Reasons behind Leaks in Evaporator Coils and How to Prevent Them!

Evaporator coils and condenser coils make for two of the most essential components of an air conditioning unit. The coils are not only responsible for transferring heat and helping in the cooling and heating process, but also in allowing the refrigerant to move out of the system. These typically make the air conditioner perform its function in the most effective and efficient manner.

Factors Responsible for Leaks

Sometimes, due to certain factors, the coils wither and cause leaks. Let’s take a look at these factors:-

Physical damage:– This is typically one of the most common reasons behind leaks in both, evaporator and condenser coils. A damage to the coils makes the system to dysfunction.  Severe damages, on the other hand, may even lead to permanent vandalism of the system.

Chemical reactions:- Certain substances present in the coils, known as volatile organic components, reacts with the metal of the AHU coils and cause chemical reactions therein. These volatile components include aerosol sprays, cleaning solutions, air fresheners, or emissions from furnishings. The acid produced due to the chemical reaction causes corrosion, which further eats the coils and paves way for leaks to form.

Formic acid corrosion-: Some chemical reactions, as explained in the above point, cause the formation of formic acids. These develop in and around the evaporator coils, which further leads to the leaks in the coils. Usually such kind of reasons take place copper, oxygen and water.

Ways to Prevent Leaks in Coils

There are an array of ways which can help prevent leaks in condenser as well as evaporator coils. These are as follows:-

Replace copper:- Though coils made of copper are an ideal choice but the metal type reacts quite quickly with water and oxygen, which apparently is readily available in the surrounding environment. The best is to replace them with materials which do not produce any chemical reasons, such as aluminium.

Clean and Maintain the Coils:- Time to time cleaning and maintenance of the coils helps in removing acid, bacteria and other materials that cause harm to the condenser and evaporator coils or obstruct the airflow.

Eliminate the presence of Volatile components:- Restrict the use of products that contain volatile components such as cleaning solutions, air fresheners, etc., especially in the vicinity of the coils.

Increase the flow of air:- The best way to increase the flow air and ventilation around the AHU coils is by removing the presence of volatile components from the air surrounding the coils.

How Do Condenser and Evaporator Coils Work? How They Are Different?

Hydrophilic coated evaporator coils and copper condenser coils, otherwise also known as cooling coils, are placed in the air conditioning systems. These primarily help in completing the heat exchange process of the units, which is the basic function of the refrigerated cooling coils. They form a continuous loop, but perform different functions.

How do evaporator coils work?

Hydrophilic coated evaporator coils are located inside the blower compartment of the air conditioners. They are responsible for holding the chilled refrigerants so that the compressors move into it. As the hot air from the blower fan moves over evaporator coils, these cold refrigerants along with Chilled water coils remove the heat from the indoors, become warmer and transport the air to the condenser coils located in the outside part of the AC unit.

How condenser coils work?

Copper condenser coils are placed inside the outdoor unit along with the compressor, pipes, and valves. The warm and gaseous air flows through the evaporator coils to the compressor which pressurizes the air and transports it into the condenser coils. As soon as it reaches the cold refrigerants (condenser coils) nestled in the outside system, the blower fans blow the hot air across the coils and cools the inside temperature. The cold air, then blows back inside the home. This cooling cycle keeps on continuing!

What are the three main points to consider when buying evaporator and condenser coils?

The engineering behind making the evaporator and condenser coils are fairly complex in nature. Therefore, in order to meet the highest level of energy efficiency and comfort, the coils need to be:–

Perfectly matched – Before purchasing a new air conditioning system, one should always ask the HVAC contractor to verify that both the type of coils perfectly complements each other. This needs to be specially done if one is going to purchase a split Ac system – the most common type of residential HVAC equipment. If the coils do not match correctly, the energy costs tend to rise, and the system won’t be able to perform well.

Leak free – The coils should be free from leaks. If there is any leak, it tends to lose refrigerant in proportion to the size of the leak. Without enough refrigerant, the coils get frozen and stop the cooling process. This can severely damage the compressor of the AC unit.

Clean from dirt – Both the coil should be free from dust and dirt, to perform best and efficiently. Coils covered in dust layers act as an insulator that obstructs the function of the coils.

3 Basic Types of Evaporator Coils

Evaporator coils are an essential part of the air conditioning units that aid in the proper functionality of these electric appliances. The basic function of evaporator coils is to condition the air present in the room. As the air passes over the coils, the heat is smartly removed and cooler air is sent back via the air conditioner. Humidity too is eliminated by the coils which makes the condenser unit of the air conditioner to condense the liquid in the air and pass it out as water. Typically there are three types of evaporator coils that are used in heat exchangers and air conditioning units.

Vertical Evaporator Coil

These coils are generally used in vertical air conditioners. A vertical AC makes use of upflow or downflow movement as the air in the units either flows up or down when they pass through the coils. Vertical coils typically pick up air that’s pre-processed and condense its heat into liquid form. Post the condensation process the water collected is drained out which further aids in lowering the overall humidity present in the room. Vertical hydrophylic coated coils are quite popular.

Cased Evaporator Coil

These coils are horizontal in shape and usually come covered by a metal casting. These account as one of the most preferred and commonly used coils in air conditioning units. Similar to vertical coils, the main different between the two is their shape and size.

Uncased Evaporator Coil

Such AHU coils are a perfect alternative to both vertical and horizontal evaporator coils. These can be placed in any position and have no outer casting covering on them. The lack of this coating makes them easy to customize and good for special air conditioners. However, these require technically sound professionals to reconfigure them in order to fit the device.

Maintenance of Evaporator Coils

Irrespective of the type of AHU coils being used, it is vital to take good care of the coils in order to make sure proper functionality and longevity. Most hydrophylic coated coils are made from metal and are thus exposed to the risk of rusting and getting damaged. Keeping the coils clean and in good condition maximizes the amount of fresh air running though the room, aiding in increasing air flow and maintaining a healthy atmosphere.

Evaporator coils by Spirotech are sturdy and durable!

Spitotech’s evaporator coils are basically used for cooling or removing moisture from the air stream in the most effective manner. Otherwise known as direct expansion coils, these are one of the major components installed in a refrigerating and air conditioning unit, comfort cooling system, dehumidification and process cooling machines. Evaporator coils by Spirotech are also available in a variety of spaces and sizes.