How Home Air Conditioning Units Work

ART Plumbing AC & Electric • April 25, 2018 • Air Conditioning

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Any person living in South Florida will tell you that a home air conditioning unit is one of the best – if not the best – investments you could make for your home. Even though we love the warmth the Sunshine State affords us, we can admit that there are times that it can be a bit too much to handle. On those days marked by sweltering heat, there is nothing better than coming back to a cool, air-conditioned home. While we may have endless appreciation for home air conditioning units, very few of us know what really happens in those mysterious boxes that seem to magically keep the air in our homes at a comfortable temperature.

Intuitively it may seem like home air conditioning units work by purely cooling the air that comes into your house. While this is a part of the process, another critical aspect of home air conditioning is that of heat removal, where the AC’s components work together to leave cool air behind and keep the temperature in your home regulated.

How Your Home Air Conditioning Works

To understand how home air conditioning works, one needs to know what an air conditioning unit is comprised of. Essentially, an AC is divided into two main parts: one half inside of your home containing an evaporator coil and a filter, and an outer half with a condensing coil, fan and compressor.

Your air conditioner operates by these two halves working in tandem in an intricate way:

Condenser Coil: The condenser coil, located in the outer half of AC in a split system HVAC, removes heat from the refrigerant by absorbing it and converting it into a liquid state.
- Refrigerant: This cooling liquid is moved throughout the system by the compressor found in the outer half of the air conditioning unit.
- Compressor: In a literal process of compression, the compressor sends refrigerant to the condensing coil in the form of high pressure gas.
Evaporating Coil: This liquid moves from the condensing coil to the evaporating coil found in the indoor half of the AC. Pressure decreases in the evaporating coil in order to convert the liquid back into a cooled gas. Heat from inside of your home is absorbed by the evaporating coil and sent to the condenser for the cooling process to take place again.
Fan and Air Handling Unit: A fan on the outdoor component releases hot air via the condensing coil, while the indoor fan expels cool air into your home.
Filters: A filter found in the indoor half of the AC performs the critical role of keeping dust and debris from entering the building in order to ensure high indoor air quality.
Thermostat: A thermostat is present for you to adjust the air conditioning unit to your desired temperature.

Any questions? Art Plumbing, Air Conditioning & Electric have the answers to all of your home air conditioning needs. Whether you’re in need of a new AC system, general AC maintenance or emergency AC repairs, we are more than happy to help!

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