Your air conditioning system has many components that work together to cool your home. Knowing the different parts of the system and their functions can help you keep your system running properly, as well as help you troubleshoot should any issues arise.
The Main Components of An AC System & How They Work
With any type of system -- whether it be central AC, a heat pump, or a ductless system -- the thermostat will monitor and controls the temperature of the indoor air. Here's a basic understanding of how the cooling process for a conventional central AC system works:
The first step to cooling your home happens in the thermostat. The thermostat senses the air temperature needs to be lowered and sends signals to the other parts of the unit to start running.
The fan from the indoor unit pulls hot air from inside the house through return air ducts. This air passes through filters where dust and other airborne particles are collected. The filtered, warm indoor air then passes over cold evaporator coils.
As the liquid refrigerant inside the evaporator coil converts to gas, it absorbs heat from the indoor air, thus cooling the air as it passes over the cold coil.
The indoor unit’s blower fan then pumps the chilled air back through the home’s ductwork and out into the home.
The refrigerant gas leaves the home through refrigerant lines that pass into the compressor in the outdoor unit, or condenser. The compressor pressurizes the refrigerant gas and sends the refrigerant into the outdoor unit’s condenser coil.
A large fan then pulls outdoor air through the condenser coil, allowing the air to absorb heat energy from the home and release it outside.
During this process, the refrigerant is converted back to a liquid. It then travels through a copper tube back to the indoor unit where it passes through an expansion device, which regulates the flow of refrigerant into the evaporator coil.
The cold refrigerant then absorbs more heat from the indoor air and the cycle continues.
Common AC Issues
Like with any system that has several components, it's normal for issues to arise. Some of the most common AC issues include a thermostat that doesn't reach the set temperature, water leaks, AC blowing warm air, and ice forming on the air conditioner. You may also have problems if you don't have the condenser coils cleaned/you don't keep up with maintenance. But where there is a problem, there is always a solution. Click below to visit our other posts about these common problems and their solutions.
Why Isn't My AC Blowing Cold Air?
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