For heating and cooling your home, the compressor is one of the most important parts of your HVAC system. To maintain the optimal balance of temperature, humidity, and air quality levels, there is no better solution for your home’s comfort than an HVAC system powered by a scroll compressor. But how these units function can be a bit confusing with regards to their operation, so we’ll quickly explore these marvels of engineering in a little more detail.
What is a Scroll Compressor?
Typical reciprocating HVAC compressors operate by drawing in refrigerant and heating it by raising and lowering a piston, causing its volume to decrease and pressure and temperature to increase. This is typically an inefficient process, due to the number of moving parts required for operation. Scroll compressors, on the other hand, operate by compressing refrigerant through a moving scroll in a smooth, spiral motion. As the refrigerant passes toward the center of the scroll, increasingly smaller pockets of refrigerant are created that gradually rise in temperature and pressure. With only fewer moving parts, scroll compressors are much quieter and energy-efficient. Less parts also make for a more durable operation with fewer breakdowns.
Benefits of Residential Scroll Compressors
Residential HVAC system installations can vary from fixed to modulating platforms, offering a range of different capacities to meet the needs of your unique home. While the applications, platforms and capacities may differ, scroll compressors are proven to consistently deliver:
- Quiet and reliable operation
- Enhanced comfort and humidity control
- Low-maintenance operation that requires less service
- Improved energy efficiency and cost savings
To learn more about scroll compressors and modulation technology for your home HVAC system, check out the inside story on Scroll Compressors:
Read Next: Understanding Your AC: An Introduction to SEER and Efficiency
