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

If your home’s air conditioning is in its senior years cost of repair and energy bills can make it worth investing in a new unit. A residential HVAC professional can assist you to choose the best solution for your needs.

Gas-powered air conditioners, also known as propane air conditioners make use of natural gas for heating and condensers to run.

Evaporator

The evaporator coil in your air conditioner is the one that cools your home. The evaporator coil can be found in a container that is attached to or inside your gas furnace (if you have one) or in an air handler if you don’t. The evaporator is where the refrigerant is transformed into a liquid and then absorbs heat from the air in your home.

The evaporator consists of a few copper coils that are tightly packed together. The refrigerant reaches the coils with low pressure, making it easier to transfer heat as it evaporates into gaseous state.

A fan blows warm air that is escaping your home over the evaporator coil. The air is then cooled through the removal of heat from the evaporator, which alters the refrigerant’s temperatures and lowers the temperature of your home’s air. The cooled air then moves through your home’s ductwork system to each room and circulates until it is returned 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 allow for effective air cooling. The evaporator uses its own fans to achieve this final goal.

The evaporator metering device makes sure that the liquid refrigerant is always at the same level. The low-side floating is designed to open if there is no liquid in the evaporator and close when liquid gets into the coils.

There are two primary kinds of evaporators: cases and uncased. A cased evaporator is the one you’ll likely to find in your home because it’s contained within the metal casing of your air conditioning unit. Uncased evaporators resemble cased evaporators, but they don’t have an outer shell that is protected.

Although both evaporators serve the same purpose, it’s important to select one that is able to meet your home’s unique requirements. Some models are better suited for harsher environments, while others may be better suited to milder conditions. You should also take into consideration how easy it would be to clean and maintain the evaporator, as this could save you time, money and effort in the long in the long.

Condenser

Condensers are one of the three main components of the cooling system in your home. They assist in making it operate efficiently. The condenser is outside the house and is connected to the evaporator via refrigerant pipes. It contains metal fins and fans which work to remove the heat from the refrigerant that has been transferred from the evaporator. The heat removed helps the refrigerant be cooled and transform to liquid form.

A compressor is attached to the condenser unit. It operates to pressurize low-pressure liquid refrigeration that has been pumped out of the evaporator coil. The squeezing action of the compressor raises the temperature of the coolant, which then passes into the condenser coils to absorb heat that is not being absorbed by the air around it. After the cooling cycle is complete, the refrigerant will be moved into the compressor, where it will be pressurized before being pumped back to the evaporator coil.

Since the condenser is outdoors, it is vulnerable to the elements. Debris like twigs, grass clippings, leaves and roofing shingles may fall into the condenser unit, causing damage to it. A universal HVAC condenser can shield your heating and cooling equipment from damage when not in use.

It is also crucial to ensure that the condenser is not shaded. Shades can limit air flow and make the compressor work harder to cool your home. This could lead to increased energy costs and potential loss of refrigerant.

Regular maintenance will ensure that your HVAC system is running properly. Having a professional service technician inspect all the major components of your system on a regular basis can assist in preventing any major problems from occurring. A professional service team can also keep your system in good working order by regularly checking the refrigerant levels. By following these simple steps, you can help to prolong the lifespan of your heating and cooling system and reduce your energy costs.

Compressor

A compressor is the center of your air conditioning unit, and it circulates refrigerant throughout the system to keep everything cool. You can think of it as the blood that circulates through your body, since it moves coolant back and forth between your condenser and evaporator coils. If the compressor fails, the evaporator will not be able to do its job and your house will become uncomfortably hot.

There are a myriad of different kinds of HVAC compressors. Each one comes with its own advantages and disadvantages. A reciprocating compressor, for instance it has a piston that moves upwards and downwards in the cylindrical. This produces a suction that draws in refrigerant. As the piston moves downward it reduces the gas volume. A discharge valve opens to let the pressurized refrigeration into the condenser.

This type of compressor is equipped with a clutch, and a crankshaft which helps the piston compress the air. A rotary compressor, on the other side, has blades within the cylinder that help to compress the air. This type of compressor is extremely quiet, which makes it a popular option for homes.

Both kinds of HVAC compressors are designed to increase the temperature of the liquid refrigerant as it is being compressed, ensuring that the vapor that leaves the compressor is high-pressure and high-temperature. It is normal for heat to flow from high-temperature substances to lower-temperature substances which is why the hot vapor moves to the evaporator before returning to its liquid state.

You can prevent most AC problems by keeping up with your maintenance schedule. This will help your equipment last for a long time, and will give you peace of mind knowing that your home is always at ease. Griffith Energy Services can help you determine the best repair options should you are experiencing a problem with your compressor.

Thermostat

The thermostat is the brain of your cooling and heating system, allowing it to control when and how it turns off and on. It compares the temperature of the air to a pre-set level. If it is off by a few degrees the thermostat will send an electronic signal to bring it towards the desired temperature. The majority of modern thermostats utilize a digital sensor called the thermistor, which measures the temperature. The thermistor is made up of two metals which expand differently when heated and cause the metals to bend in opposite direction. When the thermistor is at the temperature that it is set it informs the circuit board that heating or AC should be switched on.

The touchscreens on the newer models make it easy to program and operate. They can be programmed to automatically heat or cool your home at certain times, which saves you the headache of manually setting it every day. They also provide reports on energy usage so that you can find ways to cut expenses.

If you have an old electromechanical model, it’s somewhat more complicated. It is made up of a bimetallic band that is bonded to mercury a vial. When temperatures change, the mercury in a vial moves, either complete or breaking an electrical circuit. When the vial tilts the thermostat, it activates the cooling and heating system.

It is essential to regularly clean your thermostat to get rid of dust. You must also ensure that it’s not tangled or unbalanced. In some cases the thermostat’s readings might be inaccurate due to a dirty or damaged evaporator coil. In this scenario, you’ll have to contact a professional to fix it. If the issue is something else, such as an unresponsive screen, you can try changing the batteries or checking that your breaker has not been tripped. This is a great example of how you can make your HVAC system more efficient by understanding it and maximizing its use.