When the air conditioner as we know it was invented, it wasn’t designed to make people comfortable. It was designed to lower the humidity. As the temperature of air falls, the amount of humidity it can hold drops as well. That makes air conditioning doubly useful in Florida, but do you know how an A/C works? It takes a lot of moving pieces, which are outlined below.
Thermostat
The thermostat monitors how warm your home is and compares it against the thermostat’s set point. When the temperature rises, it tells the air conditioner to turn on.
Evaporator Coil
When the A/C turns on, an evaporator coil begins evaporating liquid refrigerant. The refrigerant evaporates because it takes on the heat energy of the air in your home, cooling the air around it.
Blower Fan
This fan moves cooled air through the ductwork of your home, bringing it to your living areas where you can enjoy it. This movement draws older air from various locations in your home through the return air vents and back to the evaporator coils.
Filter
The air is drawn through the HVAC system’s air filter to remove dust and other particulates from the air.
Compressor
Meanwhile, the evaporated refrigerant travels outside, pushed by the system’s compressor. It travels through a series of copper refrigerant lines.
Condenser
Outside, the large condenser unit returns the refrigerant to a liquid state. When this happens, the heat energy it’s been carrying is surrendered, heating the nearby air.
Fan
An outdoor fan chases the warm air away from the condenser, where it disperses into the outdoor environment. If the condenser is surrounded by overgrowth, boxes or other clutter, it won’t be able to do this, meaning that the condenser will have a harder time surrendering the heat from your home.
If you’re curious to know how an A/C works, check out Climatic Conditioning Co., Inc.’s air conditioning services, or call (941) 758-3080.
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