What Does An AC Compressor Do?

Most people know what an air conditioner compressor is. After all, because it sits outside, your compressor is one of your Oak Harbor home HVAC system’s most visible components. At the same time, very few people actually understand what an air conditioner compressor does. Understanding the functions of your compressor will help to shed light on the operation of your air conditioner as a whole and also make sense of any problems you may be experiencing with the compressor. A Word on Refrigerants The reason a compressor is needed at all is because of how an air conditioner works to cool your house. An air conditioner uses a refrigerant, most commonly a gas called R-410A, to remove heat from your home and expel it into the outside air. In order to perform this heat exchange, though, the temperature of the refrigerant has to be changed. In a closed system, the easiest way to change the temperature of a gas is to change the pressure of the gas. That’s what the compressor does. Changing Temperatures and Forms As its name suggests, the compressor compresses the refrigerant, which causes it to become superheated. This superheated refrigerant is hotter than the outside air...

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