Air Conditioning System
As the temperature increases in your home the thermostat activates the air conditioning system which initiates a whole sequence of events. The furnace air handling unit kicks on, drawing room air in from various parts of the house through return-air ducts.
Most central air conditioning units are hooked up to furnace units which allows the use of existing duct work, filters and blowers to circulate and cool the house. The evaporator coil is installed in the return air unit and provides the cooling source.
Using a constant cycle of compression and expansion, which is the basis for most air conditioning units, the evaporator is responsible for creating cold air. Every air conditioner has three main parts: a condenser, an evaporator, and a compressor.
With a typical "split system," the condenser and the compressor are located in an outdoor unit; the evaporator is mounted in the air handling unit, which is often a forced air furnace.
Modern air conditioners use Freon 22 which circulates through copper tubing that runs between these components. This refrigerant receives and releases heat as it raises and lowers in temperature, changing from liquid to gas back to liquid. This is accomplished through alternately compressing the gas and allowing it to expand.
The refrigerant is especially cold when it begins to circulate through the indoor coil. As the air handler pushes warm room air across this coil, the cold refrigerant absorbs so much heat from the air that it turns into a vapor. As a vapor, it travels to a compressor that pressurizes it and moves it through the outdoor coil, which jettisons the heat.
A fan also helps to dissipate this heat. The refrigerant then passes through an expansion device that converts it to a low-pressure, low-temperature liquid, which returns to the indoor coil. The other benefit of air conditioning is that it removes humidity from the air allowing our skin to evaporate moisture created from our bodies, which again makes us feel cooler and more comfortable.
Central Air Conditioner Tips and News
From BarrieHomeInspections.com