How Your Air Conditioner Works

Posted on | by The Bosworth Company Kerrville

Fall has arrived, but here in Texas, we’ll still need to run our air conditioning for the next couple of months. In this post, we’ll discuss how your air conditioner works. Knowing how it works will help you know when it needs service and how to keep it running strong. We’ll even tell you how The Bosworth Company in Kerrville can help!

THE PARTS

Remember – an air conditioner is different from a fan. It doesn’t just move the air, it removes the moisture, making a humid Central Texas afternoon a lot more comfortable. This process requires taking the air that’s inside your home and forcing it outside. It’s much more complicated and scientific than this, but here are the five primary “ingredients”:

  • Refrigerant is the cooling agent. It’s pumped through the system and changes the warm air in your home to liquid as it’s moved outside. It also keeps your HVAC unit from overheating.
  • The Compressor is the heart of the system that pumps air throughout your home and the air ducts.
  • The Condenser is the part of the compressor that transforms the refrigerant. Once the refrigerant is pumped into the compressor, the condenser helps turn it into liquid. This all happens when your exterior unit is running.
  • The Expansion Valve is where the refrigerant basically re-cools the refrigerant. When the liquid expands (expansion valve, remember), it cools down and is ready to be pumped back into your home.
  • The Evaporator Coil is the final step. The cold liquid is “evaporated” in the plenum (the metal box in your attic) before it is distributed into the ducts as cool air.

WORTH THE CALL

This could have been much, much more scientific and detailed, but we just wanted to cover the basics. Here’s the good news: you don’t need to know it all, because our experts do! Let the Bosworth Company in Kerrville maintain your A/C by investing in our Fall Clean & Check. It’s a great way to give your entire unit a tune-up! You can make an appointment today by calling 830-428-2764 or scheduling one online. The Bosworth Company. Worth the Call. Always.