The A/C: How It Works, Some Terms to Know
The hot and humid summers of Broken Arrow put quite a demand on your A/C. You can keep your air conditioning operating at its best with some basic knowledge and a plan for regular maintenance. Understanding how your air conditioning works and knowing some of the terms will help you get the most from your system.How it worksYour A/C removes heat from the air inside your home and releases it to the outside. Cool air is then circulated throughout your home. It does this by using a refrigerant that changes from liquid to gas and back to liquid. It absorbs heat as it evaporates and releases heat when it condenses.Basic components
Compressor: The A/C compressor is typically located outside and driven by an electric motor. It compresses the refrigerant. The high pressure packs the molecules of the refrigerant together, thereby raising its temperature and energy. This hot, high pressure vapor then goes to the condenser.
Condenser: The condenser is also located outside along with the compressor in what is called the condensing unit. Air blows across the condensing coils and releases heat from the gas to the outside air. As the temperature of the refrigerant lowers it becomes a liquid and is moved to the expansion valve.
Expansion valve: The hot liquid refrigerant becomes a mist as it passes through the tiny opening of the expansion valve. The molecules have room to expand and cool. The refrigerant is now a low pressure cool liquid and moves to the evaporator coil inside your home.
Evaporator coil: Warm air is cooled as it blows across the evaporator coil. The refrigerant heats up as it absorbs heat energy from the air and returns to a gaseous state. It then returns to the compressor to repeat the heat exchange process.
For more information on air conditioning and keeping your home comfortable and energy efficient, contact Air Assurance. We have more than 30 years experience serving the Tulsa metropolitan area and have the largest HVAC fleet in the area ready to serve you 24 hours a day, seven days a week.Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Image courtesy of Shutterstock