What is an AC Condenser and Compressor

Spring is officially here even if it didn’t feel like it this past weekend. The air conditioner is made up of a few parts that work together. Two of the main parts are the compressor and the ac condenser. The compressor is the box outside of your home and the first step in cooling the air. The compressors job is to take refrigerant gas and compress it to liquid that gets sent back inside the house and into the condenser. The act of compressing gas creates heat so a fan inside the compressor draws air on the sides to pass through the cooling coils and out of the top of the unit. Your must make sure the coils are free of debris from trees, weeds, grass, and bushes. Clogging the coils with such debris will cause your unit to not work properly. A compressors main job is to compress atoms and molecules into a smaller volume. The liquid that was sent into the condenser is now turned back into a gas through pressure falling. Raising the coolant temperature above outdoor ambient temperature causes heat to flow from the coolant into outside air. When the refrigerant is turned back into gas, its an endothermic reaction meaning heat is drawn from the air. AC Compressors only accept and compress the refrigerant in gas form from super heated refrigerant. The refrigerant enters the condenser as a high pressure, high temperature gas and leaves as a liquid. The condenser has really cold coils and the warm air from the house is sent over them to get cooled, then sent back through the duct work into the home to cool your home. A condensers main job is to remove heat from a source. Bartlett Heating and Air can service or replace any of your condenser or compressor needs so give us a call today!