Posted on 6/27/2018
How a Car A/C Works (or Doesn’t) I'm sure at one time or another we all have found ourselves sitting in our vehicle on the hottest day of the summer with cold air blowing from the A/C system. Sure, your car’s A/C (if it’s working correctly) turns hot air cold, which can feel miraculous on a sunny summer afternoon. But the way it cools that air isn’t as complicated as some people think. Parts of a Car A/C There are five main parts of a car A/C: Compressor Condenser Thermal expansion valve or orifice tube Evaporator Accumulator or receiver/drier Each of the parts is connected by tubing or hoses to form a closed loop. Through that loop runs refrigerant, which is what really does the work of cooling down the air. The Refrigeration Cycle (Round and Round We Go) The best way to explain how a car air conditioner works is to describe what happens to the refrigerant as it travels around the loop and through the differ ... read more