How do air

conditioners wo
rk
120 years before, Willis Carrier invented the first modern
air conditioning system.
People understand the importance of air condition when
the summer is coming. Well, we get air condition system
in every building encluding the indoor shopping malls,
hostipal, school, and so on, even in the car.
Air conditioning systems include a number of
components and do more than just cool the air inside.
They also can control humidity, air quality and airflow
within your home.

So, how do air conditioners work?

A typical air conditioning system, often referred to as “central air” or “split-system air
conditioning”, normally includes the following:

 a thermostat that controls system operation

 an outdoor unit
 an indoor unit
 copper tubing
 an expansion valve that regulates the amount of refrigerant going into the evaporator coil
 ductwork that allows air to circulate from the indoor unit out to the various living spaces
and back to the indoor unit
Inside the home, warm indoor air is cooled as it blows across a cold cooling coil full of
refrigerant. Heat from indoor air is absorbed into the refrigerant as the refrigerant turns from
liquid to gas. The cooled air is distributed back to the house.
Outside the home, the refrigerant gas is compressed before entering a large coil in the
outdoor unit.
Heat is released outside as the refrigerant turns back to a liquid and a large fan pulls
outdoor air through the outdoor coil rejecting the heat absorbed from the house.
The result is a continuous cycle of heat and humidity being removed from indoor air, cool air
returning to the home, and heat and humidity exiting the home.
Air conditioners come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but they all operate
on the same basic premise. An air conditioner provides cold air inside your
home or enclosed space by actually removing heat and humidity from the
indoor air.
It returns the cooled air to the indoor space, and transfers the unwanted heat
and humidity outside.
A standard air conditioner or cooling system uses a specialized chemical
called refrigerant, and has three main mechanical components: a
compressor, a condenser coil and an evaporator coil.
These components work together to quickly convert the refrigerant from gas
to liquid and back again.
The compressor raises the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant gas
and sends it to the condenser coil where it is converted to a liquid. Then the
refrigerant travels back indoors and enters the evaporator coil. Here the
liquid refrigerant evaporates, and cools the indoor coil. A fan blows indoor air
across the cold evaporator coil where the heat inside the home is absorbed
into the refrigerant. The cooled air is then circulated throughout the home
while the heated evaporated gas is sent back outside to the compressor. The
heat is then released into the outdoor air as the refrigerant returns to a liquid
state. This cycle continues until your home has reached the desired
temperature.
TYPES OF AIR CONDITIONERS

And because indoor living spaces come in a variety of shapes and sizes,
from today’s new tiny homes, to huge estates, residential air conditioning
systems are also available in different styles and configurations to match.
There are three primary types – split-system air conditioner, packaged air
conditioner, and ductless air conditioner. Each has its own specialized
uses, but they all essentially do the same thing – make it cool inside your
home.
SPLIT-SYSTEM AIR CONDITIONER
Split-system includes both an indoor unit and an outdoor unit. The indoor unit,
typically a furnace or a fan coil, includes the evaporator coil and blower fan
(air handler) that circulates air throughout the home. The outdoor unit holds
the compressor and the condenser coil.
PACKAGED AIR CONDITIONER

Packaged systems are all-in-one solutions that also answer the

question “what is central air?” Packaged systems contain the
evaporator coil, blower fan, compressor and condensing coil all in
one unit. They work well when there isn't enough space in an attic or
closet for the indoor unit of a split-system air conditioner. They are
also a good choice in areas where rooftop installations are preferred.
DUCTLESS AIR CONDITIONER

Ductless systems are not considered to be central air systems

because they deliver cooling to specific, targeted areas within the
home. They require less invasive installation because, as their name
suggests, they don't rely on ductwork to distribute chilled air.