Purchasing an AC unit is one thing, but fully understanding how it keeps your indoor air fresh and clean is another. A common question people ask is whether air conditioners pull air from outside. While AC fans pull air from outside, they primarily recirculate indoor air.
Understanding the Mechanics of Air Conditioners
Before discussing whether AC pulls air from outside, let’s first understand how it works. A standard conditioner works with the help of a refrigerant, a special chemical that absorbs heat and transfers it in a cycle to achieve cooling air. The process of cooling that air follows four important steps.
- The compressor raises the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant gas, then sends it to the condenser oil, where it changes into a liquid.
- As a liquid, the refrigerant flows back indoors through the evaporator coil, where it evaporates, cooling the coil and, in turn, the surrounding air.
- The fan then blows the indoor air across the cold evaporator coil, and the refrigerant then absorbs the heat inside the home.
- The cold evaporator coil releases the cooled air, which is circulated throughout the home, while the heated vaporized refrigerant is sent outside to the compressor.
Do Air Conditioners Bring in Outside Air?
Air conditioners do not bring fresh air from outside into the house. Instead, the AC Unit takes the air inside the house and passes it through a series of heat exchanges, including blowing it over the coils filled with a refrigerant. When the refrigerant evaporates, it absorbs the heat from the air passing over the coils, cooling it. The cooled air is then circulated throughout the home via fans in the AC unit, moving through the ductwork and back into the living spaces.
When you set your AC unit to cool indoors, it starts the process of moving the unwanted heat from the home and leaving the indoor temperatures as low as you would like. In addition, some air conditioners have a reverse option that provides heating during winter.
Therefore, the air that goes into your AC unit is the air that is already inside the house. Some AC units are designed to take in very little air from outside to minimize allergens, pollutants, and the effects of adverse weather entering your home.
Schedule Your AC Consultation Today
An air conditioner in Burnsville is the answer to a comfortable home. If you are looking for professionals to help you install your AC unit for the best results, contact our team at Air Rite Mechanical Systems. With more than a decade of experience providing expert heating and air conditioning services, we are always ready to take on a challenge.
