Essentially, air conditioning systems work by introducing warm air into a system and dispersing cold air. The most common type of air conditioning system is the central system, which consists of two units, the condensing unit and the evaporation unit, connected to each other by refrigerant pipes. This system uses ducts to distribute cold air throughout the house. A split system is another type of air conditioning system, which consists of an indoor coil and an outdoor condenser with compressor.
The refrigerant cools the air and dehumidifies it in the process; a blower circulates the air through ducts throughout the house. A thermostat maintains the temperature at the setting you select. The thermostat, which is normally mounted on a wall in a central location inside the house, monitors and controls the temperature of the indoor air. This whole process happens quickly, cooling the air in your home, while the hot vaporized refrigerant discharges the absorbed heat to the outside thanks to the efforts of the compressor and condenser.
When air filters get dirty, it increases operating costs and leads to costly repairs and shortens the life expectancy of the unit. The result is a continuous cycle of removing heat and humidity from the indoor air, cold air returns to the house and heat and humidity leaving the house. PTAC systems can be adapted to provide heating in cold climates, either directly by using an electrical strip, gas or other heaters, or by reversing the flow of coolant to heat the interior and extract heat from outside air, turning the air conditioner into a heat pump. Cramer coined the term 'air conditioning', using it in a patent claim he filed that year as analogous to water conditioning, then a process well known to make textiles easier to process.
The innovations of the second half of the 20th century allowed a much more ubiquitous use of air conditioning. Large central cooling plants may use intermediate coolant, such as chilled water pumped to air handlers or fan coil units near or into spaces to be cooled, which then conduct or deliver cool air to spaces to be conditioned, rather than conducting cold air directly from ground floor. He hoped eventually to use his ice maker to regulate the temperature of buildings and envisioned a centralized air conditioning that could cool entire cities. Choosing an appropriate type of air conditioner for your home depends on a variety of factors: size, physical location, and how you use it are some of them.
It is important to understand how an air conditioner works in order to make an informed decision when selecting one for your home. An understanding of how an air conditioner works will also help you maintain it properly so that it can last longer and work more efficiently.
