How Does an Air Conditioner Work?

How does the air conditioner generate cool air to distribute through the house?  Basically, it relies on chemistry and physics and the natural effects of a coolant passing from liquid to gas and back again.  Air conditioners work by the same principles as refrigerators.  There are two main components in the system, the condensing coil and the evaporating coil, and the way in which the coolant moves between these components is what cools the air to be distributed through the home.

Air conditioners require a coolant, which is a chemical that can easily convert from liquid to gas and back again.  It’s this coolant that absorbs heat from the air inside the building and then releases it outside.  The different parts of the refrigeration system manipulate the coolant in order to carry out this process.

The first step is for the compressor to build up the pressure and temperature of the coolant by squeezing it down so that its molecules are all tightly packed.  This highly compressed fluid is shunted to the condenser.  This is where the coolant cools off, losing energy, and condenses to a liquid.  That liquid is then pushed through the expansion valve into the evaporator.  As the highly compressed liquid passes through the narrow opening, the pressure drops so that the liquid evaporates into a gas.  As it evaporates, it absorbs heat from the air, which allows the molecules to separate into a gaseous form.  It is here that the air used to cool the house is generated.  That cool air is distributed throughout the house, but the coolant, once again in a cool, gaseous form, is sent back to the compressor to begin the cycle over again.

The process is relatively simple, and it relies on the chemistry and physics of pressure and phase changing that the coolant goes through, so it is very reliable.  However, the compressor, condenser, and evaporator are all integral parts that must be maintained and kept in good working order so that the system remains efficient.

At All Day Air Cooling and Heating, our technicians are experienced with all the parts of an air conditioning system.  If you’re in the Southwest Florida area, contact us today at (239) 357-0727 with any questions you have about your own air conditioner or cooling/heating needs.