Replacing leaky coils in apartment and condo complexes
Managers of apartment complexes and condos often have to change out leaky evaporator coils, especially during hot summer months when air conditioning units run all the time. Not only are tenants complaining about air conditioners not keeping their homes cool enough, leaky coils increase utility bills because they are less efficient.
One sign of a leaky coil is insufficient refrigerant in the system. Because it is a self-contained system, an air conditioning unit in proper working order should not require extra refrigerant, even after ten years. The evaporator coil, located inside the indoor air handler, circulates refrigerant vapor at a temperature of around 40 degrees. The refrigerant extracts heat from indoor air, which is drawn over the coil surfaces by a blower fan. The warmed refrigerant then flows outdoors to the compressor, where heat is dispersed into the outdoor air as the refrigerant circulates through the condenser coil. The refrigerant then travels back to the indoor air handler, and the cycle starts over again.
Evaporator coils can start to leak after three or four years because of corrosion, which can be caused by the air composition inside apartments and condos. Building materials, furniture and common cleaning solutions slowly emit fumes called volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particularly formaldehyde. If tubes in evaporator coils are made of copper, concentrated formaldehyde reacts with condensation to create formic acid. Formicary corrosion of the copper results, causing microscopic pinholes in the tubing that leak refrigerant. The same can be said about hot water coils on the heating said. Over time these heating coils can wear out and start to leak.
For managers of apartment and condominium complexes, the cost of replacing leaky coils for a large number of units may seem daunting. Adding refrigerant to leaky coils is only a temporary fix, so a more permanent solution is needed.
That’s why Emergent Coils offers volume discounts when large quantities of replacement coils are purchased at the same time. Stocking evaporator coils and hot water coils to replace leaky coils in the future also saves time and money on repair bills. Depending on the size of the order, costs can be reduced to around $200 per evaporator coil. By ordering in bulk, the overall cost of shipping is also reduced.
Contact us at 1-855-Coil-Now or sales@emergentcoils.com to learn about volume discounts for evaporator coils.