This is a continuation of our blog on air conditioning. We will focus on the next three components of the A/C system which includes the liquid receiver tank, the air conditioning compressor and the condensor coil. Each of these components is an intregal part of a properly running system.
The first of these components is the liquid receiver tank. This tank is located in the heating and air conditioning compartment, and this location varies depending on the type of coach you have. It acts as a reservoir for the liquid refrigerant that is in your system. It assures that only liquid refrigerant will be admitted to the expansion valve, evaporator, and manifold tubes. The sight glass in the receiver glass provides a way of determining the amount of refrigerant in your system. With the A/C system running at a stabilized temperature and the coach engine operating at high idle, the refrigerant liquid level should be maintained ao that the ball is about in the middle of the sight glass.
The next component is the condenser coil. The fin and tube-type condenser coil is usually mounted behind the evaporator and heater core in the heat and air condiditoning compartment. Air flow across the condenser coil is provided by electrically driven fan motors. For obvious reasons, properly operating fan motors are crucial to achieving maximum air flow and performance. It is important to keep the evaporator, heater core and condenser coil free of any dirt and debris in order to get the most air flow and cooling capacity/heat transfer from your unit.
The final component we will discuss in this section is the air conditioning compressor. The compressor acts as an engine for the air conditioning system. The capacity of the compressor is determined by piston displacement and clearance, suction and discharge valve size, compressor speed, suction and discharge pressure and the type of refrigerant. The compressor suction pulls gas from the evaporator.
The compressor compresses the gas to higher pressures and puses it to the condenser which has colder air running through it. There it takes the heat from the gas to condense to a liquid form and moves to the receiver dryer which then goes to the expansion valve. The expansion valve, as discussed in the previous blog, controls the flow of liquid to the evaporator.
We will continue our blog next week with additional components in the system followed by basic operations of the system and symptoms of failures within the system.
Please remember that this information does not replace the need for a qualified mechanic. We do offer technical support on
