How does an Air Conditioner work?

Air conditioners basically work through a series of chemical and thermodynamic reactions that extract heat from the air in your home. First the thermometer detects that the temperature is above the pre-set amount and engages the air conditioner. The air intake system around your house then draws in the warm air that is currently in your home.

Once the warm air reaches the air conditioner it interacts with the system’s refrigerant. The refrigerant is a chemical that is able to transition between liquid and gaseous states quickly, this chemical is usually glycol. The heat is absorbed by the refrigerant, turning it from a liquid to a gas. The gaseous substance then moves through the air conditioner to an exhaust area, generally some kind of heat sink. When it gets to this point the heat is then transferred out of the refrigerant and the chemical returns to its liquid state, where the cycle begins anew.

The air that has passed through the air conditioner is then blown back out into you home through the ducts by means of the blower. This effectively removes the hot air from your house, rather than just adding cold air.