How Can Running The Ac Be Fuel
According to the EPA, your commutes on Valrico highways can be more fuel-efficient when you run the AC rather than rolling the windows down. Why is this? When the windows are open at highway speeds, they increase aerodynamic drag, which makes the engine work harder and burn more fuel. If, like many other Brandon drivers, you like to run your AC on hot summer days, this is great news!
The Science Behind Your Air Con
The temperatures rising, and when its so hot outside that your ice-cream melts in seconds, you will certainly at some point be seeking cool relief in your car if youre hitting the road this summer. Many vehicle interface systems are now designed to set your air conditioning at the press of a button, but what is actually happening in the background?
How Does A Cars Air Conditioning Work
Any AC system requires a refrigerant, such as R-134a. Your vehicles compressor, powered by the serpentine belt, compresses the refrigerant into a liquid, putting it into a high-pressure state. This pressure forces the liquid out of the compressor through the hoses in your AC hose assembly, which carry refrigerant through the system. Regardless of which of the systems your car uses, the compressed refrigerant travels from the compressor to the condenser on the high-pressure side of the system to cool off before reaching the AC evaporator core on the low-pressure side.
The condenser is like a small radiator where the AC hoses come in contact with the outside air, which absorbs heat from the liquid inside before the liquid reaches the AC in-line filter, which removes debris that could contaminate the system. The now cooled refrigerant moves to the low-pressure side of the system through either the expansion valve or the orifice tube, depending on which system you have. There it goes through the evaporator core in a gaseous state, allowing the refrigerant to absorb heat from the air that passes through the evaporator fins. This leaves the cabin with cool air while the warm refrigerant makes its way back to the compressor.
Scroll down to see a step-by-step breakdown of how refrigerant travels through your cars AC parts.
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How Car Ac Works
Generally, air conditioning works the same for all cars. All systems run on a high-pressure gas called refrigerant. No matter the make, the air conditioning system uses the following parts:
- Compressor: Compresses the refrigerant into a fluid, so the refrigerant flows through a line to the condenser.
- Condenser: Removes the heat from the refrigerant and pushes it along to the expansion valve or orifice tube.
- Expansion valve or orifice tube: Returns the refrigerant to its original gaseous state and moves it to the receiver/drier or accumulator.
- Receiver/drier or accumulator: Removes moisture from the refrigerant and transfers it to the evaporator.
- Evaporator: Pulls heat from the air passing through its core and transfers it into the refrigerant, resulting in cold air flowing beyond the evaporator.
How Often Do I Need New Coolant In My Car
Its very important for the coolant level to stay full, and to make sure there are no leaks in your heater hoses. Its also a good idea to have your coolant flushed and refilled regularly to make sure that your engine can be cooled, and your cabin can be heated efficiently. Typically, we recommend changing the coolant in your car about every 30,000 miles, but it certainly cant hurt to check on it more often than that.
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The Process Of Cooling The Air In An Ac System
Looking at the different parts of an automotive AC system, it should already be obvious how such technologies cool the air inside the cabin. We shall try to illustrate here the sequential steps on how such a system works.
Car air conditioners work to make our rides more comfortable and our journeys a lot more worthwhile. So, if someone asks, how does a car AC work?, you already know how to explain it.;;;;;;
How Air Conditioning Works
Any system that lowers air temperature operates in a similar fashion. First, take an affordable inert gas, like freon, and place it in a sealed system. This gas is then pressurized using a compressor. And, by the laws of physics, a pressurized gas heats up by absorbing energy around it. In an air conditioning system, this hot gas is then circulated through a series of tubes, where it dissipates its heat. As the heat dissipates, the gas returns to a liquid form which can be circulated back inside.
This process of absorbing the heat from inside one space and dissipating it in an outside space is what produces the cooling effect. For many years, the gas used was freon, which is a known handling hazard. Since it was discovered that freon was harmful to the earth’s ozone layer, it has been phased out for automotive use and replaced with the slightly less efficient but harmless R-134a refrigerant.;
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Schedule Car Ac Compressor Replacement
The most popular service booked by readers of this article is Car AC Compressor Replacement. YourMechanics technicians bring the dealership to you by performing this job at your home or office 7-days a week between 7AM-9PM. We currently cover over 2,000 cities and have 100k+ 5-star reviews… LEARN MORE
How Hvac Air Conditioners Work
Would you like to know how your vehicles air conditioner works? The system looks complicated, but it’s really quite simple. Once you know how it delivers cold air you will be better informed when problems occur and how to fix them, or understand more on what a garage is telling you when having it repaired.
Your heater and air conditioner have three jobs, cool the interior of the car down, heat the interior up and defrost the windshield. All three modes work together as a climate control system. This system is controlled by a maincomputer which sits in the dash and also houses the controls for the mode and temperature settings.
