This article is the second in a 5-part series by Senior Refrigeration and HVAC tech Jeremy Smith.  The Ground rules I've spent some time thinking about troubleshooting and the processes and procedures that I use to find problems. Not the “why isn't my air-conditioner running?” problems, but the “Things just aren't quite right”-type problems—the really […]

Simply stated, a compressor’s volumetric efficiency (VE) is its ability to pump the most pounds of refrigerant over time. The compressor’s function is right in the name: it compresses vapor refrigerant. After compression, the gas moves to the condenser via the discharge line. From there, the refrigeration cycle continues. However, some of the refrigerant vapor […]

Compressibility is the ability of a substance to be squeezed into a smaller volume. It is the change in volume and increase in density that results from an increase in pressure. The subject of compression should be familiar to HVAC techs. After the return air passes over the boiling refrigerant in the evaporator coils, the […]