Coils are an important part of your air conditioning system. Regardless of size, all central air conditioning systems feature an evaporator coil and a condenser coil. While they serve different purposes, both types of coils consist of metal fins.
Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for coil fins to become bent. You may still be able to run your air conditioning system if the coil fins are bent, but you can expect a lower level of cooling performance. To learn more about the impact of bent coil fins, keep reading.
Bent Fins on the Evaporator Coil
If the evaporator coil has bent fins, your air conditioning system may struggle to remove a sufficient amount of heat from your home’s interior. The evaporator coil is essentially a heat exchanger. You can find it alongside the blower or air handling unit (AHU) inside your home. When running your air conditioning system, the evaporator coil will absorb heat so that it can be transported to your home’s exterior.
The evaporator coil, however, requires straight fins to effectively absorb heat. With bent fins, it won’t be able to absorb as much heat from the surrounding air inside your home. As refrigerant flows through the evaporator coil, it may absorb an insufficient amount of heat, resulting in less cooling power for your air conditioning system.
Bent Fins on the Condenser Coil
The condenser coil also requires straight fins to function as intended. Like the evaporator coil, the condenser coil is a heat exchanger. With that said, it’s designed specifically to expel heat. The evaporator coil will absorb heat from inside your home, whereas the condenser coil will release this heat outside of your home.
Bent condenser coil fins can cause cooling problems as well. If the fins are bent, the condenser coil may not be able to remove a sufficient amount of heat. Rather, refrigerant will remain hot or warm as it travels from the condenser coil and back inside your home.
Repairing Bent Coil Fins
The good news is that you typically don’t have to replace the evaporator coil or condenser coil just because they have bent fins. You can schedule an appointment with a heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC) company to have the fins straightened. Assuming the fins aren’t severely damaged, they can typically be straightened.
Straightening fins involves the use of a special comb. Known as a fin comb, it will force the fins back into their original upright position.
