Hail Effects on Air-Conditioner Performance
Learn How Hail-Caused Dents in Condensor Coil Fins Affect Air Conditioner System Performance
Experiments demonstrated the effects on air-conditioner system performance resulting from dents in fins of their condenser coils and the extent to which conventional fin repair methods restore performance.
Two different, commercially available, split-system, residential-type air-conditioners were tested.
Flattening substantial areas of the fins caused a reduction in capacity and efficiency of the cooling systems tested. Performance first dropped appreciably when 60% of the fin areas were pressed flat. Incremental increases in total percentages of areas flattened beyond the first reduction in performance resulted in incremental decreases in capacity and efficiency.
How Conventional Fin Repair Methods Restore Performance
Combing dents from the fins after the extreme case where all fins were flattened restored capacity to within 1% of the undented condition and SEER to within 6% of the undented efficiency. Similar results were obtained for the second condenser tested.
Download the technical paper for full details on testing methods and results.
