The temperatures are reaching record highs across the states and many homes are utilizing some type of air conditioner to battle the smoldering heat. While we are all appreciative that your air conditioner is functioning, the team at Strine's Heating & Air Conditioning in York wants to give you a glimpse at just how an AC system works.
The Basics
There’s plenty of science behind keeping your house cooler. Your air conditioner operates in a parallel way to your refrigerator, of course your air conditioner has a bigger job to tackle. Both your fridge and AC cool with a constant loop of refrigerant, in your air conditioner this refrigerant loops from inside to outside your home. This refrigerant quickly alters from a liquid to gas and back to a liquid again. It flows into your home as a sub-cooled liquid and as it evaporates it soaks in heat from inside the home and turns back into vapor. This vapor then moves back to your outdoor unit where the heat is freed and is then condensed back into a sub-cooled liquid.
Four Components
There are 4 main sections to your cooling system: a compressor, an evaporator coil, the condensing coil and an expansion valve.
The evaporator coil is where your refrigerant evaporates from a sub-cooled liquid into a super-heated vapor. This component can be located indoors, in your garage or possibly in your attic. Warm air moves across the cold evaporator coil and the heat is separated from the air. This cooled air is then sent throughout the space inside your home.
Your compressor sits in your outdoor condensing unit. The super-heated vapor from your evaporator coil goes into the compressor which raises the pressure of the vapor until it is changed into hot, high pressure vapor. The hot vapor then enters back into the condenser coil where less hot outdoor air flows across the coil, heat is pushed outdoors and the refrigerant is changed back into a sub-cooled liquid. The sub-cooled liquid returns to the indoor evaporator coil via an expansion valve or metering device. The process is then repeated.
That concludes your physics lesson of the day…your air conditioner functions on an relentless loop of science. We understand that it’s not as important to you how it works, but just the fact it’s running. If you’d like to discuss staying cool and comfortable in York contact us at 717-383-4479. You’ll be able to get through this hot weather thanks to science and the support from our experts.