October 19, 2018 If you have a central heating and air conditioning unit, you know how convenient these can be. Particularly in the summer time, when it is exceedingly hot outside, you simply adjust your thermostat to activate the AC portion of the unit. You may also have window units which are very helpful at cooling specific rooms. The process itself is very simple to understand, but for those that do not know, it is often confusing. Let’s discuss how AC units work in order to provide cool air during the warm summer months. The Components Of An AC Unit There are three specific components that allow an air conditioning unit to blow cold air into your home. This includes the condenser, compressor, and the evaporator. These are the working components, those that are able to extract the heat from the air inside, blow it outside, and blow in cooler air. The condenser and compressor represent the exterior portion of the AC unit. The evaporator is on the inside. A coolant is used in a liquid form that will go into the compressor. The compressor will compress the coolant, causing the temperature of that liquid to rise. As this is done, it will flow outside of the compressor into the compressor mechanism. Once it leaves the condenser, it will be at a much lower temperature and will also return to a gas. All of the heat is absorbed by the outside air, creating an energy exchange. This will circulate back through the evaporator at a much lower temperature and the fan will blow on this, creating the cool air that is experienced inside. Problems That Can Occur With AC Units These three components that provide the cooler air are often suspect to the many problems that may occur within AC unit. If any of them are not functioning properly, the process will not happen. Likewise, the fan that is blowing the cool air in, as well as the thermostat, can also be compromised over time. A professional HVAC company will be able to diagnose the problem, replace any components that need to be removed, and it should work as it did before. There are many different types of air conditioning units that you can have. The most common include window units and those that are connected to a full HVAC system. If you are having problems, you now know what could possibly happen, and what components may need to be replaced, when you contact a heating ventilation and air conditioning company to resolve these issues.