How much do you know about your AC system? If you’re like most people, you know enough to change the air filter every few months and that’s about it…
Having a basic understanding of how your AC unit works though will help you to better identify the source of a problem if and when a malfunction occurs, and whether or not you need to call a professional AC repairman.
There are lots of small but necessary parts that make up what we simply refer to as the “air conditioner.” And while you certainly don’t have to know each and every one of them, here are four of the most critical parts of a central AC system:
Evaporator
The evaporator is located on the cold side of the air conditioner and is paired with a fan that blows air over the chilled coils and into the home. The evaporator receives the liquid refrigerant and converts it to gas through a drop in pressure.
Condenser
The condenser works the opposite of the evaporator and converts the evaporated refrigerant back into a liquid through a process known as “heat transfer”—the principle that heat will always move from a warmer to a cooler substance. In most central A/C units, condenser coils are housed in the outside unit and look like a radiator in a car engine.
Expansion valve
In between the evaporator and condenser coils is the expansion valve, which is responsible for removing pressure from the liquid refrigerant to allow the conversion into gas that occurs in the evaporator.
Compressor
Last but not least, the purpose of the compressor is to re-pressurize the refrigerant gas in order to turn it back into liquid. So the compressor assists the condenser, while the expansion valve assists the evaporator.
Congratulations! You now know more about your A/C unit than most people – apart from the professionals, of course.
If you run into an A/C problem or need annual maintenance, give Richmond’s Air a call for prompt, professional A/C repair. Our knowledgeable air conditioning repairmen are the best in Houston, there’s no heating and A/C problem we can’t fix!
Talk to a Houston HVAC expert at Richmond’s Air today about your indoor comfort needs.
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