An air conditioner (AC) works by removing heat from an indoor space and transferring it outside, thereby cooling the air inside the room or the entire house. There are different types of AC systems, but the most common one is the split system, which consists of an outdoor unit and an indoor unit.
Here's a simplified explanation of how an AC works:
Refrigerant Circulation: The AC system contains a refrigerant, a chemical compound that has the ability to absorb and release heat quickly. The refrigerant circulates between the indoor and outdoor units in a closed loop.
Indoor Unit (Evaporator): The indoor unit contains a coil through which the refrigerant flows. The warm air from the room is drawn over this coil, and the refrigerant absorbs the heat from the air, causing it to evaporate into a gas form.
Compressor: The gaseous refrigerant is then compressed by a compressor located in the outdoor unit. Compression increases the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant.
Outdoor Unit (Condenser): The hot, pressurized refrigerant is sent to the outdoor unit's condenser coil, where it releases the absorbed heat to the outside air. As the refrigerant cools down, it condenses back into a liquid state.
Expansion Valve: The high-pressure liquid refrigerant then passes through an expansion valve, which reduces its pressure. This causes the refrigerant to become cold and turn into a low-pressure mist or gas.
Indoor Unit (Evaporator): The cold refrigerant is sent back to the indoor unit, where it flows through the coil again. The fan inside the indoor unit blows air over the cold coil, and this cooled air is distributed throughout the room or house via ducts or vents.
The process repeats continuously to maintain the desired temperature. The AC system extracts heat from the indoor air, cools it down, and releases the heat outside, thus creating a comfortable indoor environment.
Whether an AC cools the whole house or just one room depends on the type of system and its capacity. Centralized AC systems, such as central air conditioning or ducted systems, are designed to cool the entire house by distributing cooled air through a network of ducts. Window units and portable ACs typically cool a single room or a small area directly in their vicinity. The capacity of the AC system and the insulation of the house also play a role in determining how effectively the whole house is cooled.