for the cooling process that keeps us all cool and comfortable.
You don’t need to know the difference between the two aircon fan coils when it comes to scheduling an annual AC-check by a professional aircon technician. Maintaining the aircon fan coils is crucial to your air conditioner performance and efficiency. To keep them in tip-top shape, make sure to DIY clean the coils once a month.
Apart from DIY cleaning, you need to call a professional aircon servicing provider every few months to check for any defects in the coils. This will help avoid common (and preventable) air conditioner problems, saving you the added costs of repairs in the long run.
Is it time for a check-up for your aircon fan coils? For quality service from a local brand, contact us at Oasis Aircon Singapore. Our team of highly-skilled AC technicians offer a wide range of services, for all your air conditioner needs. With our honest pricing, we ensure that your home, office, or business will receive the best service, for the best price.
