Air Conditioning

You’ve certainly seen and heard the condenser unit of your central air conditioning system before. You can’t miss it; it’s that large part of the AC system positioned outdoors that makes a pretty noticeable humming sound with every run cycle. Have you ever wondered what this unit does for the cooling process? We give some information about the refrigeration process and the condenser unit below, as well as a brief guide on maintaining this part of your AC system.

The Refrigeration Process

Your air conditioner cannot actually “create” cool air, since “cool” is not an energy that can be generated. Rather, it cools your home by removing heat from the air, absorbing the heat out of the air inside of your home, and moving it to the outdoors. The condenser unit is vital to the refrigeration process because it is the part of the system where heat is able to dissipate.

The refrigerant absorbs heat at the inside blower unit as warm air blows over the evaporator coil of your system. The refrigerant enters the compressor as a hot gas when it moves outdoors, where it gains an immense amount of pressure. This pressure allows it to continue its way through the system. When it reaches the condenser coil of the outside unit, the large fan helps heat to dissipate into the surrounding air as the refrigerant converts into a liquid. Then it moves back to the indoor unit to begin the cycle again.

Maintaining the Condenser Unit

The outside condenser unit does require some maintenance if you expect it to run properly throughout the cooling season. Here’s what you can do to keep it running correctly and prevent a costly premature replacement.

  • Keep the system free of any large debris, such as branches around the condenser or anything set on top of the unit.
  • Call for repairs ASAP if anything seems unusual, including pooling water or an unusually noisy system.
  • Have the coils cleaned at least once a year at an annual air conditioning maintenance visit.

Contact the friendly, good-looking technicians at Buehler Air Conditioning & Plumbing for air conditioning installation, repair, maintenance, or replacement in the Jacksonville, CA area. Make the good call!

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