During summer heat, one requires heat, cool pleasant air. To have and enjoy the air you need, you require turning on your air conditioner and in short while you enjoy the cool air around you. Beside the various factors that determine the best air conditioner, there is also a debate related to which type of coil is better among copper or aluminum. It’s very important to understand the meaning and importance of the coil in the air conditioning process before highlighting on the pros and cons of each type. Coil in Air Conditioner plays big role in AC performance in summer.
The importance of Coil in Air Conditioner
The key to air conditioning is refrigerant gas which moves to gaseous state to liquid state by compression. It again changes to gas by absorbing the heat available in the room. The refrigeration process is mainly divided in to four parts. They are: compression, condensation, expansion valve and evaporation.
During evaporation,the low pressure liquid usually goes through an evaporation coil by which it absorbs heat from the room and changes from liquid to gas. Basically the transfer of heat from the inside air is transferred to the outside air through the use of the coils. The coils hold the refrigerant which eventually evaporates thus changing from liquid to gas by absorbing the heat from the air. The gaseous refrigerant is passed through the compression process and the condensation coils.
However, the type of the coil and its size will alsoaffect the efficiency of HVAC systems. Earlier before, the most popular choice for making the coils was copper. It was the only one which was preferred and well known to make the coils until another competitor came called aluminum. Copper had its own known benefits thus making the air conditioner very expensive and only few people could afford the HVAC system.
Later the general electronics took another step that innovated a better deal. That was a game changer to the air conditioning industry. This happened when they began using aluminum to make coils. The cost of aluminum was friendly and cheaper than the copper. This was a great deal since it brought the cost of AC down and made them cheaper thus leading to many people affording the luxury of acquiring one. Since then, the debate begun of which material is better than the other for making coils. As you read through the listed characteristics of copper and aluminium, you will see the comparable reasons discussed thus acting as a guideline to which one you will prefer during the time of purchase.
Heat transfer characteristic
The transfer of heat usually takes place in the coils. It’s very important to have good metal and the best coil for efficiency. Copper usually has a heat transfer coefficient higher than aluminum. So, automatically that tells you that copper is the best heat exchanger as compared to aluminium.
Pliability and cost.
Definitely, copper is more costly than the aluminium. This increases the cost of making an air conditioner and thereby the price of the air conditioner shoots high. To help the manufacturer lower the price, they have moved to the use of aluminium to meet the needs of all their clients.
The other cost to be considered beside the cost is pliability. If you compare aluminium to copper, the aluminium has the ability to bend in to all the shapes you desire. This will enable to making the shape and the size of the coil that you like. To have the copper serve the same purpose you may require having approximately three times more copper thus making the process more expensive.
Strength and reliability
In terms of strength and reliability, it’s much easier to repair copper than aluminium. In case an aluminium coil is damaged; it requires and calls for replacement. That means it’s repairable. The coils that are made of copper are usually stronger than the aluminium ones. They are long lasting and durable too.
Ease of maintenance
Copper Coil in Air Conditioner are usually easy to maintain and clean as they are durable. The copper coils are exposed to harsh climates and they withstand all the challenges that come by the climate. Thus, aluminium coils aren’t strong and they require to be kept in heavy duty cabinet to prevent them from getting spoil and eventually get damaged. The delicacy makes them more difficult to maintain and clean too.
Science will always give a solution
When trying to search for an answer on which is the best type of coil to use , it’s good to consider some modern techniques that eventually gives better solutions when comes to the performance and efficacy of the coils. It’s good to consider the blue fin condensers and the micro channels. The blue fin coils are blue coated while the micro channels are all aluminium coils.
Summary at glance
Heat transfer: the copper coil is better than the aluminium whereby aluminium coil is lower than copper.
Corrosion: copper coil can corrode but be maintained by regular cleaning and can also be repaired easily. Thus, aluminium coil can also corrode but it very difficult to repair if it corrodes hence calls for replacement.
Pliability: copper coil requires more metal to make the coil thus aluminium requires less metal to make the coil.
Cost: Raw copper is costly as compared to aluminium. Aluminium is cheaper.
Durability: copper is more durable as compared to the aluminium thus aluminium need good care and placed in strong cabinet.
Ease of maintenance: copper is easier to clean and maintain as compared to aluminium. The cabinets surrounding the coil makes it’s more complicated to clean andlead to the clogging of the channels.
Repairing
copper Coil in Air Conditioner is easy to repair unlike the aluminium which is more complicated and once spoil it calls for a replacement.
Though copper is costly, it has the best pros as compared to the aluminium. It would be wise to go by the saying cheap is expensive because the cheap aluminium might not be long lasting. Coil in Air Conditioner is always consider these factors before settling on a specific make before you purchase.
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