Air Conditioner

How an Air Conditioner Works

An air conditioner is a blessing in the sweltering heat of the summer and we are all so grateful for them. However, what do we know about how one works? People might think that it actually adds cool air but what actually happens is that it removes the heat from the air in a room and this in turn makes the air cooler. The concept of having cooler air in the home began in the Ancient Roman days. Aqueducts cooled the water that ran throughout the walls and this helped to cool the walls down. Cisterns and wind catchers were used in Persia in the hot summer season to help cool down buildings. The first air conditioner as we know it was invented by Willis Haviland Carrier in 1902 in the United States.

Air conditioning units have a compressor motor inside of them. It is a pump that has an electric motor attached to it. It is very similar to the engine on an automobile. The pump is used to move refrigerant gas to the compressor through an indoor cooling coil. The liquid refrigerant cools the indoor air. It also dehumidifies the indoor air at the same time. They work much the same as a refrigerator works but they do cool down a bigger area. They do use chemicals for the process of cooling the air and these chemicals that are used were once Freon. Freon was being blamed for ruining the ozone layer of our planet so it is not being used anymore. Other chemicals have been introduced to take its place.

An air conditioner is used worldwide nowadays to cool down apartments, senior’s homes, houses, shops, shopping malls, large buildings, office buildings and automobiles. When walking into a building that uses one, you can feel the difference in temperature right away. You can feel the cold air hit your skin and you feel refreshed and cooler. Walking into a cool building helps us get through the hot summer days. It would be hard to live with them now that we have all gotten so used to having them. For people that don’t have one they should consider getting one especially if they find being in the heat bothers them. Getting heat stroke would not be fun at all and for a senior, heat stroke could be detrimental to their health. It is important that they keep the temperature in their house or apartment to a manageable level.