Most of us likely have not thought too much about the cycle of the air conditioner and how everything functions. Truth be told, we don’t blame you! However, we do feel at LRF Maintenance, Heating & Cooling that it’s important to become familiar with the parts of your air conditioner and the basic functionality they are purposed to serve. So, although you may not deem it necessary to familiarize yourself with the seven components crucial for air conditioner function, we highly encourage you to keep reading the following information. You may end up thanking us later down the road if a problem arises with your system; knowledge is key to making informed decisions as a homeowner.
What Job Does the Evaporator Coil Have?
The air conditioning cycle starts with the evaporator coil. This coil is located on the inside of the air handler, and if it’s not inside, it will be located near it. The purpose of the expansion valve is to remove any heat from your AC’s refrigerant as it passes through the coil.
What Job Does the Blower Fan Have?
Next, let’s go over the blower fan. This component is placed near the evaporator coil so that it can blow cool air over the coil to cool down the refrigerant as the evaporator coil completes its job by eradicating the heat.
What Purpose Does the Compressor Have?
Now onto the compressor! The compressor then moves the refrigerant from the evaporator to the copper tubing and then onto the condenser. At this point, the refrigerant is still in vapor form, so it needs to be converted to liquid form before continuing on in the cycle. This is where the compressor takes its time to shine, transforming the material into a hot liquid form.
What Job Does the Expansion Valve Have?
The expansion valve which comes next is the piece located between the condenser and the evaporator. The refrigerant that was just converted to a liquid now contains no ability to absorb heat. In order to resolve this, the expansion valve applies a drop of pressure to the refrigerant when it enters, which results in the refrigerant being once again transformed, but this time to gaseous form. This gas is swiftly chilled after its transformation so it can move on to the next component.
What Job Does the Condenser Have?
So what’s the purpose of the condenser? First, it takes the refrigerant, which was just converted to a high-pressure gas. Then, it changes back to its liquid form so it can be circulated back to the evaporator coil, where the air conditioning cycle once again starts entirely over.
What Job Does the Air Filter Have?
It is typical for airborne particles and pollutants to float around in the air. So naturally, we need the air to be as clean as possible to promote better health and well-being. This is made possible by your AC system’s air filters it has in place. Before the cold air is released and runs through your ductwork to be distributed through all the rooms in your house, airflow is made to pass through the air filters where these airborne particles and loose debris can be sifted through.
What Job Does the Thermostat Have?
The last component we want to bring up is the thermostat. You are probably already familiar with this one. So it may seem unnecessary to talk about, but it is still a significant piece of the parts that make up your whole cooling system. Installed on walls within the home, the thermostat acts as the main control panel in which homeowners can control and operate their preferences for temperature and all other HVAC settings.
You don’t have to be an HVAC specialist to have a general understanding of how your residential AC system works. Hopefully, this information has been informative to you and has helped you gain better insight into how your AC system functions as a whole. Please, remember that if anything comes up with your unit, you can always practice basic troubleshooting steps. But please leave any major repairs to the professionals. If you are searching for a locally owned HVAC company, look no further! LRF Maintenance, Heating & Cooling would be delighted to serve you! Reach us today at (614) 837-4822, or schedule an appointment online now by clicking here!