How Does A Window Air Conditioner Work? 2 Awesome Secrets Behind!

Hey there! I know you are very curious about how does a window air conditioner work. The window cooling unit only uses two specific cycles: the room air cycle and the hot air cycle. These two cycles make your room cooler through the process of refrigeration. Do not worry. This article will answer all your thoughts. I know you cannot wait. So, without further ado, scroll down and enjoy reading the article. Take note of each term that may appear.

 

how goes a window air conditioner work

The Secret Behind The Cooling Mechanism Of A Window Air Conditioner

In your room, the AC unit is installed at your window or wall. So, how does a window air conditioner work? Inside the air conditioning unit are fans that bring cool air inside your room. On the outside, there is also a fan that blows to cool itself down. This section will discuss the two distinct cooling cycles that make your room chilly: the room air cycle and the hot air cycle.

 

Cycle #1. The first: room air cycle

Air conditioners are built to bring air inside and outside of your room for it to cool. If you inspect your AC unit, you might see intertwined metal coils. These coils are the master behind the cooling. The surrounding air in the interior of your room is called room air. Now, if you had turned on your air conditioner, you might be hearing the blower fan working.

The compressor assists this fan. The compressor circulates the refrigerant that exchanges heat for your room to be colder. This heat exchanging mechanism happens inside the cooling coils of your air conditioning unit.

Specifically, the compressor needs to “compress” to raise the temperature and effectively transfer heat. Think about the compressor as the “mover” of your air conditioning unit. Amazing, right?

Now, let’s get back. When the air conditioner starts, the compressor also starts. As the compressor is running, the cooling coils of the AC begin to drop in temperature. Then, the blower fan sucks the air inside of your room that is hot. This hot air will then be filtered and removed by any impurities as it passes through the air filter.

After that, the air will move over the cooling coils of the air conditioner. As the air passes through the cooling coils, the heat will be dissipated and absorbed. When the hot air becomes colder, this phenomenon will cause your room to be more freezing. Also, you need to know that as the cooling coil absorbs heat, it will form water on its surface.

Through this, the air conditioner not only cools your room but also removes the humidity. This cooled air will then be distributed to your room and make it chill. The cycle is continuous as it lowers the temperature of the room.

 

Cycle #2. The last: hot air cycle

This cycle only focuses on the exterior parts of the window air conditioner. Remarkably, outside of your room. The hot air cycle prioritizes to cool the condenser coils. Therefore, these coils are placed on the back part of your air conditioning unit.

Typically, you can see them outside of your room. It has a fan that pulls in hot air from the environment and blows it in front of the condenser coils. All coils in the condenser contain refrigerant. This refrigerant includes a liquid that transforms from a gas to a liquid and vice-versa.

So, for your room to be cold, the condenser should also cool itself; it is found outside your space Since the environmental air that is absorbed is warm, it will absorb the hotter temperature of the condenser, making itself rise in temperature. This result produces hot air that is blown outside of your window air conditioner. Also, the hot air cycle got its name for this process.

You can already feel when you are at the back of your AC that it blows out hot air. After the condenser is cooled, the refrigerant liquid will go inside the expansion valve. Then, it goes through the evaporator or the cooling coils of the air conditioner. Also, it is normal for the condenser to produce water while cooling the room. You can observe that your air conditioner has water droplets when it is turned on.

In simpler terms, the hot air cycle blows out hot air in the environment. However, it also pulls in the fresh air inside the air conditioner in cooling the condenser coils. Overall, the mechanism of cooling your room through the air conditioner consists of heat exchanging processes with air.

The air conditioner blows hot air outside your room and cool air inside through the heat exchanging process. The process also produces water as a waste product that can be seen dripping outside the cooling unit.

 

Cooling Things Up!

Great! You already know how does a window air conditioner work. It only consists of two cycles: the room air cycle and the hot air cycle. These two cycles exchange heat through the air that makes the room colder. I recommend you to read more here. Learning is fun. See you!

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