A typical central air conditioning system consists of two parts – an outdoor and an indoor unit, also known as a “split” system. The outdoor unit has a condenser coil, compressor, fan and electrical parts. The indoor unit, which is also called the evaporator coil or “A” coil, is placed above your air handler or furnace that runs on natural gas or propane.
- An air conditioner moves heat from inside your home to the outside, thereby cooling you and your home.
- It uses a liquid called refrigerant that changes from a liquid to a gas and back again as it absorbs and releases heat.
- It has two main parts: an outdoor unit called a condenser and an indoor unit called an evaporator.
- The refrigerant flows between the two units through a pipe called a line set.
- The evaporator cools the air inside your home by blowing it over a cold coil filled with refrigerant.
- The refrigerant absorbs the heat from the air and turns into a gas.
- The gas refrigerant then travels to the condenser, where it is compressed and cooled by a fan.
- The refrigerant releases the heat to the outside air and turns back into a liquid.
- The liquid refrigerant then returns to the evaporator and the cycle repeats