Air conditioning is often seen as a luxury item, but studies show that installing a proper central A/C system in a new home during construction adds to long term comfort and much of the cost can be reclaimed at resale.
How do they work?
Air cooled air conditioning systems usually work in conjunction with a forced air furnace. These systems have two main components:
- the evaporator unit (above heat exchanger)
- the condenser (located outdoors)
The refrigerant (Freon) enters the evaporator as a cold liquid and absorbs heat from the household air to boil the liquid and turn it into a gas. This gas moves outdoors to the condenser unit. The compressor squeezes the gas into a smaller volume in the condenser coil.
A fan in the condenser unit blows outdoor air across the coil and cools the gas. As it cools, it condenses into a liquid. The liquid then passes through a pressure reducing device which causes the temperature of the liquid to drop below that of the household air. This liquid travels back to the evaporator coil where it is evaporated into a gas again, and the cycle continues.