If you are searching for an air conditioner repair company, you will be more prepared to answer questions and hire the best contractor for the job if you have some familiarity with the basic components of an AC system.

Due to concerns about electrocution and the possibility of further damaging your air conditioner, most of these components require a professionally trained repair person to fix them, but this list will give you a basic idea about what is going on with your air conditioner, particularly when it is time to inspect or repair it.

Coolant System

Your air conditioner operates using a special chemical called refrigerant. Its low boiling point gives it the properties necessary to operate the AC. If the refrigerant is not properly installed, is not filled to the correct level, or is even overcharged, your AC will not operate at full capacity. This can lead to other parts of the system being overused and can result in stress damage over time.

Refrigerant is very important for your AC. There would be no air conditioning, refrigeration or freezing technology without refrigerant. This refrigerant is put inside copper coils in your AC. When this refrigerant absorbs heat from indoor air, it transitions from a low-pressure gas to a high-pressure liquid. Refrigerant can shift easily between liquid and gas states, which make it ideal for ACs. Then the AC parts send the refrigerant outside where a fan blows hot air over the coils and exhausts it to the exterior.

After this process, the refrigerant cools down, and then it again changes back into a low-pressure gas. Another fan that is placed inside the home blows air over the cool coils to distribute the resulting cold air throughout the environment. In this way, the cycle repeats.

What are the types of Refrigerants used:-

There are three most common types of refrigerants used for air conditioning.

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), including R12:- This refrigerant was used way back in history and now it is banned. The reason it was banned in 1994 was that it was contributing a lot to the greenhouse gas effect.

1. Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), including R22:- This refrigerant is better than R12 but not as good as R410A and R134.
2. Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), including R410A and R134:- This refrigerant is most efficient among all and it is safer for the environment. When this refrigerant is used in AC it offers air better quality, increases comfort, and it also improves the efficiency of your Air conditioning.

Condenser and Compressor

These are the core parts of the air conditioner. The compressor sits outside of the building, while the condenser is inside. They work together to transfer the heat inside the building to the outside. In effect, they heat the outside using the heat inside the building, resulting in interior cooling. The core of these machines are well-built in modern air conditioners, but certain parts, such as electrical components, can break down over time. A competent air conditioner contractor will examine these parts thoroughly.

Function of Compressors on Air Conditioners?

The compressor is a very important part of your AC. You can say that it’s a heart of the cooling cycle. It is the compressor that moves the refrigerant between the evaporator and condenser coils making it sure that the refrigerant changes to gas or liquid as per demand. It is the function of compressor to pump the refrigerant through the system to keep it alive and running properly. Not only compressor plays significant role in the cooling process, but it also ensures that the unit works efficiently and constantly.

Function of Condenser in Air Conditioning?

The condenser is also very important for your AC unit. The main function of the condenser is that it acts as a heat exchanger. Mainly the purpose of the condenser is to condense a substance from gaseous to the liquid state by cooling it.

Power Components

This includes everything from the thermostat to the fuse box. Your AC technician should give these a detailed inspection and also take measurements to ensure they are operating properly. The thermostat itself can be used to diagnose certain problems, and if it is malfunctioning it can cause problems in other parts of the system over time. There is also a long length of wiring inside the AC system. This needs to remain intact and tightly connected in order to avoid damaging other parts of the air conditioner.

The other parts are as follows:-

Cooling Fan: – Cooling fans are very important parts of your AC unit. Basically there are two fans in the unit.

• Outside the Room: – The purpose of the outer fan is to cool the compressor. This fan helps in the removal of the heat from the condenser coils. As the heat is removed from the condenser coils you will find hot air coming out of this fan.
• Inside The Room:- There is one fan in the indoor unit which blows air over the cool evaporator/vaporizer coils thus reducing the temperature of air circulated in the unit.

Expansion Valve: – This is also the key part of your AC unit. It will be difficult for the AC unit to draw sufficient heat from the inside of a building without expansion valve. The basic function of expansion valves is to control the refrigerant flow in a refrigeration system. This valve removes pressure from the liquid refrigerant to allow expansion or change of state from a liquid to a vapor in the evaporator.

Evaporator: – Like other key components of your AC unit, evaporator is also very important. Evaporator is responsible for the cool air that comes out of your AC vents. It is the evaporator that coverts refrigerant liquid into gas, by absorbing the heat from air in the compartment.

Blower Fan: – The main function of the blower fan is to circulate cooled air into your home and pulls room-temperature air back for re-cooling.

Mechanical Components

The inside of your AC unit is like a choreographed dance: each component needs to do its part in order for the entire system to work. The fans need to be adjusted to ensure proper airflow. The filters need to be cleaned to maximize efficiency. Some brands of air conditioners have re-usable filters that simply need cleaning, while others require a full replacement.

Other important components are as follows:-

Refrigerant lines: – The refrigerant lines are slender tubes typically made of copper that carry refrigerant to the condensing unit in the form of gas. This gas is then again changed to liquid form and then transferred back to the evaporator coil.

Thermostat: – Being one of the important parts of your AC unit, this device controls the air conditioner units. It is used for the temperature control.

Heat exchanger: – The purpose of heat exchanger is to transfers thermal energy from one medium to another.

Muffler: – The compressor of the AC unit creates very annoying sound when it works. The device that controls this annoying sound that compressor creates is called muffler. With the help of muffler only you can enjoy a comfortable air in a silent environment.

Filters: – As the name suggest these filters filter out the air that you breathe inside the room when your AC unit is working. Many dust particles are present in the air which is not visible to naked eyes but AC filters remove these dust particles.

Before hiring an air conditioner contractor, make a checklist of these items and make sure they are checking the parts that needs to be checked. This will help ensure they are getting the job done right.