The temperatures are reaching record numbers around the country and most homes are utilizing some variety of air conditioner to battle the summer heat. Although we are all thankful that your air conditioner is functioning, the professionals at J & J Air Conditioning in Eastland wants to give you a glimpse at just how an AC system works.
The Basics
There’s plenty of science regarding keeping your living space at a comfortable temperature. Your air conditioner functions in a comparable way to your refrigerator, of course your air conditioner has a bigger job to tackle. Both your fridge and AC cool with a constant loop of refrigerant, with your AC this refrigerant loops from inside to outside your home. This refrigerant quickly alters from a liquid to gas and back to a liquid again. It flows into your residence as a sub-cooled liquid and as it evaporates it takes in heat from inside the home and expands back into vapor. This vapor then moves back to the unit outside where the heat is let go and is then condensed back into a sub-cooled liquid.
Four Components
There are 4 core components to your
air conditioner unit: a compressor, an evaporator coil, the condensing coil and an expansion valve.
The evaporator coil is the place your refrigerant evaporates from a sub-cooled liquid into a super-heated vapor. This component can be found indoors, in your garage or even in your attic. Warm air passes throughout the cold evaporator coil and the heat is removed from the air. This cooled air is then transferred throughout your home.
Your compressor sits in your outdoor condensing unit. The super-heated vapor from your evaporator coil enters into the compressor which raises the pressure of the vapor until it is converted into hot, high pressure vapor. The hot vapor then moves back into the condenser coil where less hot outdoor air flows across the coil, heat is moved outdoors and the refrigerant is converted back into a sub-cooled liquid. This sub-cooled liquid is then returned to the indoor evaporator coil by an expansion valve or metering device. The process is then repeated.
That completes your physics lesson today…your air conditioner runs on an endless loop of science. We know that it’s not as top-priority to you how it works, but just the fact it’s running. If you’d like to discuss staying cool and comfortable in Eastland you can reach us at 254-355-3833. With the help of our team and science we’re going to make it through this sweltering summer.