Pensacola Air Conditioning Systems

Many Pensacola homes are heated and cooled with a central air conditioner system that features a condensing unit outside and a gas furnace inside. Understanding your HVAC system is important so that you can knowledgeably discuss your heating and cooling needs with an HVAC professional when you need maintenance, repairs or a replacement system. Here’s an overview of how this kind of system works.

The outside condensing unit has most of the components for air conditioning. It contains a compressor, condensing coil, fan and the start of an insulated copper lineset containing refrigerant. The last major component required to cool air, is found inside the gas furnace (or air handler in homes that are heated with a heat pump or other form of heating) is the evaporator coil, sometimes called the A-coil because of its shape.

Now, here’s how your central air conditioning system cools your indoor air. The compressor pumps refrigerant into the house as a low pressure, low heat liquid, via the first refrigerant line, known as the liquid line. It is pumped to the evaporator coil, and once there it evaporates into a gas. As it does this, it captures heat from the surrounding air, cooling it rapidly. That cooled air is then circulated through your home via the duct work.

The heated refrigerant carries the heat outside via the second copper line, known as the suction line. It enters the condensing coil where it returns to liquid form, expelling the heat in the process, much like your car’s coolant does as it travels through the radiator. The expelled heat is blown away by the condensing unit fan. The refrigerant re-enters the compressor for another trip around the system. Of course, the cycle is continuous, so heat is consistently being removed from your home while the system is running.

Central air conditioner split systems have been in use for decades. The technology is refined and they are affordable and very efficient.