How Your Air Conditioner Works: Air Conditioning Basics

Would it surprise you to learn that when you turn on the air conditioner the cooling of your home is actually produced with the transfer of heat? When the heat hot air in your home is removed, the remaining cold air cools your home.  Let’s look at the major components of an air conditioner.

Your central air conditioning system has two key components: the indoor unit, and the outdoor unit. They work in tandem to keep your home comfortable year-round.

The Indoor Unit

Typically located in a closet or in your basement, the indoor unit holds the evaporator.  The evaporator pulls the hot air located inside your home into the system where the refrigerant – a fluid that flows inside the coil piping – absorbs the heat. As the heat is removed from inside your home, the indoor unit distributes cooled air into your home.

Ductless systems take advantage of advances in chemistry to reduce effects on the environment. This means the system will have less impact on the environment throughout its life cycle. Ductless systems use a refrigerant called R410A, which is known for its zero ozone depletion potential. As long as you have your AC unit maintained annually, the refrigerant should last for the life span of your system.

• If you would like to learn more about the Refrigeration process, check out the page link below.

The Outdoor Unit

Usually located in the rear or on the side of your house, it disperses the heat from inside your home to the outside. The compressor, condenser coil and fan are the equipment used for executing this process. The hot air absorbed from your home, which was transferred to the refrigerant, is then pumped into the outdoor unit. As this heat is absorbed and moved by the refrigerant to the outdoor coil, it passes through the compressor.

The compressor has the primary job of moving the refrigerant, which requires a higher pressure in order to maintain a consistent flow, throughout the system. Once the refrigerant is compressed, it moves through the outdoor coil known as the condenser. The fan delivers ambient air, which is the same temperature as the outside air, across the condenser coil causing it to cool.

As the process completes, the heat from inside your house is dispersed to the air outside your house. The refrigerant is then pumped back indoors and the whole process begins again.

• If you would like to learn more about the 6 Different Types of AC Systems just click the link!

• You can review the AC units offered by our suppliers here: Ameristar; Daikin; Goodman; Mitsubishi; Rheem.

The content used to describe the way the AC unit creates cold air, along with the image of this process have been generously provided by AC & Heating Connect. AC & Heating Connect is dedicated to providing helpful information to consumers of air conditioning and heating equipment for homes and businesses in North America.