How Does Air Conditioning Work?
How Does Air Conditioning Work?
An air conditioner is designed to extract heat from an area using a refrigeration cycle. Its purpose is to provide comfort during hot weather. Most Common Type of Air Conditioning / AC In the refrigeration cycle, a heat pump transfers heat from a lower temperature heat source into a higher temperature heat sink. Heat would naturally flow in the opposite direction.
Air conditioners use chemicals that easily convert from gas to liquid and back again. These chemicals are used to transfer heat from inside to the outside air.
The complete AC machine has three main parts; a compressor, a condenser and an evaporator. The compressor and condenser are usually located outside. The evaporator is located inside, sometimes as part of a furnace or heating component.
The working chemical fluid arrives at the compressor as a cool, low-pressure gas. The compressor squeezes the fluid packing the molecules closer together. The closer the molecules are the higher its energy and its temperature. The chemicals leave the compressor as a hot, high pressure gas flowing into the condenser.
When the chemical gases leave the condenser, its temperature is much cooler and it has changed from a gas to a liquid again.
The liquid flows into the evaporator through a very narrow hole. On the other side, the liquid’s pressure drops and it evaporates into a gas.
Connected to the evaporator is a fan that circulates the air inside the house to blow across the evaporator fins. Hot air is lighter than cold air, so the hot air in the room rises to the top of a room. As the liquid changes to gas and evaporates, it extracts heat from the air around it. The heat in the air is needed to separate the molecules of the fluid from a liquid to a gas. By the time the working fluid, or chemicals, leaves the evaporator, it is a cool, low pressure gas. It then returns to the compressor to begin its trip all over again.
There is a vent there where air is sucked into the air conditioner and goes down ducts. The hot air is used to cool the gas in the evaporator. As the heat is removed from the air, the air is cooled. It is then blown into the house through other ducts usually at the floor level.
This continues over and over and over until the room reaches the temperature you want the room cooled to. The thermostat senses that the temperature has reached the right setting and turns off the air conditioner. As the room warms up, the thermostat turns the air conditioner back on until the room reaches the temperature.
How to Allergy-Proof Your Home – Air Conditioners and Dehumidifiers
Allergies affect about 20% of Americans. While that number may not surprise you this may; your home comfort system may be a major culprit. Your home’s air conditioning and heating units affect your indoor allergen control more than you may realize.
Air-conditioning (AC)
Although we generally associate air conditioning with summer weather and high heat, air conditioners do more than just cool. ACs dehumidify the air, filter out pollen and help discourage cockroaches, as roaches and other insects dislike the airflow. Additionally, dust mites and mold detest cool, dry air.
To maintain the benefits and efficiency of your AC, your unit needs cleaning and regular maintenance. In central and window or wall units the filters must be cleaned frequently for efficiency and to prevent mold growth.
Some models can utilize electrostatic filters to capture certain allergens; these filters rely on static charges created when air passes through the filters. Electrostatic filters must also be cleaned regularly. However, if electrostatic filters are unavailable, use regular or pleated air-conditioning filters, which work well in removing 95 percent of all allergens.
Eliminate mold growth in air conditioning ducts by running the unit for 30 minutes after turning off the cooling to dry out ducts.
If you have a "recycle" switch on your AC unit use it because it re-circulates the air inside the house. It is much like the recycle switch in your car. Pollen-allergy sufferers fare much better if they avoid continually pulling in pollen loaded outside air.
Check Humidity
Humidity breeds mold and mildew while increasing the survival rates of dust mites and cockroaches. If you live in high humidity check out a humidity gauge at a local hardware store.
Humidity should stay around 40 percent. Humidity above 50% is prime real estate for dust mites and molds. Humidity below 20 percent might be cause for cracked lips and dry sinuses. Be sure to check humidity readings throughout the house and not just in one room.
If humidity readings hover at levels indicating rain you can lower it with an air conditioner and dehumidifier.
Dehumidifiers
Dehumidifiers work by cooling the air so that excess humidity condenses into a bucket, which can be emptied. Often in the summer, the heat generated by a dehumidifier can be too much and is used in conjunction with the air conditioning.
Just like the air conditioner, dehumidifiers must be cleaned regularly or else breed mold spores. Enclosed spaces, think closets, can trap moisture. Dehumidifiers work fine here, however for smaller spaces, such as an armoire or a cabinet, try using a desiccant. These moisture-wicking agents come in several forms, including absorbing flakes and cartridges, and may be recycled.
