Reply to "A/C question"

The a/c compressor pumps the hot freon gas from the evaporator, raising the pressure of the gas and discharges via a medium or large size hose to the condenser, where it should enter the top. In the condnser BTUs (heat) are removed and the freon collects at the outlet of the condenser as a liquid under high pressure. This is why the outlet should be at the bottom, because the liquid will collect at the bottom of the condenser (due to gravity). Normally the outlet of the condenser has a receiver for collecting the fluid with a desicant pack inside that removes water from the freon, there will also be a screen to collect splooge & low fling birds that may try to circulate in the system. The outlet of the drier/receiver is where the little sight glass is located that allows you to view the flow of liquid freon & detect if there is any air in the system (bubbles). From the receiver the cooled, pressurized liquid flows back towards the evaporator. The hose dimension required for a cool, high pressure liquid is less than that required for a hot, low pressure gas, so the hose between the receiver and the evaporator is a small one. At the entrance to the evaporator there shall be either an "expansion valve" or an "orifice". As the high pressure liquid freon flows through the orifice/expansion valve the pressure drops, the liquid freon flashes into a gas, absorbing heat as it flashes. This flashing into a gas / heat absorbtion takes place in the evaporator. From the outlet of the evaporator the low pressure, hot freon gas flows back to the suction of the compressor in a larger hose, which is necessary because the freon expanded as it flashed into a gas and absorbed heat.

In general, the liquid carrying hoses are small dimeter, the gas carrying hoses are large diameter.

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