Five Key Air Conditioner Parts and What They Do?
It is essential to know how the AC system works to determine a problem’s origin. Knowing where the problem is originating makes it easy for a technician to find and resolve the issues without wasting time checking other AC parts for malfunctioning.
The experts at the best AC accessories shop near me will explain the details of your AC system’s essential components.
Five Essential AC Components that Make the Cooling Process Real
The five essential components that make it possible to achieve comfort in the summer seasons are:
- Compressor
- Condenser
- Evaporator
- Expansion valve
- Refrigerant
How Each Component Contributes to Providing a Comfortable Environment?
To understand the functioning of the components, it is necessary to know how these components bring cooling into your home.
Refrigerant
Refrigerant is the element that brings the cooling into our homes. Refrigerant is composed of a chemical compound that absorbs heat from the outside environment and provides cooling in return.
Different types of refrigerants are used in HVAC systems, but the EPA has banned some due to their adverse effect on the environment. Freon (R-22) gas is a chemical made up of chlorofluorocarbons which begins interacting with the ozone layer, and the layer depletes primarily because of the refrigerant.
Therefore, if your AC system is over a decade old, it might use R-22 as a refrigerant fluid. You might not receive a refill of the refrigerant gas at the AC accessories shop near me, but instead, you may find an alternative solution.
Compressor
The cooling process starts with the compressor. The compressor is an electric pump that transforms the refrigerant gas into liquid by squeezing all the gas particles together. As the gas particles come together, the pressure and temperature increase. The temperature of the gas should be higher than the outer environment. Why? We will find out about it in the next section.
Condenser
Now, the condenser is in the shape of coils, and as the refrigerant passes through the coils, heat transfer takes place. According to the thermodynamic laws, the heat flows from a hotter place to a colder place. Since the temperature inside the coil is higher than in the outer environment, all the heat inside the coils will flow to the outer environment.
Expansion Valve
An expansion valve is a small component in the system to cool down the refrigerant gas. According to the combined gas laws, the gas temperature automatically decreases as the pressure decreases. So, the expansion valve’s job is to decrease the pressure of the refrigerant liquid and turn it into vapor.
The expansion valve also controls the amount of refrigerant flowing in the evaporator coils.
Evaporator
An evaporator is the last stop for the refrigerant in the cooling process. The evaporator takes all the heat from the interiors, and as the cool refrigerant vapor flows through the evaporator coils, the heat exchange occurs. The refrigerant absorbs the heat from the collected air as the heat follows from hotter to colder places.
The air surrounding the evaporator coils becomes chilled, and the blower fans from behind blow the air in your room to make it cool.
Conclusion
If any of these essential components malfunction or get damaged during the operation, you might need to replace them because it will be difficult to repair them. If you are looking for an air conditioner parts store near me for AC replacement service, HVAC Warehouse is a great place to start looking for a new component.
