You’re feeling a bit warm. You turn on the A/C. What magic goes into making this ubiquitous device run? Think of the warm air in your home as navigating a mini thermodynamic obstacle course—it’s always in search of cooler air. The four main obstacles in the race for cooling are the evaporator coil, the condenser coil, the compressor, and the expansion valve.
First, the warm air is circulated from the vents in your rooms and pulled into a space in the air conditioning unit filled with copper coils. These coils contain a cold refrigerant, and as the air passes over them, the heat is absorbed. A fan then blows across the chilly coils, pushing cooled air back into the room. The challenge continues as the now warm refrigerant flows out of the home to the compressor which, as the name implies, compresses the refrigerant and raises the temperature. Next it goes across the condenser and vaporizes into the outdoor air with the help of a fan. The now cooled refrigerant finally enters an expansion valve which further cools the liquid, and the cycle continues.
Be sure to schedule regular check ups with Appel’s trained technicians for a 20 point inspection of your air conditioning system. We’ll clean the coils and check the refrigerant levels in your unit to ensure the race to cool continues without interruption this summer.