Learn How the Parts of Your Air Conditioner Work

Your central A/C makes summer life in South Texas comfortable by removing heat from inside your home and transferring it outdoors, but do you know how it works? Here’s a look at the important parts of your air conditioner and the role they play in keeping your home cool.

• Thermostat. The thermostat that’s centrally situated in your home is the user interface that controls the A/C. If it’s a programmable model, it lets you schedule in energy-saving temperature setbacks based on your daily routine.
• Evaporator. This coil of copper tubing situated in the indoor air handler unit is an essential cooling system component. Liquid refrigerant pumped through the tubing evaporates into a gas and absorbs heat and humidity from the surrounding air as it converts.
• Blower. Located in the air handler unit but controlled by your thermostat, the blower fan also plays a big role in home cooling. It pulls warm household air in through the return registers, blows it across the evaporator where it’s cooled, then pushes the chilled air out through your home’s supply ducts.
• Air filter. The air filter is positioned in the same compartment so that warm air drawn in by the blower passes through it on its way to the evaporator. It’s there to capture airborne particles that can harm critical components if they get inside the HVAC system.
• Compressor. Situated in the outdoor unit, the compressor pump is another vital home cooling component. It’s job is to pressurize the refrigerant coming from the evaporator and push it along to the condenser that’s right alongside it.
• Condenser. The condenser coil is like an evaporator working in reverse. As heat-laden, pressurized refrigerant from the compressor flows through the coil, it reverts back to a liquid and releases the warmth pulled from your indoor space.
• Outdoor fan. Sitting inside the same unit above the condenser, the cooling fan increases airflow over the coil to make heat transfer to the outdoor air more efficient.

For expert help keeping all the parts of your Coastal Bend home’s air conditioner working properly, contact the pros at Mathews CCAC today.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Corpus Christi, Texas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about air conditioners and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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