Filters in Air Conditioners

Generally, all the air-conditioning systems have a filter towards the source of the evaporator or indoor coil. They commonly located in special slots in the duct system and look like a folded paper. The filter removes pollen or dust particles from the indoor air stream and also keeps the air conditioning system clean.

In this process of collecting more and more dust particles the filter gets loaded. This increases resistance and reducing the airflow of the air conditioner. This is the time when you have to change the filter. The duration of the filter getting dirty depends upon the size of the filter.

The system will not perform well and the airflow will reduce if don’t change the filter. Apart from that, the filter acts as a source or air pollution itself when the filter is too dirty.

You can avoid this problem by completely removing the filter, but the dust particles will start to go directly into the system and get deposited on the indoor or evaporator coil. It may lead to the failure of the coil. Therefore, it is better to change the filter, as it is lot cheaper compared to the evaporator coil.

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) recommends a filter with Minimum Efficiency Rating Value of MERV 6 or more.

Know how an Air Conditioner Works

Many homes in warm climates use air conditioners. For them, it may not be a luxury, but it is a necessity. There are many benefits of air conditioning like cooling, heating, ventilation and disinfecting your home. But do you know how an air conditioner works? Read through to know how this amazing system works!

Air conditioner at your home transfers heat from inside to outside the home. In this process, air conditioners provide cool air into your home by pulling the heat out of that air. Blowing it over a set of cold pipes called an evaporator coil cools the air. The evaporator coil is filled with a liquid called as ‘refrigerant’. It changes into a gas from a liquid as it absorbs heat from the air. This refrigerant is then pumped to another coil outside the house. There it expels its heat and changes back into liquid form. The coil outside the home is called as condenser as it condenses the refrigerant from a gaseous state back to a fluid. A pump is used to move the refrigerant between the indoor (evaporator) and outdoor coils (condenser). This pump is called a compressor. It also helps to change the pressure of the refrigerant so that the refrigerant evaporates or condenses in the respective coils.

Common Problems of Air Conditioners

Air conditioners are complex mechanical systems that depend on a variety of conditions to work properly. They have certain amount of ‘charge’ also known as the refrigerant. They have a certain amount of air flow across the coils with the help of a pump. When any of these things does not work properly, the air conditioning system will have troubles.

Sometimes, the air conditioning may not be able to perform properly, when more heat is produced indoor either due to more occupancy or through appliances in the home.

The capacity of the system is lowered when the refrigerant charge on the air conditioning system leaks out. It may not provide enough cooling and system may not be effective on the high load.

If airflow across the condenser (outdoor coil) is lowered, its ability to dismiss the heat outdoors is also reduced and the again the capacity of the system may fall down. This may especially happen at higher temperatures outdoor.

In dry climates, the same problems may arise with regard to the evaporator (indoor coil). Where, higher airflow helps the system and the lower airflow damages the system.