Here in Palm Beach County, FL, it’s getting to be that time of year when it’s tough to go a day without running your air conditioner. How much do you know about this vital piece of equipment that you use every day?
Most homeowners do not know a great deal about their air conditioners, which is why it is so important to trust professionals with any air conditioning services you may need—including installation, repairs, or maintenance. But in order to familiarize yourself a little bit more with the system that is so necessary for homeowners in our area, we’ve put together a quick guide to how it works.
Refrigeration: How It Works
Air conditioners work via refrigeration, just like your refrigerator does. Refrigerant flows from the inside portions of your air conditioner—the air handler—to the outside portion, undergoing phase changes—gas to liquid and back again. As it does so, refrigerant removes heat from the air inside of your home and releases this heat back outside. This continues until the home reaches the set temperature. It could not accomplish this without some major components.
The Vital Components
Here are just some of the components that help keep the refrigeration cycle going smoothly.
- Compressor – This part is located outside and adds pressure to the refrigerant gas so that it can move through the system with ease.
- Condenser coil – Heat dissipates from the refrigerant and into the outside air as it passes through this coil and condenses into a liquid.
- Expansion valve – Before changing back to a gas, refrigerant cools down and loses some pressure at the expansion valve.
- Evaporator coil – Refrigerant evaporates at this coil and absorbs heat as a fan blows past it.
- Outside fan – Assists with condensation and helps heat to dissipate from the coil.
- Blower fan – Sucks in air from the home to move past the evaporator coil and through the ducts.
- Air filter – Keeps the air filter from becoming damaged and protects your air quality.
If you want to keep these vital components in the best shape possible, call the experts at Advantage Air Conditioning, and get in touch with our experts when any of these parts needs repair.
