Understanding how your air conditioner works goes a long way toward helping you make informed choices about your cooling needs. Being informed also helps you understand your options when you need to find someone who can repair air conditioner units.
The essential function of an air conditioner is to cool the air in your home, but they also filter and dehumidify air. There are four basic components in any air conditioning unit: The evaporator, the condenser, the expansion valve, and a compressor. These are separated into a hot side, which contains the condenser and the compressor, and a cool side, where the evaporator receives refrigerant and a fan blows over the cold coils to circulate the chilled air. In between these is the expansion valve, which regulates the flow of the liquid refrigerant.
Although the basic mechanical processes seem simple, there are a number of ways your AC unit can give out, requiring a technician who is qualified to repair air conditioner systems.
• If the unit is overtaxed, whether by extreme weather conditions or by overheating your home with multiple appliances running at the same time, it may not be able to keep up with the demand.
• A refrigerant leak will result in less efficiency because the unit won’t have the amount of refrigerant it needs to keep up.
• The filter may become overloaded with dust, pollen, or debris, thus reducing the air flow and becoming a source of indoor air pollution.
• The fans that cool blow over the coils may fail, which will reduce the units ability to dissipate heat and reduce the amount of cool air blowing in.
Understanding how your AC unit works is the first step in keeping your home comfortable. The best way to avoid any of these issues is to have your AC unit routinely inspected by a professional at Air Comfort of Kentucky. If you are in need of a service to repair your air conditioner unit, you’re better off doing it before it becomes an emergency. This will save you money and avoid a failure of your air conditioner when you need it most.
