What Makes My Air Conditioner Work?
Air conditioning is a relatively new technological invention that many homeowners take for granted. Many of us do not even consider how our systems work until they need repairing or replacing. Understanding what makes an air-conditioning system work and how the various parts function, however, is an excellent way to spot potential problems before they become too serious. 
What Makes an Air Conditioning System Work?
First important thing to note is that Air Conditioning is a component of your Heating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system. The system absorbs heat from the inside of your home through the evaporator (box generally attached to the top of your heater) and disposes of that same heat outside of your home through the condenser (box that blows hot air outside of your home).
How Cool Air is Produced
While air conditioning systems work through evaporation, there are many parts that play key roles. Outside your home we will start with the condensing unit, because it’s the starting and stopping place for your system. The compressor a component in that unit should be considered the heart in the refrigerant system. Just like your heart it moves its blood (refrigerant) throughout the system. No heart no life, no compressor no cooling. The compressor like its name says compresses the refrigerant into a high temperature high pressure vapor. This vapor now moves through the condensing coil where it is cooled using the outdoor fan, to the point that it condenses into a high temperature high pressure liquid.
This liquid refrigerant travels through the copper piping to the inside of your home till it reaches the evaporator coil (the evaporator coil is located just above your heater in a box.) The liquid refrigerant is forced through a metering devise which causes the refrigerant to drop in pressure and starts to flash back into a low temperature, low pressure vapor. The vapor travels through the coil where the fan in the heater forces the air drawn from your home to pass over the outside of the aluminum fins of the coil (the refrigerant and the air never physically touch.) Since heat is drawn to cold the refrigerant absorbs the heat from the air. The humidity or moisture condenses on that cold coil and drains out at the condensate pipe. The refrigerant now returns back through the copper piping to the condensing unit and back into the compressor to start all over again. This process continues until the temperature that you have set on your thermostat is met.
Contact Horizon Services
So, are you ready to install or replace a heater or air conditioner? Our friendly and experienced team of Comfort Specialists knows heating and air conditioning systems inside and out. They’ll take the time to study your home, understand your heating and cooling requirements, show you all of your options and assist you with finding the quality home comfort system that best meets your family’s needs and budget.
For more information, visit our Installation and Replacement section!
(3) Comments
John Watson August 22nd, 2012 at 2:09 am
Excellent article.
Heating and Cooling Kitchener Waterloo August 25th, 2012 at 10:38 am
Production and importing of today’s main refrigerant for home air conditioners, HCFC-22 (also called R-22), will begin to be phased out in 2010 and will stop entirely by 2020. However, HCFC-22 is expected to be available for many years as it is recovered from old systems that are taken out of service. As these refrigerants are phased out, ozone-safe hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are expected to dominate the market, as well as alternative refrigerants such as ammonia.
Heating and Cooling September 10th, 2012 at 1:17 pm
This is a helpful article. The compressor is the ‘heart’ of the system. The compressor acts as the pump, causing the refrigerant to flow through the system. The working fluid arrives at the compressor as a cool, low-pressure gas. The compressor squeezes the fluid. The closer the molecules are together, the higher its energy and its temperature.