Though we often take it for granted, in the last 100 years, air conditioning has become a part of our daily lives when the weather heats up. Without and air conditioner, we can become quite hot and bothered. You must understand, however, the basic principles behind an air conditioning system to understand how to properly care and maintain your air conditioning system. Without this fundamental knowledge, you might not understand when it is time for air conditioner repairs or maintenance.

Types of Air Conditioners

Firstly you need to know that there are different types of air conditioners. For example, there are units that fit into a window or those that are mounted on a ceiling and typically only used to cool a single room. Conversely, there is central air conditioning, which allows you to cool an entire house or building with one cooling system. However, by and large the most common residential cooling systems are central air conditioning systems. The following is a brief explanation of the cooling process to prepare you for any event in which you need an air conditioner repair.

The Cooling Process

Air conditioners are not that different from your refrigerator, only they cool a much larger area. To facilitate changes in air temperature, air conditioners utilize chemicals that are easily changed back and forth from liquids to gasses. The chemical helps to absorb heat internal to a home or office building and blow that heat outside.

Mechanically speaking, there are three basic parts of the air conditioner: a compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator. If you suspect that any of these parts has been damaged or become broken, it is time to call an expert for air conditioner repairs in Denver. Furthermore, understand that the compressor and the condenser are usually located externally to the structure that they cool. The evaporator, on the other hand, is usually located internal to the structure.

Firstly, the cooling liquid arrives at the compressor to be compressed into a hot, high pressured gas with lots of energy. Next, the high temperature and high pressure gas arrives at the condenser. This is all taking place in the unit external to your home. In fact, the unit has a fan on it to help drive the excess heat from the gas compression away. After leaving the condenser, the gas has been drastically cooled and compressed into a liquid.

The liquid is then bound for the evaporator to actually cool the air. Once the liquid enters the evaporator, the pressure drops and the liquid is able to expand into a gas. As it expands, it drastically cools the air around it. The heat and energy in the surrounding air are used to allow the molecules in the liquid to expand into a gas. Once again, the cooling substance is a cool and low pressured gas, on its way back to the compressor to start the cooling process from the very beginning.

Modern Air Conditioners

Simply knowing some of the basic terminology will help you communicate with an expert why you suspect you need air conditioner repairs. Furthermore, you need to have at least a basic understanding of the cooling process and how important (and dangerous) the cooling liquid/gas can be. If you didn’t already have a basic understanding of the cooling process and you notice your air conditioner is not behaving normally, you need to hire an expert to prevent making mistakes that could harm your health or the environment.  Contact Rheem Pro Partner today to schedule an appointment.