How Does Your Air Conditioner Work?
It may be hard to believe after the long winter we’ve had, but the hot, sweltering days of summer are just around the corner. Soon all the snow we shoveled will have been forgotten and we’ll be brainstorming ways to escape the heat instead. If you’re fortunate enough to have air conditioning in your home, however, your relief from the summer heat may be as simple as stepping through your front door.
We’ve become so accustomed to modern-day conveniences, like central air, that sometimes we forget how marvelous these systems really are. Have you ever wondered how your conditioning unit manages to create a cool and comfortable oasis for you year after year? Well, as your local source for HVAC repair in Kalamazoo, MI, we’d like to show you!
Hydro… what?
Hydrochlorofluorocarbons, to be exact. We know that’s a mouthful, but it’s not as complicated as it sounds. Hydrochlorofluorocarbons are just the refrigerants found inside your air conditioner. The two most common types, R-22 and the newer R-410A, are what we will be discussing here. These refrigerants convert easily from a liquid into a gas and back again, which makes them ideal for cooling the air in your home.
The cycle of cooling your home
Now that you understand a little more about the refrigerants inside your unit, the rest of the cooling process can be broken down into four basic steps:
- Step 1: The refrigerant starts off as a cold liquid and runs through the refrigerant coils inside the unit.
- Step 2: The hot air from inside your home gets pulled into the part of the unit called the evaporator, where it comes in contact with the refrigerant.
- Step 3: As the hot air from inside your home comes in contact with the refrigerant coils, the refrigerant picks up the temperature of the air and switches from a liquid to a vapor. As the heat transfers from the air to the refrigerant, the hot air becomes much cooler.
- Step 4: Finally, your air conditioner uses fans to blow the cool air through your ductwork and back into your home.
This process continues to repeat itself until the indoor air of your home reaches whatever temperature you set your thermostat to. Once the thermostat senses that your home is cool enough, it will shut off the air conditioner until the house starts to heat up again. Then the air conditioner will turn back on and the whole process starts all over again.
So, next time you set your thermostat to a cool 65 degrees on a hot summer day, you’ll know that there’s an intricate system working hard to keep your home as cool and comfortable as possible. But if you ever do find that your AC fails you, call All Brands Heating and Cooling. We offer 24/7 fast and affordable HVAC repair in Kalamazoo, MI, so we’re there for you any time you need us. Simply pick up the phone and call us today with any questions or to schedule an appointment!
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