7 Components Necessary for Air Conditioner Function

Your home’s cooling system is made up of many different parts that all function together to maintain your desired comfort level. Becoming familiar with some of these key components can give you greater insight into how your air conditioner works:

• Thermostat – The thermostat is the command center for your A/C. If you have a programmable model, it monitors the temperature inside your home and tells the other components when to start up and shut down based on your input.
• Evaporator coil – The heat transfer process that cools your home’s air occurs in this coil of copper tubing situated in the indoor air handler unit (AHU). As liquid refrigerant makes its way through the tubing, it converts into a gas and absorbs heat and humidity.
• Blower fan – The AHU also contains the blower fan that’s responsible for air distribution throughout your home. When signaled by the thermostat, the blower cycles on and pulls warm air in through the return vents, sends it across the evaporator to be cooled and pushes the conditioned air through the supply ducts to various rooms.
• Air filter – Another key component located in the AHU is the air filter. It’s positioned to trap particles in the incoming air to prevent a buildup of debris that can interfere with heat transfer and damage system components.
• Compressor – The boxlike unit sitting outside contains a compressor pump to circulate refrigerant through the system. The compressor receives refrigerant from the evaporator, pressurizes it and sends it to the condenser.
• Condenser coil – Sitting alongside the compressor, the condenser coil is responsible for removing captured indoor heat in the refrigerant arriving from the compressor. As refrigerant moves through the coil’s copper tubing, it reverts from a gas to a liquid and releases heat as it does so.
• Outdoor fan – Positioned above the condenser in the outdoor unit is a cooling fan that boosts airflow over the coil and increases the efficiency of its heat transfer process.

For expert help keeping all the necessary air conditioner components functioning properly in your greater Cleveland area home, contact the pros at Stack Heating, Cooling, Plumbing and Electric today.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Cleveland, Ohio 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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