Central Air Conditioning 101 - An Introductory Guide to Your Homes Central Air Conditioner

How Does My Home Air Conditioning System Work?

Your home air conditioning system typically works as follows:

1. When it gets warm inside your home, your Thermostat automatically activates your air conditioner to compensate
2. The Condensing Unit on the outside of your home circulates refrigerant that absorbs heat from the indoor environment through the Evaporator Coil as it travels between the indoor evaporator coil and the condensing unit outside
3. As refrigerant flows through the evaporator coil, a Blower (Fan) in the furnace (or air handler) moves the warm air across the evaporator coil surface, removing heat and dispensing the cooled air through your home’s ductwork
4. The captured heat is then sent back to the condensing unit outside to be released into the outside air, cooling your home comfortably and efficiently

Special thanks to Armstrong Air for their contributions to this section.

What Are The Typical Parts of a Residential Air Conditioning System?

Below you can see what a typical residential central air conditioner system. The main components to the system are:

1. Condensing Unit: always located OUTSIDE the house or condo; contains a compressor that circulates refrigerant (typically R410A) through the refrigerant circuit
2. Liquid Line: the smaller of the two copper lines running from the outdoor condensing unit to the indoor evaporator coil
3. Vapour Line (also known as the Suction Line): the larger of the two copper lines running from the outdoor condensing unit to the indoor evaporator coil; the Vapour Line is typically insulated to improve cooling efficiency
4. Evaporator Coil (often referred to as an A-coil): a finned coil that is installed INSIDE your home, just past the blower fan in the duct work; the liquid refrigerant flashes to a vapour inside the evaporator coil, cooling the evaporator coil
5. Blower (Fan): a fan that will circulate air through your ductwork, forcing air through the fins in the evaporator coil. In homes equipped with a furnace, the blower fan is already part of your home’s furnace; in homes WITHOUT a furnace, a dedicated air handler may be present

What is Included in an Air Conditioning Package from BPH Sales?

Our air conditioning packages contain all the major components required to replace your existing air conditioner or to install a new one. The parts in a package include:

• Condensing (outdoor) Unit
• Evaporator Coil (inside your ducting)
• Copper Line Set with insulation for the vapour line

Don’t worry, we will work with you and review each order to make sure all components are correctly sized and matched with each other to ensure your system works properly!

Do I have to buy an air conditioner package?

Not at all! We do recommend the package purchase for a couple of reasons:

• you save 8% when you purchase a package from BPH Sales! Discounts are applied automatically at checkout.
• we can better help ensure that your system components are all properly matched

However, if you know what you want and only need certain parts, you are definitely free to order items individually!