The San Joaquin Valley cooling season is long and hot, and your air conditioner works hard to keep you cool. Knowing a little about air conditioner anatomy will help you communicate with an HVAC technician in the event service is needed on your system, and will also help you troubleshoot common air conditioning problems later in the summer.
The refrigerant in your system travels through three main components to remove heat from your home’s air and send it outside.
The air in your home is sent through your return registers and into your system by the blower. The air flows over the evaporator coil, through which cold, liquid refrigerant flows. The refrigerant absorbs the heat from the air, increasing its temperature and changing it into a cool gas.
The gas travels to the compressor in your outdoor unit. The compressor squeezes the gas to increase its temperature, and the resulting hot gas flows into the condenser coil, also located outside. The fan inside the condensing unit sends the heat energy from the refrigerant to the air outdoors. As a result, the refrigerant’s temperature lowers, and it turns back into a cool liquid. The cool liquid is sent back to the evaporator coil to start the whole process over again.
Proper maintenance is essential for keeping your system working efficiently. Neglected systems don’t cool effectively, cost more to operate, and fail prematurely. If you haven’t already had your annual preventive tune-up by a qualified HVAC professional, it’s not too late to reap the benefits. Additionally, you should perform these tasks over the course of the summer to maintain optimum system efficiency.
- Check your air filter every month. When it’s dirty, replace it with a new filter to ensure optimum airflow, prevent dust buildup in your system and help keep your home’s air clean.
- Spray down your outdoor unit monthly to remove debris trapped in the fins.
Donald P. Dick Air Conditioning is dedicated to the year-round comfort and optimum air quality of Fresno area residents. For more expert information about air conditioner anatomy, please contact us today.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the greater Fresno, California area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about air conditioners and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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