The trusty AC is a mainstay in most homes these days, but do you even know the basic parts that make up this appliance, much less how they work? Do you have even the slightest inkling how it manages to keep your home cool continuously? This knowledge is sure to come in handy when faced with air conditioning repairs. When the service man arrives to see what damage has been done, how can you properly relay to him what happened if you don't even know what all these doohickeys are called?
There are a few key parts to an AC, and you should have a brief background on three of them, at the very least. The first part is the compressor, which is a motor-driven high pressure pump that changes low pressure gas into high pressure gas. It can be spotted on the outdoor portion of your AC. The compressor is a pretty important piece of the puzzle, so when faced with air conditioning repairs, you should probably check it out first off.
Another key part is the condenser, a coil wherein hot, high pressure gas (a.k.a. refrigerant) flows, along with a fan that works to cool the coil and turn the gas inside it into liquid. When the gas changes into liquid, heat is released into the outdoors, keeping the insides of your home nice and cool.
The final key part is the metering device, which is in charge of dispensing the gas or refrigerant. It can be either a simple tube, or it can also be a thermostatic expansion valve (TEV), which is far more sophisticated. When faced with air conditioning repairs, it's important to note how significant the metering device is in how well the appliance works. Without it, there may be too little refrigerant, or far too much, and this imbalance could be a really big problem.
All in all, it's always better to have a little extra information handy, even when it comes to the stuff you usually take for granted at home. Having a communicative and collaborative relationship with your repair man will really be valuable in the long run. Whether you like it or not, there will come a time when you will have to need some air conditioning repairs done, so it's always best to be prepared. Imagine how impressed your repair man will be when he finds you talking the same language! That will definitely make him more determined to do a quality job.