With summer comes a huge change in the weather, it gets sunny and warm and turns your car into an oven. Your car's air conditioning system is your best friend as soon as the weather warms up. When it goes out its a sweaty nightmare. Do you know how your air conditioning system works? If not, you should! Knowing how the system works can help identify the problem if it goes out.
The air conditioning system’s purpose is to blow air to cool down the inside of the car that passengers are riding in, obviously. It also removes any moisture from the car so the air is more comfortable which you’ve seen when your car gets steamy. Your air conditioner automatically turns on when you turn on the defrost setting to pull humidity away from your windshield.
Your air conditioner is made up of five parts that are connected by tubing and hoses. There is a compressor, condenser, evaporator, thermal expansion, and the accumulator which is also known as the receiver drier. The parts run of a pressurized gas called refrigerant. You might be thinking how do these parts work together to produce cold air? I’ll tell ya.
The compressor compresses the gas refrigerant into a liquid that is then cycled through another refrigerant line. After that, the refrigerant line flows into the condenser. The condenser takes air that passes through it and removes any heat that the refrigerant has. From that, the refrigerant moves towards to expansion valve. The expansion valve reduces pressure in the refrigerant line and the refrigerant turns into a gas again.
It doesn’t end there. The refrigerant then goes to the accumulator/receiver drier, whatever you want to call it, id like to think of it as a cooler. While the refrigerant is in the accumulator it’s moisture is removed, like a cooler. After it goes through the accumulator it travels to the evaporator where the air is blown through the core of the evaporator which removes heat. This is where the cool air blows out towards the passengers. Lastly, the refrigerant cycles back through the compressor and the process starts over again.
Knowing and understanding how your air conditioning system works can help you diagnose the problem if it goes out. If you have any problems with your car's air conditioning system then come on into Complete Automotive in Springfield and we will fix it. Make sure your air conditioning system is running in top shape to keep you cool this summer. Make your appointment today!