Filter driers act to remove both water and physical contaminants from your air conditioning system’s refrigerant lines, thus reducing wear and extending its lifespan. Yet not all filter driers have the same strengths or work in the same way. If you would like to boost your understanding of this useful air conditioning component, read on. This article will discuss two key distinctions in filter drier technology.
Desiccant Material
Filter driers contain desiccant material to eliminate water from your refrigerant lines. Otherwise that water might interact with certain lubricants to form acids that damage sensitive components. There are two principal types of desiccant used in filter driers. These are known as activated alumina and molecular sieve.
While it isn’t important to understand how each of these materials works, it is good to recognize that they have different strengths. Filter driers equipped with activated alumina are able to absorb and retain a much larger volume of water. This prolongs their lifespan, compared to molecular sieve filter driers. Yet molecular sieve models have the advantage of being much better at filtering dangerous organic acids out of your refrigerant.
Filtration System
Filter driers also act to remove physical debris from your refrigerant lines. This keeps such contaminants from affecting internal components by increasing friction and wear. The simplest filtration system is known as surface filtration. These systems act much like the mesh screens installed in faucets and other plumbing fixtures, blocking unwanted debris from entering the system.
The problem with surface filtration is that over time those screens tend to become so choked with debris that the refrigerant itself has trouble flowing through. This problem can be avoided through the use of so-called depth filtration. These filters utilize a three dimensional “maze” to trap contaminants while still allowing the refrigerant alternative paths through the system.
If you would like to learn more about the particular type of filter drier in your air conditioning system, please feel free to contact the experts at ABA Heating and Cooling.
