For many Florida residents, having air conditioning is simply synonymous with having a home. There’s no getting around the fact that we live in a climate whose heat and humidity require cooling solutions that are durable, powerful, and efficient. But do you know what components comprise your AC? Being more informed about how your AC works is a great way to make sure that you know when something goes wrong with its operation.
Refrigerant is an essential part of your AC, flowing through a circuit of coils, compressor, and expansion valve. Beginning with the compressor, low-pressure gas is compressed into a high temperature, high pressure gas that is then dispersed through the outdoor condenser coil by means of an exhaust fan. This is essentially the thermal energy taken from your indoor air, but brought to a temperature higher than that of the outdoors in order to dissipate effectively. After the refrigerant is condensed, it is then expanded by a valve that meters the flow of refrigerant, which causes it cool rapidly. It’s now ready to be used for cooling.
Your evaporator coil circulates cold refrigerant, and the warm air from your home is blown through the coils to cool the air. The evaporator coil is often pyramid-shaped and sits within the indoor air handler, typically above the blower motor. Your indoor evaporator coil must be kept clean at all times in order to be effective, and any airflow or low refrigerant issues can cause your evaporator to freeze over. The refrigerant then returns to the compressor, and the refrigerant cycle begins again.
For more information about your air conditioning system, or to schedule an installation, repair, or maintenance, call for West Palm Beach air conditioning services from Envirotech.
