How Does an RV Air Conditioning Unit Work?

What is an RV Air Conditioning Unit?

An RV air conditioning unit is a device for cooling the inside of a recreational vehicle. They are typically situated on the roof, though older-model RVs have them on the rear of the vehicle above the bumper or in the side beside one of the rear wheel wells. They are less powerful than the full-sized central-air units that are found in homes, but because of the small space they cool, are still quite effective.

Structure

The exact structure of RV air conditioning units varies from one model to the next, but they all have a few instrumental components in common. There are two fans, one aimed to blow air out of the RV, the other to blow air into the RV. In front of the fan pointing out of the RV is a series of condenser coils like those found in the radiator of a car. In front of the interior fan is a series of evaporator coils. The two sets of coils are connected to one another by pipelines to create a continuous circuit. Between the two coils are a motor to run the fans, a compressor to push material through the coils and an expansion valve set in the pipeline of the two coil sets.

How Does an RV Air Conditioning Unit Work?

Freon gas is contained within the compressor. It compresses the gas, causing it to become hot under high pressure. The gas passes through the condenser coils, dissipating the heat and turning into a liquid under the high pressure. The heat from the condenser coils is blown away from the RV by the outward-aimed fan. The Freon liquid passes through the expansion valve, where the pressure is decreased. That allows the Freon to turn back into a gas. This process of evaporation is an exothermic process in that it requires heat energy to occur, chilling the area around the evaporator coils. The coils give off cool air, which is blown into the RV by the other fan. The Freon then passes to the compressor where the process can repeat itself.