Summers can get really hot in India. In fact, last year saw mercury in many regions cross the 45 degree Celsius mark. If you are planning to buy an air conditioner (AC) this summer, there are factors to consider to help you choose the best of the many choices available. Some obvious ones are the Star ratings (based on ISEER) and tonnage. Among the others is the piping material used for heat exchange in these products.
Most air conditioners use one of two types of metals for pipes – aluminium or copper. Alumnium piping is slowly becoming obsolete, and most modern-day air conditioners use copper. Both the piping technologies have their own pros and cons, so choosing one can sometimes be tricky. Here at Reliance Digital, we want you to choose the best and so we have listed out some points that can help put an end to any confusion.
Why is AC piping technology important?
To have a better understanding of the piping, let’s take a quick look at how an air conditioner works. Most air conditioners are made of three main components – an evaporating coil, a compressor and a condenser. Evaporating coils are placed inside the air conditioner’s inner unit, while the compressor and condenser are placed in external unit. This setup is identical for window ACs, however, all the components are placed into a single unit.
When we turn on our air conditioner, evaporating coils absorbs room heat from the passing air, which gets cooled by a refrigerant that flows through these coils. The refrigerant is then transferred to a compressor unit, where it is compressed into a hot liquid. This hot liquid (our refrigerant) then passes through condenser pipes where it loses most of its heat. The refrigerant then enters a high pressure valve, where it returns back to its original temperature, so it can again reach the evaporating coil. This entire process is repeated constantly, until the room temperature reduces to your desired temperature.
All major components within an air conditioner are connected through pipes that are either made of copper or aluminium. The entire cooling process works in a close circuit, so piping plays a major role. If these pipes are of poor quality, there are chances of leaks and cracks that can result in ineffective cooling. They can also retain too much heat rendering the air conditioner inefficient.
Anti-corrosive
Copper as a metal has highly anti-corrosive properties compared to aluminium. During the cooling process, pipes comes in contact with air which causes oxidation within these pipes. Copper can better handle oxidation and corrosion for longer periods ultimately gives air conditioners a longer lifespan.
Winner – Copper coils
Faster cooling
Cooling on copper pipes is much faster due its lower specific heat quality. The term ‘specific heat’ describes the amount of heat per unit mass required to raise temperature by one degree celsius. Lower the specific heat quantity, better the heating up and cooling down capabilities. As copper pipes have low specific heat quantity, they can rapidly dissipate heat into external environments and cool down quickly to absorb more heat. As aluminium pipes require more time to heat and cool down, they consume more energy and have comparatively lower cooling effectiveness.
Winner – Copper coils
Durability
Aluminium is fragile compared to copper. Due to copper’s less ductile nature, copper pipes are stronger and can easily withstand minor accidental damages. Even in case of cracks or punctures, copper pipes can be easily soldered. As aluminium pipe are fragile, soldering or repairing them is a chore and is better replaced.
Winner – Copper coils
Economical
Pricing of products is a crucial aspect, right? Copper is more expensive than aluminium. Due to copper pipes less ductile nature, the quantity of piping material required is also high, which makes copper-piped air conditioners a more expensive choice. Aluminium is cheaper and also more bendable so less material is required.
Winner – Aluminium coils
Copper-piped air conditioners have an edge in most cases so many customers prefer them. Yes, they may be higher priced, but when we consider their durability and efficiency, these models can easily serve you much longer and help save on electricity bills. In some sense, they recover some of the additional cost. Wondering what air conditioner you should buy? Explore our wide range of air conditioner models on www.reliancedigital.in or visit your nearest Reliance Digital store.
