Air
Conditioners: How Does It Work?
An air conditioner cleans, circulates, cools and
dehumidifies (removes undesirable moisture from) indoor air.
A filter cleans the air by trapping dust and other small
particles. An air handler (blower built into the system)
circulates it, while the cooling and dehumidifying are
accomplished by a process called refrigeration.
Refrigeration. Refrigeration cools a home by
transferring heat inside a home to the outdoors. All central
air conditioners employ two main units in this process – the
indoor unit and the condensing unit.
The indoor unit. This unit removes undesirable indoor
warmth and humidity. It includes the filter, the air handler
and the evaporator coil . The air handler blows filtered air
through the evaporator coil.
The evaporator coil is kept cold by the circulation of a
substance called a refrigerant. Air that travels across the
evaporator coil gives up heat (the colder coil absorbs it)
and humidity (moisture condenses upon contact with the cold
surface of the coil).
The cooler, drier air that continues through the air ducts
is vented throughout your home to maintain your desired
comfort level. Depending on the structure of your home, the
ductwork may be above the ceiling or below the floor.
The condensing unit. Outdoors, at the condensing unit,
an air conditioner releases the heat that was captured
indoors. The same refrigerant that absorbed the heat indoors
at low pressure is now pressurized – by the compressor – and
is circulated through another coil, the condensing coil.
In the condensing coil, under high pressure, the refrigerant
releases its heat very quickly, making the coil itself hot.
A fan blows across the coil, cooling its temperature down
and transferring the heat to the outside air. |
