HVAC
HVAC services and installations

Installing a heat pump in San Antonio, TX is a great way to take care of your year-round temperature control needs. Like air conditioners, these systems have indoor air handlers and outdoor condensers. Their condensers are highly pressurized and mounted atop stable concrete or composite pads. While you might be diligent about checking and changing your heat pump’s indoor filters, it’s additionally important to care for its condenser. Read on to find out what this component is, what it does, and why it’s vital to your heat pump’s operations.

How Heat Pumps Work

With components that are surprisingly similar to those of air conditioners, heat pumps work a lot like air conditioners do, too. In fact, in the summer months, heat pumps and air conditioners are functionally identical. Both source warm air from the interior of buildings, pass it over their cooling coils, extract its heat, and funnel it back inside.

Heat transfer relies on chilled refrigerant. At the interior of the building, cold refrigerant in the evaporator coil is what absorbs heat from the indoor air. Once heated, this refrigerant makes its way to the outdoor condenser unit where its heat and moisture are released. It’s then pumped back inside to start the cooling cycle again.

The Condenser Houses the Compressor Unit and the Blower Motor

You may have heard thermostats compared to the human brain. These small, wall-mounted devices control the operations of all central heating and cooling equipment. Furnaces, air conditioners, and heat pumps won’t turn on until their thermostats tell them to. If thermostats are the brains of heat pumps, refrigerant is their lifeblood. This “blood” gets pumped through copper refrigerant tubes by the system’s compressor. Compressors pressurize and depressurize refrigerant to keep it moving throughout heating and cooling cycles.

Along with the condenser coils that release collected heat during the summer months, condensers house heat pump compressors They also contain blower motors and blower fans. Blower motors and blower fans control the movement of air throughout HVAC systems. Without them, your heat pump couldn’t do its job.

How Do Heat Pumps Heat Homes in Winter?

In winter, heat pumps source heat from outside of the building and bring it indoors. This heat is absorbed by the chilled refrigerant in their coils and then brought inside for distribution. As soon as this heat is released, the chilled refrigerant travels back to the condenser to repeat the process until the desired indoor temperature is achieved. These systems typically have valves that homeowners can manually flip from cooling to heating as the seasons change.

Heat Pump Condensers Provide Humidity Control

Heat pumps are multi-functional. Not only do they both heat and cool building interiors, but they also filter the indoor air and extract excess moisture. Condensers play a major role in humidity regulation. Refrigerant enters these high-temperature heat exchangers as a high-temperature vapor. It then sheds its heat in the form of condensation. This moisture enters a heat pump’s heat sink and gets routed away before the refrigerant travels back into the building as a high-temperature liquid.

The Condenser Unit Also Contains the Heat Pump Capacitor

Heat pump capacitors are typically found just to the right of blower motors. These components make all heat pump operations possible. Like air conditioners, heat pumps have energy demands that greatly exceed the capacity of residential electrical systems. Capacitors store energy in anticipation of heating and cooling cycles. This allows them to deliver large surges of power to start blower motors and get refrigerant moving. They then deliver a steady supply of electricity throughout heating and cooling cycles to ensure steady and consistent functioning.

Run, Start, and Dual Capacitors

Heat pumps and air conditioners can have run-and-start capacitors or dual capacitors. Run capacitors provide a steady flow of electricity during operation while start capacitors supply the boost of electricity that heat pumps need at start-up. Dual capacitors perform both jobs. Having a dual capacitor in your heat pump condenser limits the amount of critical components that must be replaced and maintained.

How Heat Pump Condensers Differ From AC Condensers

Although functionally identical to air conditioners when cooling, heat pumps have several structural differences that make their condensers and compressors unique. All condensers are highly pressurized. Once affixed to composite or concrete pads, these components are virtually immovable until their pressure is released.

By pressurizing and depressurizing refrigerant, compressors pump it through air conditioners or heat pumps. Pressure ratios represent the absolute discharge pressure of heat pumps or ACs divided by their absolute evaporative pressure. In air conditioners, pressure ratios are normally 4 to 1 or lower. In heat pumps, they’re 8 to 1. This greater pressure causes increased wear, especially at rod-wrist pin bearings, valve plates, and discharge valves.

How These Differences Affect Maintenance Needs

In heat pumps, both higher pressure and higher operating temperatures adversely affect bearing lubrication. The oil that keeps moving parts protected rapidly degrades. This degradation produces residual particulates that settle at and around discharge valves. Lacking regular maintenance, this sediment could eventually prevent discharge valves from fully opening or closing, thereby diminishing overall performance.

While air conditioners require professional maintenance once annually, heat pumps that are used year-round need twice-annual maintenance. Skipping even one of these appointments can lead to even higher operating temperatures, fluctuating pressure, excessively worn parts, and impartial valve closures among other problems.

During maintenance service, our technicians inspect and clean all moving components. We replace worn bearings, tighten loose connections, and remove impurities resulting from the degradation of lubricants. We also add fresh oil and test the overall heat pump performance. All-in-all, given that heat pump condensers and compressors are subjected to greater operating stress, they require more frequent care than these same components do in ACs.

How to Care for Your Heat Pump Condenser

In large part, heat pump condenser maintenance is a job for trained professionals. Our technicians can give these components the model-specific care they need, according to their manufacturer specifications. It’s important to note that while you can always clean your heat pump’s condenser cover without voiding your equipment warranty, tampering with any moving parts that are housed beneath it could result in the automatic loss of important protections.

However, there are several things that you should do throughout the year to limit condenser and compressor stress and keep your heat pump functioning safely and efficiently. The first of these is regularly checking and changing the air filter. Lint-like mats of debris on these components inhibit airflow throughout HVAC systems and add to the already extraordinary stress of condensers. You should check your heat pump filter monthly and replace it every 30 to 60 days as needed.

If light can pass through an air filter’s mesh, air can flow through it too. Thus, one of the best ways to determine whether a heat pump filter is ready for replacement is by holding it up to the overhead light.

It’s additionally important to keep the area around your heat pump’s condenser clean. Both air conditioner and heat pump condensers need at least 24 inches of clearance on all sides. If you use your heat pump for both heating and cooling, this is a year-round endeavor. When inspecting the air filter each month, take a quick trip outdoors to remove fallen branches, leaves, twigs, and other organic debris around the condenser’s perimeter. Scheduling professional heat pump service twice annually will give our technicians the chance to take care of everything else.

We provide exceptional heating, cooling, and indoor air quality services in San Antonio, TX, and the surrounding cities. We also provide new ductwork, duct sealing, and duct cleaning. To find out about our preventative maintenance plans or schedule an appointment for heat pump maintenance, contact Air Authority, A Riteway Service Company today.

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