At saturation, each pressure has one boiling temperature, which is why techs can read an evaporator or condenser temperature straight off a gauge. Inside a working coil most of the refrigerant is saturated; it leaves the evaporator superheated and the condenser subcooled. Superheat and subcooling are both measured against saturation temperature.
Low side reads 118 psi on 410A, that's about 40 degrees saturation, right where an evaporator should be.
Also heard as
- saturation temperature
- sat temp
Related terms
PT chart
Pressure-temperature chart: a table giving each refrigerant's saturation temperature at each pressure.
Superheat
How many degrees refrigerant vapor is above its boiling point at the pressure it is at.
Subcooling
How many degrees liquid refrigerant is below its condensing temperature at the same pressure.
Glide
The temperature change of a refrigerant blend as it boils or condenses at constant pressure.