subject: How Exactly Does An Air Conditioner Work? Here's How [print this page] If you have ever stood in front of your air conditioner and questioned how it works, wonder no more. The modern air conditioner comes in numerous forms, from the easy window unit to the giant commercial units found in malls and office buildings, but all of them work on the same principal.
The 3 main parts of an air conditioner are the compressor, the condenser and the evaporator. The air conditioner uses Freon, which is a chemical compound that is also employed in fridges. The Freon enters the compressor as a cool gas, then the compressor, as the name announces, compresses the molecules in the Freon together. This in turn causes increased pressure and temperature.
After that, the gas goes into the condenser, which then cools the gas, and turns it into a high pressure liquid. The liquid then goes into the evaporator thru either a tube or a growth valve. The tube or valve controls the quantity of liquid that gets put into the evaporator, and causes the pressure of the liquid to drop, and turn into a gas. The gas then runs thru a set a coils, which helps the gas soak up the heat in your house. This process is repeated continuously till a thermostat shuts the air conditioner off.
Most houses, flats and apartments today have what's called central air con. This system works on identical base principals as explained above. Nevertheless unlike a little window unit, the compressor and condenser are found outside the house, while the evaporator is found within the house. The air conditioner is also hooked up to the aircon system inside the house, so that the whole house gets cooled versus one area.
But if you have central air con, you will have realized the temperatures in some rooms vary from others. Often, the difficulty will lie in the air-con unit itself. It's critical to have an HVAC consultant come once or more a year to be sure the unit it running correctly, sort of like an annual physical. You also must ensure you change the filters in your air conditioner monthly. Not merely will changing the filters keep your air conditioner from overworking, nevertheless it will also keep the air in your house clean.
You may also wonder what effect a constantly running air conditioner has on the environment. As stated above, if you keep the unit properly maintained, the air conditioner will run more efficiently and you won't have to use it as much. However, there are some other techniques that you can implement to keep your air conditioner from running constantly and help the environment.
If you have ceiling fans, turn them on, and ensure they're on the forward setting so that the breeze blows downward. This keeps the air circulating, and will cool a room six to seven degrees. You may keep your window blinds and curtains closed, which may trap heat between the window and the blind. Your best chance though is to keep the heat from getting in your place. Planting a tree or other massive plant in front of windows that get the maximum direct daylight will block plenty of the daylight from entering your place and is also good for the environment.
