As far as most Florida homeowners are concerned, the only part of a home central air conditioner that they know anything about is the thermostat. After all, your thermostat is a control center that allows you to tell the system when to turn on and off and at what temperature to cool your home. But the rest of the AC is a mystery to you, right? Well, well today, we’re going to answer the question, “How does a home central air conditioner work?” and get to know your AC system beyond your thermostat!
Before, Action Air Conditioning experts explained the technical aspects of AC functioning. This time, we will simply answer: How does a home central air conditioner work?
Home Central Air Conditioning Made Simple
A typical home central air conditioner is a split system. There are two units, one on the inside of your home and one on the outside. But there are several more components involved.
The four major parts of a home central air conditioner are:
- Thermostat
- Vent or Duct System
- Indoor Unit
- Outdoor Unit
Each part plays a role in balancing your home’s temperature and humidity. They work together to cool your living spaces and filter the air to maximize its quality.
The AC’s Thermostat
A thermostat senses and controls the temperature inside the home. Sensors read the current temperature and change it to match the scheduled setting. There are many features available, depending on the model you choose.
Programmable thermostats offer scheduled temperatures, including settings designed for:
- Work Days
- Weekends
- Vacations
Smart thermostats are WiFi devices that optimize AC performance and energy usage. No matter where you are, you can adjust the temperature on your phone with geofencing.
When you use geofencing, your mobile device sends a signal when it enters or leaves your home. In addition, it learns and analyzes your temperature preferences. Then, it creates an energy-conserving schedule.
With these smart home devices, you can also review the data and alter the settings to maximize savings. As a result, you save money on your energy bill.
Ventilation: Your Duct System
Your ductwork serves as the unit’s ventilation system. The ducts ensure good indoor air quality through adequate filtration, providing thermal comfort.
The ducts connect to large ventilation tubing through a plenum. The plenum is an enclosure that acts as an air reservoir to provide airflow and distribution. To move cool air through your home, the air handler (a blower motor) works with the duct system.
Although all ducts look alike, their are two distinct types. The way air flows through these vents lets you tell them apart.
Return Ducts for ACs
Return ducts allow hot air to flow back toward the indoor AC unit. After passing through a filter, the AC cools the air.
But, you won’t feel any air around these vents. So, many homeowners believe they are useless, shutting or blocking them.
However, return vents must remain open and free of obstructions for the AC system to function. AC systems must pull air from indoors to filter and reuse it. When it cannot do so, this will cause a strain on your system.
Supply Ducts for ACs
Supply ducts provide cool, clean air from your indoor unit.
- The indoor unit draws the heat and humidity out of the warm air using thermodynamics.
- The air handler fan sends a cool breeze through the supply ducts and into your home.
You can feel the air coming from supply ducts with that lovely, cold breeze we all enjoy.
The Indoor Air Conditioner Unit
Your indoor unit is what cools and dehumidifies your indoor air. The refrigerant inside the unit’s evaporator coils is responsible for most of the work. The air doesn’t chill but rather, the heat from the air absorbs into the coils.
Want to know how? Let’s go over it step-by-step.
- Ice cold refrigerant draws heat and moisture from the air, changing into a hot gas.
- Humidity in the air attaches to the coils and condenses like a sweaty can of pop on a hot day in Florida.
- The air handler continues to push the now cooler, drier air through the supply ducts into your indoor living space.
- But the indoor unit isn’t done. From there, it sends out the hot and gassy refrigerant to the outdoor unit to cool off.
- It also collects the water that forms and sends it out of your home through a small tube (your drain pipe).
But what happens when the refrigerant comes back from the outdoor unit?
Before the refrigerant reenters the indoor unit, it meets a metering device. This device decreases the refrigerant’s temperature even more and adds pressure. Now it’s icy cold refrigerant again, and the cycle repeats itself.
The Outdoor Air Conditioner Unit
You’ll find a loud machine humming outside, blowing out hot air. Many homeowners believe that the hot air comes straight from their home, but this is untrue.
That hot air is from the heat the coolant absorbs in the indoor unit. Let’s take a look at how it works.
- To release heat, hot refrigerant flows through condenser coils.
- Then a fan blows over the coils, pushing some of the heat out. It’s like blowing on your fork to cool down hot food before taking a bite.
- As it cools, the refrigerant naturally condenses into a liquid.
Moving through the metering device we discussed earlier, the refrigerant lowers the pressure. This turns the liquid back into a vapor before returning it to the indoor unit.
How Does a Home Central Air Conditioner Work? The Pros Know in Tampa, Florida!
Now, you can answer “How does a home central air conditioner work?” thanks to Action Air Conditioning experts in Tampa Bay, Florida.
Your AC system has many working parts. They must operate efficiently so your system provides indoor comfort. That’s why you should hire licensed and trained technicians.
An AC unit fulfills its expected lifespan when knowledgeable professionals maintain your system. Our Action Air specialists can ensure optimal HVAC heating and cooling system performance.
Feel free to contact us today or schedule a FREE estimate!