An air conditioner is designed to extract heat from an area using a refrigeration cycle. Its purpose is to provide comfort during hot weather. Most Common Type of Air Conditioning / AC In the refrigeration cycle, a heat pump transfers heat from a lower temperature heat source into a higher temperature heat sink. Heat would naturally flow in the opposite direction.
Air conditioners use chemicals that easily convert from gas to liquid and back again. These chemicals are used to transfer heat from inside to the outside air.
The complete AC machine has three main parts; a compressor, a condenser and an evaporator. The compressor and condenser are usually located outside. The evaporator is located inside, sometimes as part of a furnace or heating component.
The working chemical fluid arrives at the compressor as a cool, low-pressure gas. The compressor squeezes the fluid packing the molecules closer together. The closer the molecules are the higher its energy and its temperature. The chemicals leave the compressor as a hot, high pressure gas flowing into the condenser.
When the chemical gases leave the condenser, its temperature is much cooler and it has changed from a gas to a liquid again.
The liquid flows into the evaporator through a very narrow hole. On the other side, the liquid’s pressure drops and it evaporates into a gas.
Connected to the evaporator is a fan that circulates the air inside the house to blow across the evaporator fins. Hot air is lighter than cold air, so the hot air in the room rises to the top of a room. As the liquid changes to gas and evaporates, it extracts heat from the air around it. The heat in the air is needed to separate the molecules of the fluid from a liquid to a gas. By the time the working fluid, or chemicals, leaves the evaporator, it is a cool, low pressure gas. It then returns to the compressor to begin its trip all over again.
There is a vent there where air is sucked into the air conditioner and goes down ducts. The hot air is used to cool the gas in the evaporator. As the heat is removed from the air, the air is cooled. It is then blown into the house through other ducts usually at the floor level.
This continues over and over and over until the room reaches the temperature you want the room cooled to. The thermostat senses that the temperature has reached the right setting and turns off the air conditioner. As the room warms up, the thermostat turns the air conditioner back on until the room reaches the temperature.
How to Allergy-Proof Your Home – Air Conditioners and Dehumidifiers
Allergies affect about 20% of Americans. While that number may not surprise you this may; your home comfort system may be a major culprit. Your home’s air conditioning and heating units affect your indoor allergen control more than you may realize.
Air-conditioning (AC)
Although we generally associate air conditioning with summer weather and high heat, air conditioners do more than just cool. ACs dehumidify the air, filter out pollen and help discourage cockroaches, as roaches and other insects dislike the airflow. Additionally, dust mites and mold detest cool, dry air.
To maintain the benefits and efficiency of your AC, your unit needs cleaning and regular maintenance. In central and window or wall units the filters must be cleaned frequently for efficiency and to prevent mold growth.
Some models can utilize electrostatic filters to capture certain allergens; these filters rely on static charges created when air passes through the filters. Electrostatic filters must also be cleaned regularly. However, if electrostatic filters are unavailable, use regular or pleated air-conditioning filters, which work well in removing 95 percent of all allergens.
Eliminate mold growth in air conditioning ducts by running the unit for 30 minutes after turning off the cooling to dry out ducts.
If you have a "recycle" switch on your AC unit use it because it re-circulates the air inside the house. It is much like the recycle switch in your car. Pollen-allergy sufferers fare much better if they avoid continually pulling in pollen loaded outside air.
Check Humidity
Humidity breeds mold and mildew while increasing the survival rates of dust mites and cockroaches. If you live in high humidity check out a humidity gauge at a local hardware store.
Humidity should stay around 40 percent. Humidity above 50% is prime real estate for dust mites and molds. Humidity below 20 percent might be cause for cracked lips and dry sinuses. Be sure to check humidity readings throughout the house and not just in one room.
If humidity readings hover at levels indicating rain you can lower it with an air conditioner and dehumidifier.
Dehumidifiers
Dehumidifiers work by cooling the air so that excess humidity condenses into a bucket, which can be emptied. Often in the summer, the heat generated by a dehumidifier can be too much and is used in conjunction with the air conditioning.
Just like the air conditioner, dehumidifiers must be cleaned regularly or else breed mold spores. Enclosed spaces, think closets, can trap moisture. Dehumidifiers work fine here, however for smaller spaces, such as an armoire or a cabinet, try using a desiccant. These moisture-wicking agents come in several forms, including absorbing flakes and cartridges, and may be recycled.
Energy Star is a government backed international standard for energy efficient consumer products. Products with the Energy Star rating will help you save on your energy bills.
