When it is 100 degrees outside but a pleasant 65 degrees in your house, you may have found yourself wondering "How does an air conditioner work?”. Most people think that air conditioners create cold air. While this is somewhat true, what they actually do is recycle air, removing the heat from indoor air and transferring it outdoors. So, how does this process work? To understand how an air conditioner works, you must first look at its components.
Read on to learn more about the components of an air conditioner and find out how an air conditioner works. For more and to schedule expert AC repair or service in St. Louis, call the heating and cooling experts at Galmiche & Sons.
What Are the Components of an Air Conditioner?
All air conditioners contain the following major components:
- Thermostat: The thermostat controls the air conditioner by signaling the HVAC system when it is time to start cooling.
- Refrigerant: The refrigerant is the most essential part of an air conditioner, without which, it cannot function. It is a chemical compound that circulates around the AC absorbing and releasing heat at different stages.
- Evaporator coil: The evaporator coil is responsible for absorbing the heat and humidity. When the fan blows hot air from your home over the evaporator coils, the refrigerant inside absorbs the heat.
- Condenser coil: The condenser coil releases the heat that the refrigerant is carrying outdoors. This cools the refrigerant down and gets it ready to absorb more heat from your house.
- Compressor: After absorbing the heat in the evaporator coil, the refrigerant goes to the condenser coil by traveling through the compressor.
- Expansion valve: When the refrigerant releases most of the heat outdoors, it is still too hot to go into the evaporator coil. The expansion valve decreases the pressure, thereby cooling the refrigerant down so that it can go back into the evaporator coils.
How Does an Air Conditioner Work?
An air conditioner works in the following steps:
- The warm air in your house is drawn in through a vent. It then blows over the cold evaporator coil, and the refrigerant inside absorbs the heat from the air, thereby cooling the air. The fan then blows the cool air into the air ducts circulating it around your house.
- When the refrigerant absorbs heat from the warm air, it changes from a liquid to a gaseous state. It continues traveling within the coils until it reaches the compressor.
- The compressor increases the pressure and temperature of the gas, also increasing the volume. It prepares it for the condensing process.
- The refrigerant then reaches the condenser unit outside, where the outside air absorbs the heat from the refrigerant. As a result, the temperature of the refrigerant is lowered, turning it back into a liquid.
- The refrigerant then travels back to the evaporator coils, and the process is repeated again until the indoor temperature reaches the desired level.
To Learn More About How an Air Conditioner Works and More, Call Galmiche & Sons
Galmiche & Sons has been delivering outstanding heating and air conditioning service in the St. Louis area since 1950. We are one of the leading names in the HVAC industry, and the experts to go to for all your HVAC related issues. If you need help with your HVAC system or want to learn more to answer questions like “How does an air conditioner work?”, call us at 314-993-1110 today.
