Your Air Conditioner’s Parts and How They Work Together to Keep You Cool
The journey through the system of your air conditioner’s parts might compare to the adventure in the 1966 movie, “Fantastic Voyage.” Come along with the experts at Keith Air Conditioning, Inc. and see how your system works.
Three main stops await: the compressor, condenser and evaporator. A
visual diagram maps it out. The vehicle is a chemical fluid easily converted
between a gas and a liquid. Your air conditioner’s parts transform the fluid
between these two states, absorbing heat from the inside of your home and taking
it outside, keeping you cool in the process.
The journey is circular, and perhaps the best place to begin is…
- The compressor: The working fluid leaves the house in a gaseous state, traveling
to the outdoor unit where the first stop is the compressor. The gas is squeezed
together tightly, getting hotter than the air outside, too hot to become a
liquid just yet. That’s next.
- The condenser: To become a liquid, some of the heat needs to be removed. The
condenser uses the air outside for cooling, while keeping the pressure high. A
coiling pattern gives time for the transformation to happen. The liquid, still
very warm, is sent back into the house, where the cooling magic happens.
- The evaporator: The liquid passes through a tiny nozzle controlling the
process. Once inside, another set of coils allows space for the liquid to expand into a gas, but the molecules need heat to accomplish this and snap up all they can. The
heat is taken from the air inside, which your duct system has directed over the
coils. The air leaves the heat and goes on, cooled and fanned back into the
house.
This voyage between compression and expansion, harnessing the forces of
energy to keep you cool, is the goal of your air conditioner’s parts.
For more information on air conditioning or any other HVAC topics, contact us at Keith Air Conditioning. We’re proud to have served the Mobile and greater Baldwin County area since 1964.