The computer gives commands to the compressor to start pressurizing the refrigerant along with theblend door actuators to direct air flow from the floor, mid and defrost vents. It alsocontrols blower fan speed. Actuators also control air temperature by mixing the hot air from the heater and the cold air from the A/C.
When you turn the system on a voltage supply is given to the climate controller, blower motor fan and the compressor clutch or internal valve. These components then begin to operate connected through a climate control wiring harness fuse and relay.
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How Do Your Cars A/c And Heater Work
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Weather is normally fairly temperate here in Western Washington, but there are definitely days when you want your cars air conditioning and heating to work. The best way to make sure your equipment is ready when you need it most is to keep up with a regular automotive HVAC maintenance schedule, as well as, repair problems as soon as possible. It also helps to understand a little bit more about how your heater and AC work. Learn more about the two systems below to increase your chances of spotting problems before they get too severe.
The Components Used In Automobile Ac Are
1. Compressor ;
It is also known as the heart of the AC system. The AC cycle starts with the compressor compressing the low-pressure gaseous refrigerant. The refrigerant leaves the compressor as a high-pressure gaseous refrigerant. The compressor is the central component of the AC system. A compressor provides pressure rise to the refrigerant to convert the vapor refrigerant into liquid refrigerant which in turn enables the further flow of the refrigerant through the condenser. The compressor of the car air conditioning system is driven by the crankshaft of the engine through the belt drive.
2. Condenser ;
It is the device looks like a small radiator and is used after the compressor as it provides condensing i.e. lowers the temperature, of the high pressure and high-temperature liquid refrigerant sent by the compressor through forced convection provided either by radiator fan or by separated fan used with the condenser.As hot compressed gasses are introduced into the top of the condenser, they are cooled off. As the gas cools, it condenses and exits the bottom of the condenser as a high-pressure liquid.
3. Expansion valve-;
It is a device used in car air conditioning system to expand the high pressure, low-temperature liquid refrigerant sent by the condenser in order to release the pressure of the refrigerant before sending it to the evaporator for the further process.
4. Evaporator ;
5. Receiver-Dryer-;
Receiver/driers serve three very important functions:
6. Refrigerant ;
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How Does A Cars A/c Work
At one time people used to use ice to help keep their cars cool, but the technology that pushes delightfully cold air out of your vents today is more sophisticated than that. The refreshing air you feel on a hot day actually started out as hot air, but has had the heat removed from it during a process with multiple steps. You dont need to get too much into the science to understand a high-level explanation of how this process occurs. To start, its good to know which common parts make up your cars air conditioning system and work to put the refrigerant to use.
- HVAC Control Panel
- Evaporator
- Blower Motor
Those parts all spring into action when you turn on your cars AC unit through the HVAC control panel. The compressor constricts the refrigerant, and it begins to lose heat as it passes through the condenser. The receiver and dryer remove contaminants and moisture, then the refrigerant enters the expansion valve or accumulator.
All the while, the refrigerant is becoming depressurized and getting cooler. Finally, refrigerant makes its way to your evaporator, which removes any remaining moisture and cools the temperature even further. From there, the ventilation systems motor blows air over the evaporator, making it cold before pushing it out of your cars vents.
Refrigerant: The Lifeblood Of Your Air Conditioning System
Most newer vehicles use R134a which is a relatively safe and easy to handle gas. This gas is the lifeblood of your air conditioning and it is very important to notate here, that newer vehicles are very sensitive to the refrigerant level. Most newer vehicles contain 16 oz or less of R134a, and being even slightly over or undercharged can wreak havoc on your AC.
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What Is An A/c Condenser
Consider it the master of turning hot refrigerant gasses into liquid. The condenser is mounted at the front of most vehicles, usually in front of the radiator. Air passes through the condenser, turning the hot refrigerant gas into a condensed, cooler refrigerant liquid.
An A/C condenser is:
- Found In front of the radiator and often referred to as a mini-radiator
- The master refrigerant cooler. And still champion. The Condenser radiates the hot refrigerant gasses that have entered from the compressor, reducing its temperature and pressure, turning it into a liquid that moves on to the A/C Dryer.
Signs of a worn condenser:
- Leaks
- Clogged, corroded or damaged fins or tubes
- Poor air conditioning performance
Other Ways To Improve Fuel Economy
In addition to rolling the windows up at highway speeds, there are plenty of other ways to improve fuel economy on Cerritos and West Hollywood roads. Here are a few suggestions:
- Brake gradually
- Make sure your cars tires are properly inflated and aligned
- Dont idle for more than 30 seconds
- Pack light
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How Does Car Air Conditioning Work
Summer is a prime time of the year, rejoiced for its sunshine, its liberating energy, and its heat. Canada occupies a special place on the planet internationally renowned for its epic winters and cold temps, yet were privy to some fantastic summer temperatures. But, with those hot and humid temps comes inevitably complaining about the heat. After all, theres nothing better then the refreshing cold from a brand new vehicle on a hot day.
