Expansion Valve

Front View of a Expansion Valve

Definition

An air conditioner’s expansion valve controls how much refrigerant is allowed to flow from the condenser coil and into the evaporator coil. By doing so, it helps the evaporator coil to work most efficiently, allowing enough refrigerant into the evaporator coil so that the entire coil is chilled to the proper temperature. And it keeps liquid refrigerant from flowing to the compressor, by also limiting refrigerant from entering the evaporator coil once it’s chilled to the proper temperature.

Synonyms

Thermal Expansion Valve, Thermostatic Expansion Valve, TX Valve, Metering Device

Abbreviations

TEV, TXV, TX Valve

Related Terms

Amp Clamp

Amp Clamp

An amp clamp is an electronic device that has clamps, used to measure amperage.

R-12

R-12

Common type of refrigeration used in older home AC systems

Freon

Freon

Brand name for a type of refrigerant used in air conditioning systems

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