Do Evaporator and Condenser Coils Need to Match?

Many homeowners assume that evaporator and condenser coils don’t need to match. Air conditioning systems, of course, require both of these coils to transfer heat. The evaporator coil is found inside of your home, whereas the condenser coil is found outside of your home. When running your air conditioning system, the evaporator coil will pull heat from the indoor air so that it can be released at the condenser coil.

Whether you’re buying a new air conditioning system or upgrading your existing air conditioning system, though, you’ll need to ensure that both coils are the same size. Using mismatched coils may sound harmless, but it can lead to several problems.

Lower Efficiency

Your air conditioning system may continue to run, but mismatched coils will make it less efficient. Mismatched coils means that the evaporator coil and condenser coils are different sizes. One of the coils is larger than the other coil.

The larger coil will transfer more heat than the smaller heat. But the smaller coil won’t be able to meet the demand of the larger coil. Rather, it will lag behind the larger coil while promoting a less-efficient air conditioning system.

Increased Wear and Tear

Using mismatched coils will lead to increased wear and tear. Your air conditioning system will have to work harder with mismatched coils.

As your air conditioning system is exposed to increased wear and tear, it may require more frequent maintenance. Neglecting to get your air conditioning system maintained could result in failure of the coils or other parts. You can protect your air conditioning system from unnecessary wear and tear by choosing matching coils of the same size.

Warranty Voided

Another problem associated with mismatched coils is a voided warranty. Many manufacturers require the use of matching coils. They acknowledge the fact that mismatched coils can increase wear and tear, so they require owners to use the same size for both coils.

If the coils in your air conditioning system don’t match, it could void your warranty. You won’t be able to file a claim for damage or defects with a voided warranty.

If you believe your air conditioning system has mismatched coils, contact a professional heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC) technician today. A simple inspection can reveal whether the coils are the same size. If one of the coils is bigger than the other, the HVAC technician can replace it.