Your Central Air Conditioner consists of two connected systems: an outdoor unit called the condensing unit and an indoor unit called the air handler. It works by capturing heat in the air inside and transporting that heat to the outside. The vehicle your air conditioning system uses to carry the heat is called a refrigerant and the most commonly used is known as "Freon."
The compressor in your outdoor condenser unit changes the refrigerant or "Freon" into a high temperature, high pressure gas. As that gas flows through the outdoor coil, it loses heat and condenses into a high temperature, high pressure liquid. This liquid refrigerant travels through copper tubing into the evaporator coil where it expands rapidly. Its sudden expansion turns the refrigerant into a low temperature, low pressure gas. This gas then absorbs heat from the air circulating in your interior duct work. The cooled air is then distributed back through your house or building. Meanwhile, the heat absorbed by the refrigerant is carried back outside through copper tubing and released into the outside air. The fan in the condensing unit disperses the heat into the surrounding air.
You should have your air conditioning system inspected by an experienced technician annually. The inspection should include checking the condition of the coils and the level of the refrigerant charge. Dirty coils and improper refrigerant levels can cause your system to cool less efficiently than it should by forcing your compressor to work harder than is necessary. This can result in a shorter life span of your unit and higher energy bills. Also, every few years you should have your ductwork checked for leaks to insure that your entire system is running efficiently.
Mark Cohen, Broker
Eyemark Realty
Gainesville, Florida
www.GainesvilleFloridaHomes.com