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Air conditioner condenser tips are very important with spring right around the corner and the mercury rising on the thermometer. Therefore getting your home air conditioner in tip-top shape is understandably a big priority.

It’s really important that all of your home AC’s filters, coils and ducts are regularly cleaned since heating and cooling expenses actually comprise about half of your home’s overall energy expenses, according to Department of Energy findings.

Only when every part of your home AC is functioning properly and without resistance can you eke the most out of your AC, and significantly decrease your monthly utility bills at the same time.

Air conditioner condenser on the wooden wall of boards.

Understanding Your Home’s Air Conditioner  Condenser 

Before taking a look at your air conditioner’s major components – namely, the condenser coil, evaporator coil, fan, air filter and blower – what exactly does an air conditioner do to make your home a more hospitable place to rest your feet after work?

  • Cooling, Dehumidifying and Regulating

To simplify the issue somewhat, air conditioners do three major things to make your home more comfortable – an air conditioner blows cool out out into your home, lowers the humidity levels in your home to make breathing more comfortable, and regulates your indoor air temperature with the help of a thermostat.

In addition to those three functions, air conditioners also remove harmful particulates from the air circulating throughout your home with the help of an onboard air filter.

By the way, you should have your filter cleaned – either DIY or with the help of an HVAC professional  – about once per month during peak (a.k.a., summer) use. If you don’t clean your filter regularly it can make everything, including the blower, work harder than it needs to and result in a higher-than-expected utility bill as well.

Bringing It All Together

So, how does your air conditioner’s filters, coils and condenser all come together to cool down your home? Air conditioners actually work in a similar way to refrigerators since both rely on the chemical fact that when you lower the pressure of a gas, that gas actually expands and the result in cooler air.

Going back to chemistry 101, these changes in the gas’ state are known are phase changes. Some of these phase changes – e.g., evaporation and condensation – translate directly into HVAC terminology when you start talking about evaporator and condenser coils on your home’s AC.

Compressor 

The compressor is at the heart of your AC’s ability to cool down your home since it’s the compressor that moves the refrigerant in a closed-loop system back and forth from the evaporator coils and condenser.

Condenser Coil 

So this is where it gets interesting: the condenser coil on your AC (or refrigerator) is actually integral to the heat transfer process that “condenses” the incoming vaporous refrigerant into liquid form.

The extra heat from this process is innocuously sent outside. The fan on your home’s AC is actually the piece responsible for moving the air around the condenser coil and dispersing the heat so that you and your family can enjoy cool comfort.

Blower 

The blower on your home’s air conditioning unit actually pushes air right over the cool evaporator coils while another blower – known as the exterior exhaust fan – pushes the hotter air out of the vicinity of the condenser coils.

Home Air Conditioner Maintenance Tips 

Especially if you have an outside HVAC unit, make sure that your coils don’t get bogged down with debris, pollen, dust or other curveballs that nature can throw homeowners.

Get in touch with us your  HVAC professional if you need help removing allergens and harmful particulates from your filters. Your family’s health is absolutely worth it.