Automobile Air Conditioning

In 1939, Packard became the first automobile manufacturer to offer an air conditioning unit in its cars. These were manufactured by Bishop and Babcock Co, of Cleveland, Ohio. The "Bishop and Babcock Weather Conditioner" also incorporated a heater. Cars ordered with the new "Weather Conditioner" were shipped from Packard's East Grand Boulevard facility to the B&B factory where the conversion was performed. Once complete, the car was shipped to a local dealer where the customer would take delivery. The price, at US $274 ($4,692.12 in 2014 US dollars), was unaffordable to most people in depression/pre-war America

In the refrigeration cycle, heat is transported from the passenger compartment to the environment. A refrigerator is an example of such a system, as it transports the heat out of the interior and into the ambient environment.

Today auto air systems work harder than ever before with less Freon. When it’s 95 degrees outside with high humidity your air conditioning is working at it’s maximum. If the system does not keep up it could be a sign of a weak compressor, a leak, an overcharged system or even a dryer releasing moisture back into the system.

The system works by circulating refrigerant gas vapor from the evaporator to the How do I know when I need tires on my car compressor in the engine bay, is compressed to a higher pressure, resulting in a higher temperature as well. The hot, compressed refrigerant vapor is now at a temperature and pressure at which it can be condensed and is routed through a condenser, usually in front of the car's radiator. Here the refrigerant is cooled by air flowing across the condenser coils often the same fan of the cooling radiator while being condensed into a liquid. Thus, the circulating refrigerant rejects heat from the system and the heat is carried away by the air.

The air, often after being filtered by a cabin air filter, is blown by an adjustable speed electric powered centrifugal fan across the evaporator, causing the liquid part of the cold refrigerant mixture to evaporate as well, further lowering the temperature. The warm air is therefore cooled, and also deprived of any humidity (which condenses on the evaporator coils and is drained outside of the vehicle) To complete the refrigeration cycle, the refrigerant vapor is routed back into the compressor.

The warmer the air that reaches the evaporator, the higher the pressure of the vapor mixture discharged from it and therefore the higher is the load placed on the compressor and therefore on the engine to keep the refrigerant flowing through the system.

The compressor can be driven by the car's engine via a belt, or the serpentine belt, and an electromagnetically actuated clutch also be always directly driven by a belt or by an electric motor.

Have your automobile air conditioning checked today at C & E Tire and Auto Service as we are in the hot Florida heat season. No Appointment needed just call  727-596-9551.