Heat & A/C Repair (HVAC)

‍Car air conditioners work to make our rides more comfortable and our journeys a lot more worthwhile. If your AC is running hot, or your heat blows cold, give us a call or drop your car off for an evaluation!

In your heating system, there are many components such as the heater core, blower fan, heater control valve, heater hoses and the heating, ventilation and air conditioning control panel found inside the car’s cabin. The engine cooling system has components that interact with the heating system which are the thermostat, radiator, water pump and coolant.

Compressor
‍Many consider the compressor as the heart of the air conditioning system of the car. As the name suggests, it “compresses” the refrigerant so that it turns from a gaseous state into a liquid state. The compressor connects to the crankshaft via a drive belt. As such, it draws its power from the engine. Whenever you turn on the car AC system, the compressor pumps gaseous or vaporized refrigerant to the condenser.

‍Condenser
‍In elementary science, we learned that condensation results from the rapid cooling of hot or warm air. The water vapor or moisture in hot air condenses to form a liquid state. This is what the condenser does. It is one of the most recognizable parts of the modern automotive AC system because it is very easy to check. This looks a lot like the radiator. It is also positioned right in front of the radiator. As such, if you are wondering why you have two “radiators”, the one in front is the condenser. This device turns or “condenses” the high-pressure, high-temperature, vaporized refrigerant coming from the compressor. The air that flows through the condenser removes the heat in the high-pressure refrigerant, cooling it down.

‍Evaporator
‍Among all the components of the modern vehicle AC system, the evaporator is the only one that’s located inside the passenger compartment. The rest of the components are in the engine bay. The evaporator looks like a very small radiator with fins and tubes. Cold air from the receiver-drier moves through the evaporator core. As air from the cabin circulates through the ducts, it is blown past the evaporator core and the heat is released. What comes out of the AC vents is cold and dry air.

‍Receiver
‍This component prepares the refrigerant for entry into the evaporator. It serves as a reservoir for the refrigerant while also removing any moisture that may be present in the refrigerant. It is important that built-in desiccants remove moisture from the refrigerant. If not, ice crystals can form and lead to blockage and mechanical damage.

‍Expansion Valve
‍The thermal expansion valve is the boundary between the high-pressure side of the system (including the compressor, condenser, and receiver) and the low-pressure side of the system. As the name implies, the expansion valve allows the expansion of the high-pressure liquid refrigerant coming from the receiver-drier. Because of the expansion, there is a reduction in pressure.

‍Refrigerant
‍While not a “component” of an automotive air conditioning system, the refrigerant is what fills the system. Without it, heat will not be able to move out from the system and bring cooling comfort to everyone in the passenger compartment. At low pressures and temperatures, the refrigerant takes on a gaseous form. At high temperatures and pressures, the refrigerant is liquid.