How Does Air Conditioning Work?

how-does-air-conditioner-work
Air conditioning units are complex systems that seem to provide us with comfortable, cool air as if by magic. They make hot weather more bearable and transform your home into an oasis during the long, hot days of summer.

Most of us have homes or workplaces with either room or central AC units, but do you really know how air conditioners work? In this article, we’ll take a look at the process that helps your AC deliver turn hot air into the cool air that it sends throughout your home or business.

How Do Air Conditioners Work?

An air conditioner works in a very similar way to your refrigerator. Instead of cooling a small space like that inside your fridge, your AC unit is designed to cool the entire interior of your home. The basic concept of air conditioning involves a chemical (refrigerant) which travels from the unit inside the home to outside and back inside again. Heat is absorbed and released throughout this process. Contrary to popular belief, the air conditioning process is more about removing the existing heat from the air in a space than creating brand new, cooled air.

A central air conditioning system in made up of both an indoor and outdoor unit that work together to create the cooled air inside your living space. Each has an important role to play in transforming hot air into cool air.

Indoor Unit

The indoor portion of your central air conditioning system is placed near where your furnace filter is located, usually in your basement. This unit contains an evaporator, which is designed to allow the refrigerant to evaporate and absorb heat. After the refrigerant absorbs the heat from the warm air in your home, all that is left is cool, comfortable air. As it absorbs heat, the refrigerant turns from liquid to vapour.

Outdoor Unit

The outdoor unit is what we typically picture in our minds when we think of a central air conditioning system. Located on the exterior of your home, this unit disperses the hot air coming from indoors. This unit contains the compressor, condenser and a fan. The heat from insider the home is transferred into the refrigerant and is pumped to the outdoor unit, passing through the compressor.

The compressor plays a key role in how air conditioners work, as it performs the job of moving the refrigerant throughout the air conditioning system. It compresses the refrigerant to a higher pressure before it moves it through the condenser. As the chemical goes through the condenser, the fan cools the coil, and in turn, the refrigerant. Hot air is released into the outdoors. Next, the refrigerant goes back into the interior of the home, completing the entire cycle. This process repeats as long as your air conditioner is running.

If you’re searching for a new, efficient air conditioner for your home, commercial property or business, or require repairs to your existing AC unit to get it running like new again, call the team at Evam Canada at 1-905-624-5544. Our qualified technicians would be happy to explain to you how air conditioners work and help you find the right system for your needs.