Homes and businesses can help people find comfort on a hot summer day thanks to central air conditioning systems. Among the great examples of modern engineering is AC units providing the indoors with cooler temperatures. To make everything work smoothly, there are many components to the central air, and they are broken down with small parts. Among them is the expansion valve. The central air conditioning relies on this part to remove the warm air and push it outside. Without this critical component, air conditioning would be impossible. Today, the air conditioner’s expansion valve is what we at Ambient Heating & Air Conditioning would like to discuss today.
How Does Air Conditioning Expansion Valve Work?
Your air conditioner funnels refrigerant throughout the system and transforming that refrigerant from a liquid to a gas and back again. Liquid refrigerant moves inside your system to absorb the heat to cool your home or business. With the heat absorption, the refrigerant then turns into a gas. The gaseous refrigerant moves to the outdoor portion of the unit where the absorbed heat is released outside. This release makes the refrigerant transform back to its liquid form and the cycle repeats. Once back inside the gaseous refrigerant releases the heat from the air into the outdoors, the refrigerant is still too warm to absorb more heat. In the air conditioning process, this is where the expansion valve steps in to play its part. The expansion valve removes pressure from the refrigerant, allowing the refrigerant to cool rapidly in preparation for more heat absorption.
What are the Symptoms of a Failing Expansion Valve?
With a number of problems an air conditioner can have, a malfunctioning expansion valve can be associated. The following are a few of the more common examples:
1) Cool air is not blowing out from the air conditioning.
2) A constantly running system. If the expansion valve is malfunctioning, the refrigerant continues feeding into the compressor. The compressor continues running nonstop to deal with the gas as a result. Without shutting down between cycles to let the system rest, this keeps your air conditioner will run continuously.
3) Coils are frozen. The refrigerant gets too cold and starts freezing everything in its path because the expansion valve is valve is responsible for depressurizing the refrigerant to cool it. Things that indicate that something is going wrong with the refrigerant, and the expansion valve includes the valve isn’t doing its job, frozen coils, frost spewing from the vents, or ice forming on the appliance’s exterior coupled with other symptoms.
4) A/C makes unusual noises. It is not unusual for the air conditioners to protest with strange sounds when parts malfunction. Due to a faulty expansion valve is clanging, squealing, or banging noises that worsen over time.
What Happens if Expansion Valve Goes Bad?
Most expansion valves can be repaired or replaced easily and inexpensively when the expansion valve is the problem with the air conditioner. It takes a qualified technician to identify a faulty expansion valve and replace or repair it, though it is simple fix. Call Ambient Heating & Air Conditioning if you suspect a poor expansion valve or the air conditioner is not operating efficiently.