Driving in a stuffy steel box with no air circulation can be an awful experience. Theres little in life that compares to the respite we feel when entering an air conditioned space. Originally patented by Packard in 1939, air conditioning has added chill to the air in our vehicles. By 1969, about half of all cars sold had A/C and 2010 about 99% of all vehicles sold have featured the luxury.
Car air conditioning works to fulfill two specific tasks, through a low-pressure and high-pressure stage. First, its purpose is to cool the air that enters the passenger cabin, and then to remove the moisture from the air to improve passenger comfort. Many auto brands actually integrate air conditioning in the defrost setting as well a process that helps to remove the humidity that contributes to foggy windows. But how does it work?
How Your Cars Heater Works
First and foremost, your cars engine need to run to warm up the engines “antifreeze.” The antifreeze is what carries heat from the engine into the passenger compartment. The engine will need to run for several minutes to build up heat.
Once the engine has reached operating temperature, the “thermostat” on the engine opens and allows antifreeze to flow through. Commonly, the thermostat opens at 165 to 195 degrees. As coolant begins to flow through the engine, heat from the engine is absorbed into the antifreeze and carried through to the heater core.
The “heater core” is a heat exchanger much like a radiator. It is mounted inside the heater housing inside your cars dash. The blower motor pulls air through the heater core, removing heat from the antifreeze circulating through it. The antifreeze then carries on to the water pump.
The “HVAC control” inside your car is integral to the your heating system. It allows you to create a comfortable environment by controlling the blower motors speed, the amount of heat in your car, and the direction of air movement. There are several actuators and electrical motors that control doors inside the heater box in your dash. The HVAC control communicates with them to change the air direction and the temperature regulation.
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Thermal Expansion Valve Or Orifice Tube
The now-liquid refrigerant flows through high-pressure tubing back toward your cars dash, where it passes through a small valve. Depending on your car, this valve is called either a thermal expansion valve or an orifice tube it then changes back to a low-pressure gas.
The valve allows only a small amount of refrigerant through at a time, and also relieves the pressure created by the compressor. A funny thing happens when you suddenly reduce the pressure: the refrigerant becomes very cold.
Two Methods Of Heat Control
Water-valve heating systemAir-blending heating system
The temperature to which the air is warmed is controlled by either a water valve or an air-blending system. The water-valve type is found mainly on earlier cars.
The temperature control on the dashboard works a tap which lets either more or less hot water through the matrix. The setting is slow to respond to change and difficult to regulate exactly.
The air-blending system has a matrix that is heated constantly. The temperature control opens and closes flaps that blend heated air with cold air from outside.
With either system there may be extra flaps to admit a separate supply of cold air to the face vents, even when the rest of the system is supplying warm air.
The air-control flaps inside the heater box may be moved mechanically by sliding knobs on the control panel, which are linked to the flaps by cables.
More expensive cars may have power-assisted controls worked by the vacuum in the inlet manifold acting on a diaphragm, as in a power-brakeservo .
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Whats The Difference Between Air Con And Climate Control
Climate control is different to AC. Climate control regulates the temperature by automatically adjusting the AC or heating based on the setting youve picked.;
When the driver or passenger sets their desired temperature, the system triggers the air con or heating. Once the system has reached the right temperature, it levels off to keep the temperature steady.
It means you dont have to fiddle around with any dials or turn the air on and off to get the right temperature in the car.
Is Air Con Part Of My Mot Or Service
No, your annual MOT ensures the vehicle is safe to drive as per strict DVSA guidelines. Since air conditioning is considered a nice-to-have feature and is not critical to the safe running of the vehicle, your MOT tester will not check to see if your air con is working.
Similarly,air con is not included in the standard service schedule set out by yourvehicle manufacturer. Regular servicing will help keep your car running forlonger in a safe and reliable condition and includes some replacement partslike the oil and air filters. But those drivers expecting their air con to berecharged as part of their service will be disappointed. Many manufacturersprovide a separate air con service schedule which will recommend a regas, on average,every 2 years.
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How Often Do I Need My A/c System Recharged
Only when the cool breeze no longer feels as chilly as you remember. Simple enough. Now, it is true that a well maintained A/C system can go its entire life without needing a recharge. But, thats if youre extremely lucky.
If you start noticing your A/C isnt reaching those refreshingly cool temperatures, have your system inspected. In this situation, most cars will be low on Freon. And since the A/C is a sealed system, low Freon is a big sign that something is not right. It could be a small leak that needs attention or possibly part of the A/C is failing bring it in and well perform an A/C Performance Check and get to the root of the problem. Well get you back out there cruising with a nice, cool breeze again.
