A clear explanation, with diagrams, of how a central air conditioner cools a house by cycling refrigerant through its system. A central air conditioner has a primary appliance such as an air handler or furnace located in an out-of-the-way place such as a basement or attic. This appliance pumps chilled air throughout the house through a system of air ducts—often the same system utilized by a forced-air furnace during the heating season. One or more thermostats in the house turn the cooling system off and on as room temperatures rise and fall. A central AC runs on electricity and removes heat from air with basic refrigeration principles. When the thermostat signals the air-conditioning system to lower air temperature, a whole sequence of events begins. The air-handling unit kicks on, drawing room air in from various parts of the house through return-air ducts. This air is then pulled through a filter, where airborne particles such as dust and lint are removed—in fact, sophisticated filters may remove microscopic pollutants as well.

Then the air is routed to air-supply ductwork that carries it back to the rooms. But how does the evaporator coil get cold in the first place? That is where refrigeration principles come into play. 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. With a “package system,” all of the components are combined in a single outdoor unit that may be located on the ground or on the roof.) Refrigerant such as freon 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. The refrigerant is especially cold when it begins to circulate through the indoor coil. As the air handler pushes warm air across the coil, the refrigerant absorbs so much heat from the air that it turns into 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 the 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. And so the cycle goes. This FREE service will help you find a qualified local AC professional. Call for free estimates from local pros now:A Quick Guide To The Parts That Make Up Your Air Conditioner If you’ve gotten a quote for installing a new central air conditioning unit recently, you might have been a bit confused by the lingo that was used to name the different parts of the system. What does a condenser and coil have to do with anything? You just wanted a quote on a new ac unit right? Let me shed a little light on the terms that describe each of the components that make up your air conditioning system. That round’ish piece of equipment that sits outside on the ground that everyone refers to as their air conditioner is technically referred to as a condenser.

You’ll also hear it called the ‘outside unit’ as well. Part of your condenser is called a coil, or condenser coil, not to be confused with the evaporator coil that is inside your home attached to the furnace.how much to replace a hvac unit This is the piece of your air conditioning system that most people never see. ac unit not reaching set temperatureIt’s contained in a metal box called a plenum, and sits on top of your furnace. how much energy does a ac window unit useIf you have a horizontal furnace in an attic, the evaporator coil will sit on one end of the furnace instead of on top. The ‘inside unit’ or ‘indoor coil’ are other common names that are used when talking about your evaporator coil.

Lineset refers to the copper refrigerant lines that run from your condenser (the outside unit) to your evaporator coil. It’s very common for people to make the mistake of calling their outside unit the compressor instead of the condenser. A compressor is actually a big component that sits inside the condenser (the outside unit). The plenum is the metal box that sits on top of your furnace and houses the evaporator coil. The condensate drain is the white plastic (PVC) pipe that runs from your evaporator coil to the drain in your floor, or to the condensate pump that was installed if you don’t have a floor drain. This pipe allows the condensate (moisture) that the evaporator coil produces to be drained out of the plenum. I get questions about the names for these air conditioner components all the time, so hopefully this helps clear up any confusion as to what the different parts are called. I’ll post another article explaining what each of these components do for those of you who want to dazzle your friends with your detailed knowledge of how air conditioning actually works.

Edit ArticleHow to Understand the Basic Operation of the Home Air Conditioning System Air Conditioning is a process where heat is removed from an area that it is not wanted. To an area where it makes little or no difference to the user or homeowner. This article will breakdown the four basic components and explain how they work in conjunction with each other. Understand what the compressor does. Understand the role of the condenser. Note the metering device. Understand the role of the evaporator coil. Show more unanswered questions Make sure that the thermostat is set to what is being called for. Hard to cool the home when the thermostat is set to heat! All systems have a required range to how much refrigerant is needed to operate the system properly. The number one mistake of a homeowner is that the system is not cooling properly and needs more refrigerant. Simply adding refrigerant to a system may not be the fix. In fact it could cause more costly repairs and maintenance to the homeowner than originally needed.