A/C question

Most AC systems have three sizes of hose roughly equivalent to -10,-8,and-6. The -10 is between the evaporator and the compressor. The -6 goes from the compressor to the top of the condenser and the -8 from the bottom of the condenser to the dryer and then to the expansion valve. Your new condenser sounds right.

Why is the hose coming out of the compressor to the top of the condensor larger(fat) than the hose coming out of the bottom of the condensor(skinny) to the drier? Is it more vapor or liquid at the bottom of the condensor?

Emery, Here's my a/c/ upgrade with smaller hose coming out the bottom of the condenser as you have shown and connects to the drier that I moved out of the engine bay.

Ron

Emery, Here's a generic a/c layout for reference

Ron

Thanks Ron.
So, do you think the hose coming out of the compressor needs to be fatter cuz it's under alot of pressure coming out? it then has to go into the top of the condensor to allow for gravity to help feed it through the condensor???? Then comes out the bottom of the condensor cooled off to the drier??? Why should it matter which way it's going in?? Why is there a in and out of a drier???? Sorry for all the dumb questions! Anybody know the physics of the system?

You know, I'm not a pysisyt but with system pressure over 300psi I dont' think gravity will have much effect. I think hose size is more important than what way the flow goes through the condenser. ie: top to bottom or bottom to top. I just stayed home last nite and not in the holiday inn, so you have to keep that in mind too.

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.

Your friend on the DTBB

I believe it's a physics and a pressure thing that requires the smaller hose at the bottom of the condenser. The hot compressed gasses flow into the top of the condenser where they are cooled off. As the gas cools it condenses and exits the bottom of the condenser as a high pressure liquid. There should be three different size hoses: #8 from the compressor to the condenser, #6 from the condenser through the drier to the evaporator and #10 from the evaporator back to the compressor.

Ron