Definition
A condensing unit is the outdoor half of a split air conditioning system. It houses the compressor, condenser coil, condenser fan motor and electrical components including the capacitor and contactor. Refrigerant vapor carrying heat from indoors is compressed inside the cabinet, and the coil and fan then release that heat to the outdoor air.
Also called: Condenser, Outdoor unit
Why it matters to you.
Through a long, humid Central Kentucky summer the condensing unit runs for hours at a stretch, and cottonwood fluff, grass clippings, leaves and pollen collect on its coil and restrict airflow. Problems often surface on the first hot, sticky week of the season, when the unit meets its heaviest load.
Practical guidance.
Keep shrubs, mulch and debris clear of the cabinet to the clearance the manufacturer specifies, and never open its electrical panel. A spring tune-up by a licensed technician checks the capacitor, contactor, refrigerant charge and coil before the summer heat arrives.
About this definition
Written by the Feistritzer Heating & Air Conditioning team — family owned and operated in Danville since 1976, Kentucky HVAC license M02584. Definitions inform; a whole-system diagnosis in your home decides.