How Does A/C Work

So, How Does Air Conditioner Work

Air conditioning is an appliance system that makes the climate in your home comfortable and convenient. This occurs as A/C equipment takes heat from inside the house and transfers it to the outside, gradually cooling the air within the house with chemical refrigerant. In general use, an air conditioner is the main element of a central heating and cooling system in a home, which provides cooling temperatures for the air circulating through special air ducts.

Basic Step By Step Operations

An air conditioner features a seemingly easy-to-understand mode of operation, but actually follows a strict process that requires a series of steps. How an air conditioner works step-by-step can be found in the following list of details and functions within the different parts of the air conditioner system.

Step 1: Heat is absorbed by the evaporator coil

Cooling coils known as evaporator coils remove heat and humidity from the air inside the home, using a chemical called refrigerant to do so. As the air comes in through vents and goes through a filter, it blows across the coils and is absorbed, where the refrigerant turns from liquid into gas.

Step 2: The compressor raises the refrigerant temperature

This gaseous refrigerant travels to the compressor unit of the air conditioner, where the volume is decreased by literally compressing it between two solid objects. By doing this, the temperature of the refrigerant increases and the pressure rises, making it ready for the condensing process.

Step 3: Heat is transferred outside the home

The newly heated refrigerant vapor gets sent to the outside condenser unit, where it's exposed to outside air. This air naturally absorbs the heat from the transferred refrigerant, which in turn lowers the temperature and changes it back into a liquid state.

Step 4: The refrigerant gets cold; the process repeats

After the heat is transferred to the outside, the refrigerant travels through a copper tube back into indoor unit, where it gets cold again and goes back into the evaporator coils. This repeats the air conditioning process, until the temperature of the home reaches the level you want according to the A/C's thermostat.

Types of Air Conditioning Equipment

There are a number of different air conditioning units available, and you'll want to select the one that best suits your cooling needs as well as the available space and total area in your home. Each type of air conditioning equipment features specific uses, but the end result is always the cooling of your home.

Gas and Electric Package

A gas/electric air conditioning unit is a compact system that is normally installed outside the home. It can be installed in a wall or on a rooftop for larger units or larger homes. The cooling process occurs through ductwork that runs through a hole in the wall or door, and the unit is powered either through gas or electricity. These units are ideal for homes without a basement and apartments.

Centralized System

Most commonly known as "central air", these types of air conditioning systems work through a large compressor unit that's installed outside the home. From a roof or a spot near the house's foundation, the centralized system cools the air inside the unit then funnels it into the home through a series of ducts and into the openings inside, normally found in the ceilings, floors, or walls. Central air systems are controlled with your home's thermostat.

Ductless Mini Split

The biggest benefit of a ductless mini split system can be the lack of ductwork, so there's no need to rely on extra installation costs. These types of air conditioners work with the combination of an outdoor unit connected by refrigerated copper tubing to an indoor unit normally placed on a wall. Ductless mini splits work well when you want to cool only a certain room in the home without that air circulating everywhere.