How Your AC Works

Every summer, you get to enjoy the cold air that comes out of your vents from your air conditioner. Unless you’re an HVAC technician, your only direct connection to your AC may be when you change the temperature on your thermostat. But have you ever wondered how your air conditioner works? Knowing a little bit about your AC unit can help you maintain the system and keep it in good condition. 

At Abraham AC & Heating Services, Inc., we’d love to give you some basic information about your air conditioner and how it works to cool your home. Then, we’ll give you some tips on how you can maintain your AC so that it keeps giving you the icy, cold air that you crave on long summer days. 

How Does Your AC Work?

Do you remember your physics class from high school? You may have learned about the second law of thermodynamics. It sounds fancy, but the concept is simple: when two objects touch, heat will transfer from the warmer object into the colder object. In your AC unit, everything is based on that simple law.

When you want to transfer heat from inside your house to outside, you need something colder to absorb the heat. In an AC, this colder substance is called refrigerant. Not only is refrigerant cold, but it can easily change from a liquid to a gas. Here’s how the process works:

Step 1: Cooling the Air

Your AC unit has a blower motor that pulls the warm air from your home and blows it across a part called the evaporator coil. The evaporator coil houses the refrigerant, and when the air passes across it, the refrigerant picks up the heat from the air, making the air cooler. The cold air is then blown into your house.

Step 2: Compression

The refrigerant continues on its journey through your AC system. Its next stop is the compressor. The compressor takes the refrigerant and “compresses” it, turning it into a gas and pressurizing it. Higher pressure means more heat, so the refrigerant gets even hotter.

Step 3: Releasing the Heat

After the refrigerant leaves the compressor, it moves to the condenser coils. These are located outside your house. The process is the same as with the evaporator coils but in reverse. Air is blown across the condenser coils. Since the air is cooler than the refrigerant, the heat is released into the outside air and the refrigerant cools off. It can then go back inside to start the process over.

Maintaining Your AC

In order for this whole process to work effectively, your air conditioner needs to be in pristine condition. If anything keeps air from circulating properly through the system, the refrigerant won’t be able to do its job. You could end up with an inefficient system, AC freezes, or breakdowns.

The best way to maintain your AC is to change your filter every 1-3 months. The frequency will depend on whether you have pets and how dusty your environment is. Changing the filter will help air to pass freely through the system and past the evaporator coils.

Next, keep all of your vents open and your registers free from blockages. Air needs to be able to easily pass through the unit. Blocking off too many will cause a breakdown in your AC.

Finally, schedule a tune-up with a local HVAC contractor at least once a year. They will clean your evaporator coils, check your blower motor, lubricate moving parts, and make sure everything is working correctly.

Need AC Service? Call Us!

Your air conditioner is an amazing piece of equipment that’s based on very simple principles. While the inner workings of your AC may be beyond the scope of your interest, keeping it well maintained can make a big difference to your comfort. Make sure you call Abraham AC & Heating Services, Inc. today to schedule your annual tune-up.