What Are the Main Parts of Your Heating Air Conditioning Unit?

It could be worthwhile to invest in a new unit in the event that your home’s air conditioner is old and in need of repair. A residential HVAC professional can help you select the right option for your needs.

The majority of cooling systems rely on electricity to cool and heat homes. However, certain gas-powered or propane air conditioners, use natural gas to fuel furnaces and run condensers in a split system.

Evaporator

An evaporator coil is the part of your air conditioner that cools your home. The evaporator coil is located in a box attached to or inside your gas furnace (if you have one) or in an air handler in the event that you don’t have. The evaporator is the place where the refrigerant liquid transforms into gas and absorbs heat from your home’s indoor air.

The evaporator is comprised of one or more copper coils that are packed tightly together. The refrigerant has a low pressure when it gets to the coils, which makes it easier to transfer heat.

A fan blows your home’s warm air through the coil of the evaporator. This air is cooled when heat is removed from the evaporator. This reduces the temperature of the air inside. The cool air then flows through your home’s ductwork system to each room, where it circulates until it returns to the air conditioning system through return ducts.

The evaporator, in contrast to the compressor, only needs to raise the boiling point of the refrigerant down to a low temperature to ensure effective air cooling. The evaporator also has its own fans to help it in achieving this goal.

The metering device in the evaporator helps to ensure that the refrigerant is at an even amount of liquid within it. The float on the low-side is designed to open when there’s no liquid in the evaporator and it closes when it detects liquid entering the coils.

There are two primary types of evaporators: Cased and uncased. The most common type of evaporator that you will find in your home is a cased model. It’s enclosed inside the metal casing that protects your air conditioning unit. A non-cased evaporator is the same, except it doesn’t have the outer shell that protects it.

While both evaporators serve the identical purpose, it’s vital to select a model suitable for the specific requirements of your home. For instance, some models are more suited to more harsh working environments, whereas others are better suited for more moderate conditions. Consider how easy it is to clean and maintain your evaporator. This could save you money, time and effort.

Condenser

The condenser is one of three primary parts of your home’s air conditioning system that help keep it working efficiently. It is situated outside of the home, and is connected to the evaporator’s coil by refrigerant lines and contains several fans and metal fins that work to remove heat from the refrigerant gas that was transported from the evaporator. The heat that is emitted helps the refrigerant cool down and transform back to liquid form.

A compressor is attached to the condenser unit. It is used to pressurize low-pressure liquid refrigeration that has been pumped out of the evaporator coil. The compressor’s squeezing action increases the temperature, which is then carried into the condenser to absorb heat trapped in the air. Once it has completed its cooling process, the refrigerant is pushed back into the compressor where it is again pressurized before being pumped into the evaporator coil. There, the process begins all over again.

Because the condenser is located outside, it is exposed to the elements. Debris, such as twigs leaves, grass clippings and even roofing shingles can get into the condenser unit and cause damage to it. A universal HVAC condenser will protect your heating and cooling equipment from damage while not in use.

Do not shade the condenser. Doing so can restrict air flow and make the compressor work harder to cool your home. This could result in higher energy bills and a possible loss of refrigerant.

Regular maintenance will ensure that your HVAC system is operating properly. Regularly having a professional technician inspect all major components of your HVAC system can help prevent major problems. A professional service team can prevent problems by regularly checking the refrigerant levels. By following these steps, you can help to extend the life of your cooling and heating system and reduce the cost of energy.

Compressor

The compressor is the heart of your air conditioning. It circulates refrigerant throughout the system, ensuring that everything stays cool. It is as the blood flowing through your body, in that it circulates coolant back and forth between your condenser and evaporator coils. If the compressor fails then the evaporator won’t be able to perform its job, and your home will get extremely hot.

There are many different types of HVAC compressors and each has its own pros and cons. A reciprocating compressor, for instance it has a piston that moves upwards and downwards in a cylinder. This movement creates a suction that draws in the refrigerant. As the piston moves downwards it reduces the gas volume. A discharge valve opens to release the pressurized refrigeration from the condenser.

This type of compressor also has a clutch as well as crankshaft, which assists the piston to compress the air. A rotary compressor, on the other hand, has blades inside the cylinder that help to compress the air. This type of compressor is quiet, which makes it a popular option for homes with a small space.

Both types of HVAC compressors are designed to raise the temperature of the refrigerant’s liquid as it is being compressed, ensuring that the vapor that exits the compressor is high-temperature and high-pressure. Since heat naturally flows from higher-temperature substances to lower-temperature ones, the hot vapor will move into the evaporator coils, and return to its original liquid state.

While you can’t prevent the chance of having problems with the compressor, you can stop the majority of AC problems by staying on top of your maintenance schedule. This will ensure that your equipment will last for a long time and provide peace of mind that your home will always be comfortable. Griffith Energy Services can help you choose the best repair option if you have a compressor issue.

Thermostat

The thermostat is your heating and cooling system’s brain and it controls the time and frequency at which the system turns on and off. It reads the air temperature and compares it to an established desired level. If it is off by just a few degrees the thermostat will send an electronic signal to bring it towards the desired temperature. The majority of modern thermostats monitor temperature using the digital sensor, also known as a thermosistor. The thermistor is comprised of two metals that expand in different ways when heated and cause the metals to flex in an opposite direction. When the thermistor is at the temperature it was set to it sends a signal to the circuit board that your heating or AC should be switched on.

Modern thermostats come with touchscreens that make them easy to use and program. They can be programmed to automatically heat or cool your house at specific time frames, which avoids the hassle of manually setting it every day. In addition, they provide reports on energy consumption to help you figure out how to cut down on costs.

If you have an older electromechanical model, it is somewhat more complicated. It consists of a bimetallic strip which is bonded to a vial using mercury. If the temperature changes in the vial, it causes the mercury inside the vial to shift in a way, interrupting or completing an electrical circuit. When the vial tips the thermostat, it turns on the cooling and heating system.

To keep your thermostat in good working condition It is essential to clean it frequently to get rid of any dust that has built up. Also, make sure it isn’t crooked or loose. In certain cases, the thermostat’s readings may be inaccurate due to a dirty or damaged evaporator coil. In this situation you’ll have to contact an expert to fix the issue. If the issue is something else, like a blank screen, you can try replacing the batteries or ensuring that your breaker hasn’t been activated. This is an example of how your HVAC system can be more efficient when you spend the time to learn about it and improve its use.