Most homeowners in Windsor own an air conditioner, but many of them don’t understand how it works or which part is which. If your air conditioner experiences disrepair and you need to communicate something to an AC technician, it can be very helpful to know the basic parts of the system. Here are some of the key components of your air conditioner and a little bit about what they do!

Thermostat
Everyone who owns an air conditioner should know what a thermostat is. Your thermostat is responsible for maintaining your ideal indoor temperature. You change your thermostat to your desired temperature and it communicates with your air conditioner to ensure that it happens.

Filter
Out of all of the key components of your air conditioner, your filter is extremely influential to how efficiently it runs. Air filters are located inside your furnace (if you have central air) or inside your ductless indoor unit (if you have ductless cooling) and it needs to be changed or cleaned once every 30-90 days.

Fan
While some air conditioner key components are a bit more mysterious, it’s very obvious what the fan does. Your air conditioner’s fan blows cold air through your ductwork and into your home. It keeps air circulating and fresh and ensures your home comfort.

Refrigerant
Refrigerant is a liquid that physically cools the air to be dispersed throughout your home. Refrigerant is kept sealed within copper or steel coils in your air conditioner that cool the air that is brought through the system. A very common residential air conditioner issue is the leaking of refrigerant.

Evaporator Coil
Above were the more commonly understood key components of an air conditioner, these next few are a little bit more nuanced. Your evaporator coil is what holds the refrigerant (as mentioned above). It’s a series of copper or steel pipes that warm air is run through and cooled using the refrigerant inside.

Compressor
The compressor is one of the most important key components of your air conditioner and it works to compress the refrigerant in your system which starts out as a warm vapour. As it’s compressed, the refrigerant becomes a hot liquid, then it is cooled down and expanded again to remove heat from the indoor air.

Condenser Coil
The condenser coil essentially does the opposite of the compressor. It removes heat that the refrigerant has collected and ejects it outside through the outdoor unit. If you stand by your air conditioner’s outdoor unit while it’s running, you’ll notice hot air coming from its vent.

Expansion Valve
The expansion valve allows for the refrigerant to expand into a gas from a hot liquid, by doing so, the refrigerant cools from the drop in pressure and is able to once again cool the air coming through the system, effectively repeating the air conditioning process over again.

Have any questions about your air conditioner and if it’s working properly?
The HVAC experts at Fahrhall are here to help!

Fahrhall has been proudly serving the Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent regions since 1967. We are committed to providing our customers and our community with reliable service and quality equipment.

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