How Does My Air Conditioner Actually Cool My Home?
We are obviously no strangers to central air conditioning systems in this geographic region. With the brutally intense heat of our summer seasons sticking around for much of the year, our air conditioners essentially run without interruption. Even so, many homeowners are not really familiar with the way in which their ACs work to cool their living spaces.
In the following post, you will learn a bit more about how it is that your air conditioner actually works to cool your home. While this is far from an exhaustive technical document, we believe that this basic understanding can be helpful as a homeowner. Just remember to leave your air conditioning services in Phoenix, AZ to the pros on our staff.
Removing Heat, Not Generating Cool Air
One common misconception that homeowners have about their air conditioning systems is that they are somehow generating cool air. This is not technically true. What the air conditioner does is remove heat from the air that is already in your home. The refrigerant in the system is key to this operation.
Refrigerant is a heat transfer fluid, and is responsible for removing heat from the air in your home. It cannot do it on its own, though. During the refrigerant cycle, the refrigerant makes its way to the evaporator coil, which is located in your home. There it is evaporated (hence the name) and absorbs heat in the process. The air around the coil is thus cooled, and can be redistributed throughout your house via your ductwork.
There is still the heat to dispose of though, which is why the refrigerant will then travel to another coil in the system. This one is called the condenser coil, and it is located outdoors. Once the hot refrigerant reaches this coil, it is condensed and its heat dissipates into the air outside. The compressor keeps chugging along, forcing the refrigerant throughout this cycle until the desired temperature is met.
Contact Goettl Air Conditioning with any questions that you may have regarding your home cooling system.
