How does central air conditioning work?
Converting Heat into Cool Air
A central air conditioning system works much like your refrigerator, but on a larger scale. Just like your refrigerator where the heat is pulled from the food storage space, a system featuring a compressor and refrigerant pulls the heat from an area, your home, leaving the area cool and dry. The refrigerant changes back and forth between a liquid and a gas. When it changes from liquid to gas, it absorbs heat, and then releases heat as it changes back to liquid.
These systems are designed to keep your home cool and dry on even the most hot and humid August afternoon.
Most central air conditioning systems use the same air distribution system, or ductwork, as your furnace does in the winter. The warm, humid air from your home is passed through a purification filter and then over the evaporator coil where the refrigerant grabs the warm air and pulls it out of your home. The condenser coil releases the warm air into the outside air, and then returns the refrigerant to your home to repeat the process. The result of this process is clean, dry, and cool conditions in your home.