What Are the Main Parts of Your Heating Air Conditioning Unit?

If your home’s HVAC is in its senior years, high repair costs and energy bills could be a reason to consider the purchase of a new unit. A residential HVAC professional can help you determine the best option for your needs.

The majority of cooling systems rely on electricity to cool and heat homes, but some, called gas-powered or propane air conditioners, utilize natural gas to power furnaces and run condensers within a split system.

Evaporator

The evaporator coil inside your air conditioner is what cools your home. The evaporator coil is in a box attached to or within your gas furnace (if you have one) or inside an air handler in the absence of. The evaporator is the place where refrigerant transforms into a liquid, and absorbs heat in your home’s air.

The evaporator has one or more copper coils that are tightly bonded. The refrigerant is at low pressure when it reaches the coils, which makes it easier to transfer heat.

A fan blows the warm air that is escaping your home over the evaporator coil. The air is then cooled through the removal of heat from the evaporator which alters the refrigerant’s temperature and lowers your indoor air temperature. The cooled air then moves through the ductwork of your home to each room and circulates until it is returned to the air conditioning system through return ducts.

The evaporator, in contrast to the compressor, only needs to raise the boiling point of the refrigerant to a low temperature to ensure effective air cooling. The evaporator uses its own fans in order to achieve this objective.

The evaporator metering device makes sure that the refrigerant used in the liquid remains at the same level. The float on the low-side is designed to be open when there’s no liquid in the evaporator, and closes when it detects liquid entering the coils.

There are two primary types of evaporators: cased and uncased. The most common kind of evaporator you can find in your home is a cased model. It is enclosed within the metal casing that protects the air conditioning unit. Uncased evaporators are similar to cases, but they do not have an outer shell that is protected.

While both evaporators serve the same purpose, it’s important to choose a model that’s capable of meeting your home’s unique requirements. For example, some models are better suited to harsher working environments, while others are better suited to more moderate conditions. You should also take into consideration how easy it would be to clean and maintain the evaporator, as this could save you time, money and hassle in the long run.

Condenser

Condensers are one of the three primary components of your home’s cooling system. They assist in making it operate efficiently. The condenser is situated outside the house and connected to the evaporator through refrigerant pipes. It has metal fins and fans that help remove heat from the refrigerant which has been transported from the evaporator. The heat removed allows the refrigerant to reduce in temperature and then transform into a liquid state.

A compressor is connected to an condenser unit. It works to pressurize low-pressure liquid refrigeration that has been pumped out of the evaporator coil. The compressor’s squeeze action increases the temperature, which is then transferred to the condenser unit to absorb heat trapped in the air. After the cooling cycle is complete the refrigerant is pushed into the compressor to be pumped under pressure before being sent back to the evaporator coil.

Since the condenser is situated outdoors, it is vulnerable to the elements. Debris like twigs, grass clippings, leaves and roofing shingles too can get into the condenser unit and damage it. A universal HVAC condenser can shield your heating and cooling equipment from damage when it is not in use.

It is also essential to avoid shading the condenser. This can impede air flow and make the compressor work harder to cool your home. This could lead to increased energy costs and possibility of losing refrigerant.

Regular maintenance will ensure that your HVAC system is working properly. Regularly having a professional technician inspect the major components of your HVAC system can help prevent major problems. In addition having an expert service team monitor your refrigerant levels frequently can also help to keep any problems from developing. Follow these steps to prolong the life of your cooling and heating system and cut down on energy costs.

Compressor

The compressor is the core of your air conditioning. It circulates refrigerant throughout the system, keeping everything cool. It’s like the blood in your body, since it moves coolant back and forth between your evaporator and condenser coils. If something is wrong with the compressor, it can stop the evaporator and condenser from doing their job and leave your home warm and uncomfortable.

There are many different types of HVAC compressors. Each one has its own benefits and disadvantages. A reciprocating compressor, for example, has a piston moving upwards and downwards within a cylindrical. This creates a suction that draws in refrigerant. As the piston moves downward it reduces the gas volume. A discharge valve opens to let the pressurized refrigeration from the condenser.

This type of compressor comes with a clutch and crankshaft, which assists the piston in compressing the air. A rotary compressor is equipped with blades inside the cylinder to help compress the air. This kind of compressor is quiet, making it a popular option for residential use.

The HVAC compressors of both kinds are designed to increase the temperature of the liquid as it is compressed. This results in a high-pressure, high-temperature liquid. Since heat naturally flows from higher-temperature substances to those with lower temperatures, the hot vapor will move into the evaporator coils, and change back to its liquid state.

You can avoid the majority of AC issues by keeping up with your maintenance schedule. This will allow your equipment to last for many years, and will provide you with peace of mind knowing your home is always at ease. If you do experience an issue with the compressor, your Griffith Energy Services technician can assist you in determining what repairs are the best for you.

Thermostat

The thermostat is your heating and cooling system’s brain and it determines when and how the system turns on and off. It determines the temperature of the air and compares it to a preset desired level. If it is off by one or two degrees it will send an electronic signal to bring it towards the desired temperature. The majority of modern thermostats measure temperature with a digital sensor known as a thermosistor. The thermistor is comprised of two metals that expand in different ways when heated and cause the metals to flex in an opposite directions. When the thermistor is at the temperature it was set to it informs the circuit board that heating or AC should be turned on.

Newer models of thermostats have touchscreens that make them simple to use and program. A lot of thermostats are programmed to automatically cool and heat your home according to specific times. This means you don’t have to worry about having to set them manually each day. In addition, they provide information on energy usage to help you figure out how to cut back on expenses.

If you have an older electromechanical model, it’s a little more complicated. It is made up of a bimetallic piece that is attached to a vial using mercury. When temperatures change the mercury in the vial shifts, either completing or breaking a circuit. When the vial is tipped, it triggers the thermostat to activate the heating or cooling system.

To ensure that your thermostat is in good condition You must clean it frequently to get rid of any dust that has accumulated. Also, you should ensure that it’s not tangled or crooked. In some instances the thermostat could be having issues with its readings because of an unclean evaporator coil or the thermistor being damaged. In this instance you’ll have to get a professional to fix the issue. If the problem is something else, like blank screens, you can try replacing the batteries or making sure that the breaker hasn’t been activated. This is a great example of how you can improve the efficiency of your HVAC system more efficient by gaining knowledge about it and optimizing its use.