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.
