On a scorching hot summer day you have likely found yourself finding relief inside your cool air conditioned home. Even on the hottest days our home air conditioners provide relief from the elements and bring us comfort. But you have likely wondered, how does my air conditioner that is outside get the air so cool inside? You might have asked yourself, do air conditioners bring in outside air? Though it might seem confusing, your air conditioner does not bring outside air into your home.

This article will look at the reasons why your air conditioner does not bring in outside air, how it gets your house cool and what you should know about your indoor air quality. Don’t forget to stay on top of your air conditioner maintenance to ensure your air conditioner is running efficiently for summer!

Why Doesn’t My Air Conditioner Bring in Outside Air?

From an outside appearance it may seem that an air conditioner takes warm air from outside your home and turns it into cold air. As air conditioning units are located outside of the home it can be confusing to understand that the opposite is actually what takes place.
Instead of turning hot air into cold air, air conditioners remove the warm air from your home and pump it back outside. In order to do this your air conditioner utilizes its heat pump.

But How Does My House Get Cool?

Now that you know that your air conditioner does not bring hot air in you might be wondering, how does my house get cool air flowing in it? The cool air coming through your vents is thanks to the refrigeration cycle of your air conditioner. For cold air to come through your home the following must take place;

• Unwanted warm air inside your home gets absorbed by the refrigerant in your air conditioner.
• The refrigerant heats up.
• The heat from inside your home is sent outside through the refrigerant, going from warm to cool.
• The refrigerant becomes cold and cool air is pumped through the house.

What About Air Quality?

Since an air conditioner does not bring in outside air you don’t have to worry about unclean air entering your home. This is especially important during summer months when smog alerts are in effect. But, the downside to this is that it also prevents “fresh” air from entering your home.

If you are feeling like the air in your home is less than “fresh” it may be a good idea to open your windows on occasion. This is the quickest and easiest way to improve the quality of you’re the air in your home. Choose a day that’s not too hot and allow the fresh air into your home. You can also do this during the winter months too!