During the warmest months of the year, your AC system is irreplaceable. It allows you to cook, relax, and fall asleep with ease, as well as keeps your possessions from deteriorating in the extreme temperatures. But have you ever thought about what your unit is made up of? Use the following overview to learn the crucial components like a seasoned air conditioner contractor.

What Is an AC System Made Of?

1. Refrigerant

Sometimes called coolant, refrigerant moves in a loop and is responsible for transferring indoor heat outside. It meanders through tubes and coils inside your air conditioner, absorbing heat from indoors and turning into a liquid, as it moves through the loop to the outdoor unit, it releases the heat and turns into a gas. Once it moves back to the indoor unit in a cold, gaseous state, the fan blows air over the coils it fills, sending cool air throughout your home.

2. Compressor

The compressor is the mechanism in charge of pressurizing and heating the refrigerant, squeezing its particles together. Once the refrigerant is made hotter than the outdoor air, the heat will naturally move to the cooler space—the outdoor air—and not back into your home.

3. Condenser Coil & Fan

The condenser coil, located in your outdoor unit, is temporarily filled by the refrigerant the compressor heated and pressurized. While this hot gas is inside the coil, the condenser fan blows air across the coils, transferring the heat to the outdoor air. 

4. Expansion Valve & Evaporator Coil

Once the heat inside the condenser coil is transferred outside, the refrigerant moves to the expansion valve, which relieves the pressure inside it and lowers its temperature even more. Then, the refrigerant moves into the evaporator coils. Once inside these copper tubes, the coolant is once again in a cool, liquid state, and capable of absorbing heat from inside your home. From there, the cycle repeats over and over.

Since there are so many parts that make up your AC system, it’s crucial that you schedule annual checkups with reputable air conditioner contractors. The experts at J.J. Smith Heating & Cooling of Cincinnati, OH, have been servicing air conditioners, heaters, and air ducts since 1982, and they’ll be glad to check on your unit’s inner-workings. For more information on their services, visit the website. You can also call (513) 231-1156 to set up a free consultation with one of their friendly air conditioner contractors.