What Happens to the AC When It Is Cooling?

Compressor

• The process of cooling air begins in the compressor, which takes specially made gas and squeezes it so that its molecules are spaced close together. As they come closer, the temperature, latent energy and potential pressure of the molecules increase. In this state, the gas is pumped into a condenser, which may resemble metal fins or petals.

Condenser

• When it arrives in the condenser, the gas is subjected to high pressure and transformed into a liquid. It is fed into the evaporator through a small hole, which prevents too much liquid from arriving at once. The liquid's pressure drops in the evaporator as it evaporates back into a gas.

Cooling Air

• As it evaporates, the cooling liquid cools the surrounding air when it extracts the heat and moisture necessary for it to return to its expanded, gaseous form. Thus, when the AC cools, this cooling occurs as a byproduct of a process that converts a liquid into a gas; other processes in an AC merely exist to take advantage of this process and make it possible.

Air Circulation

• A fan circulates air outside the home through the evaporator. The fan circulates air in a room, allowing warmer air to naturally rise closer to the ceiling. The AC may blow the air through vents into other parts of the home. These vents are ordinarily found near the floor where they can readily displace warmer air.