Air conditioners are one of many appliances that form part of modern daily life, but whose operation few people aside from professionals fully understand. ACs produce cold air through a process that has something to do with a chemical called refrigerant, and there’s exhaust involved….That’s as much as most people know about how air conditioners work, and even that might be stretching it a bit.
In this post we’ll describe the action of an air conditioner and how it cools down your home. Although we will keep our description as simple as possible, keep in mind that modern air conditioning systems are anything but simple in their mechanics. When you need air conditioning repair in Wellington, FL, only call on professionals, not amateurs. And don’t try repairs yourself! Call Envirotech Air Quality Services: we’re ready any time of the day or night to repair your AC.
Air Conditioning Basics
Air conditioners work through the principle of heat exchange: they do not create cooling, they instead move heat from the air in one location (inside your house) and remove it as heat exhaust into another (outside your house). The basic components that allow an air conditioner to do this are refrigerant, the compressor, the evaporator coil, the condenser coil, and the blower fans.
Refrigerant is a chemical blend that makes an easy phase transition between liquid and gas. It begins the heat exchange cycle in the compressor, which turns the liquid refrigerant into a hot, high pressure gas. The refrigerant moves first to the outdoor coil, where contact with the outdoor air causes condensation, a process that releases heat to the outside.
The cooled-down refrigerant now moves to the indoor unit and through its coil, which is the evaporator coil. As the warm air inside contacts the colder refrigerant in the coil, evaporation occurs, which absorbs heat. The refrigerant returns to the compressor to start the process over, while the blower fan sends out the air that has had heat removed from it into the ductwork. Thus, you feel air coming from the vents that’s cooler than the air in the room.
Care and Maintenance of an Air Conditioner
All the components of an AC are important for effective operation. If you notice a decline in cooling power or drop in airflow from your air conditioning system, you need to call repair technicians to find where the problem lies and fix it.
You should also receive annual maintenance on the system to make sure it is not developing malfunctions and to ensure that it works at its most efficient. Call Envirotech Air Quality Services to sign up for regular maintenance, as well as any necessary air conditioning service you need for your home in Wellington, FL.