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

If the air conditioning in your home 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.

Most cooling systems rely on electricity to cool and heat homes. However, some, such as propane or gas-powered air conditioners, use natural gas to fuel furnaces and operate condensers in split systems.

Evaporator

An Evaporator coil is the component of your air conditioner that cools your home. The evaporator can be found inside a box that is attached to your gas furnace or within it (if you own one). If you don’t have one, the coil is located in an air handler. The evaporator is the place where the refrigerant turns into a liquid, and absorbs heat from the air in your home.

The evaporator consists of one or more copper coils which are tightly packed. The refrigerant reaches the coils at low pressure, which makes it easier to transfer heat as it evaporates into gaseous form.

A fan blows warm air from your home to the coil that is used to evaporate. This air is cooled as heat is taken away from the evaporator. This reduces the temperature of your indoor air. The cool air is circulated through the ductwork in your home to each room.

Contrary to the compressor, which has to create refrigerant gas at high temperatures to ensure efficient cooling, the evaporator only requires it to raise its boiling point to a lower temperature to allow for efficient air cooling. The evaporator also has its own fans to help it to achieve this objective.

The evaporator’s metering device helps to ensure that the refrigerant maintains a constant level of liquid within it. The low-side floating is designed to open if there is no liquid in the evaporator, and close when liquid enters the coils.

There are two types of evaporators, noncased and cases-based. The most popular type of evaporator in your home is the cased one. It is enclosed within the metal casing that surrounds your air conditioning unit. Uncased evaporators are similar, except it doesn’t have the protective outer shell.

Both evaporators have the same purpose but it is important to choose the one that will meet your home’s specific needs. For instance, some models are better suited for more harsh working environments, whereas others are better suited for more moderate conditions. You should also consider how easy it will be to clean and maintain the evaporator, as this could save you time, money and hassle in the long in the long.

Condenser

Condensers are among the three main components of your cooling system. They assist in making it operate efficiently. The condenser is situated outside the house and is connected to the evaporator by refrigerant pipes. It contains fans and metal fins which help remove heat from the refrigerant which has been transferred from the evaporator. The heat that is removed allows the refrigerant to cool down and transform back into a liquid state.

A compressor is attached to the condenser unit. It operates to pressurize low-pressure liquid refrigeration that is pumped out of the evaporator coil. The compressor’s squeezing action increases the temperature, which is then transferred to the condenser unit to absorb heat trapped in the air. After the cooling cycle is completed the refrigerant is moved into the compressor, where it will be pressurized prior to being pumped back to the evaporator coil.

Since the condenser is situated outdoors, it is vulnerable to the elements. Leaves and twigs, grass clippings, or even roofing shingles, can damage the condenser. The addition of a universal HVAC condenser cover to your heating and cooling system can help safeguard the equipment from damage even when it’s not in use.

Do not shade the condenser. Shades can limit air flow and make the compressor work harder to cool your home. This can result in more energy costs and a potential loss of refrigerant.

Regular maintenance will ensure that your HVAC system is operating correctly. A professional service technician examine all of the major components of your system regularly can help to prevent any major problems from occurring. A professional service team can also prevent problems by regularly checking the refrigerant level. Follow these easy steps to help extend the life of your heating/cooling system and reduce energy bills.

Compressor

The compressor is the core of your air conditioning. It pumps refrigerant through the system, ensuring that everything stays cool. It is like the blood that flows through your body as it pumps coolant between your evaporator coils and condenser. If something goes wrong with your compressor, it will stop the evaporator and condenser from performing their jobs and will make your home feeling uncomfortable warm.

There are many different types of HVAC compressors. Each one comes with its own advantages and disadvantages. A reciprocating compressor, for example it has a piston that moves up and down in the cylindrical. This creates a suction that draws in the refrigerant. As the piston moves downward, it reduces gas volume. A discharge valve then opens to release the pressurized refrigeration into the condenser.

This type of compressor also comes with a clutch and crankshaft, which assists the piston to compress the air. A rotary compressor comes with blades that are within the cylinder, which aid in compressing the air. This type of compressor is quiet, which makes it a popular option for homes with a small space.

The HVAC compressors of both kinds are designed to raise temperature of the liquid as it is compressed. This creates the formation of a high-temperature, high pressure vapor. Since heat naturally flows from higher-temperature substances to those with lower temperatures the hot vapor is able to move into the evaporator coils before it can transform back to its original liquid state.

You can avoid most AC issues by staying on top with your maintenance schedule. This will help your equipment last for many years, and it will give you peace of mind knowing your home is always at ease. Griffith Energy Services can help you decide on the best repair options if you experience a compressor problem.

Thermostat

The thermostat is your heating and cooling system’s brain and it controls when and how the system is turned on and off. It measures the temperature of the air and compares it to a preset desired level. If it is off by just a few degrees the thermostat will send an electronic signal to alter it to bring it closer to the desired temperature. The majority of modern thermostats measure temperature using an electronic sensor referred to as a thermosistor. The thermistor is made up of two metals that expand in different ways when heated which causes the metals to bend in opposite directions. When the thermistor reaches its temperature it tells the circuit board to turn on your heating or AC system.

The touchscreens on the newer models make it easy to program and operate. Many thermostats are programmed to automatically cool and heat your home at certain times. This will save you from having to set them manually every day. In addition, they provide information on energy usage so that you can figure out how to cut back on expenses.

If you have an older electromechanical model the way it operates is a bit more complicated. It is made up of a bimetallic strip which is attached to a vial with mercury. When the temperature changes in the vial, it causes the mercury inside the vial to tilt and complete or interrupt an electrical circuit. When the vial is tilted, it triggers the thermostat to activate the heating or cooling system.

To ensure that your thermostat is in good working order, you must clean it regularly to remove any dust that may have accumulated. Also, you should ensure that it is not loose or crooked. In certain cases the thermostat may be having issues in its readings due to an unclean evaporator coil or the thermistor being damaged. In this case, you will need to call a professional to fix it for you. If the issue is something else, such as blank screens it is possible to try replacing the batteries or checking that your breaker hasn’t been tripped. This is an illustration of how your HVAC system can be more efficient if you make the effort to research it and improve its use.