Air Conditioning 101 - How Central Air Systems Work

Posted by Garrigan on April 18th, 2021

Can you imagine life without a/c? Sweltering heat waves that can melt the rubber on your shoes, cook an egg on the control panel of your car, and make it almost impossible to have a good night's rest-- sounds unpleasant!

Let's face it, life without A/C wouldn't be the exact same. Did you understand, that prior to the 20th century, ice was really gathered for refrigeration? It was cut into 1-ton blocks, delivered throughout the nation and utilized in 'ice-boxes' to keep food fresh. Fortunately today, refrigeration has been considerably improved because its intro in 1834.

By knowing how your home's A/C system works, you'll have the ability to make it run much better and longer, and if it ought to break throughout the pet dog days of summertime, more positive discovering a replacement.

What is Central Air?

Considering that the 1960s, central air conditioning systems have been the most common style of cooling in America.

Finest defined by the condenser unit outside and ducts carrying cool air throughout the house, a central air is sometimes described as a "split-system" because the indoor and outdoor parts are separated.

How It Functions

Comparable to how a sponge soaks up water, central air conditioning conditioners absorb the heat from inside the house and eject it outside through a process called "the refrigeration cycle."

It's simple to comprehend how an ac system works once you see how the parts operate together.

Parts of an A/c System

Divide into 2 parts; a system will consist of an outside condenser system (listed below) and a coil housed on top of the furnace or inside air handler. The outdoor condenser, which does many of the work, operates in tandem with the air handler/furnace that distributes the conditioned air into rooms of your house.

The Refrigeration Cycle

The cooling process starts when the thermostat identifies the interior temperature level has increased above the setpoint. It signifies the control panel in the air handler and enters into action.

1) The internal blower attracts the hot, damp indoor air from the return ducts into the air handler/furnace cabinet to be conditioned.

2) Dirty air getting in the cabinet initially goes through an air filter that traps dirt and debris.

3) The clean air then passes through the evaporator coil. Utilizing metal fins to increase its surface location, the evaporator coil extracts heat and wetness from the warm air as the air passes through it. The clean, cool air is distributed throughout the home.

4) A set of copper tubes including refrigerant, called a Line Set, link the indoor coil with the outdoor condenser.

5) The condenser dissipates the heat trapped inside the line originating from the evaporator coil by cycling it through its coils where a fan on top presses air to accelerate the procedure. The refrigerant is then compressed and takes a trip back to the indoor evaporator coil, where the cooling process continues.

A/C Cheat Sheet

It's an excellent idea to familiarize yourself with the technical language used by HEATING AND COOLING professionals to understand your system when it concerns making repair work or buying a new unit.

HEATING AND COOLING - Stands for heating, ventilation, and a/c. This acronym is utilized to classify all equipment utilized to manage air temperature, humidity, and air quality.

Split-System - In referral to parts of the system operating both inside your home and outdoors. In a split system, the condensing system is found outside.

BTU - British Thermal Systems - a measurement of how much heat can be removed from the air in an hour.

Ton - A measurement that refers to the cooling capability your system furnace repair edmonton reviews can supply under typical conditions. 1 Ton is equivalent to approximately 12,000 BTU's. Heaps are often used when sizing an unit for your house, which can be identified based upon the square footage needed to be cooled or warmed.

Unmatched Competence

Conveniently, the furnace, a/c, and electrical systems all work instantly, without us requiring to fumble around in the basement or worse, a hot attic. Up until something fails.

Finding out about your air conditioning system might appear overwhelming initially, however as soon as you have the basics down, you'll have the ability to understand not just how your system works, however also analyze jargon to make purchasing a replacement simple.