How air conditioners work
Air conditioners work by circulating a refrigerant through two sets of coils in one continuous
loop. One set, the evaporator coils, cools the room; the other set, the condenser coils,
gives off heat to the outdoors. Between them, to keep the two parts from working against each other, is
a barrier. Near the barrier - and as part of the refrigerant loop - is the compressor, which circulates
the refrigerant and compresses it. The system works on the principle that a liquid (the refrigerant)
absorbs heat (cools the room) when it expands in to a gas, then gives off heat to the outdoors) when it
is compressed into a liquid again. The two fans help transfer the heat from the air to the coils to the
outside air.
Cooling capacity of air conditioners
An air conditioner should have a cooling capacity adequate for the room it is intended to cool. If the
unit is too small, it will run too long and not cooled well; if it is too large, it may not stay on long
enough to reduce the humidity to a comfortable level. Here is a rough guide for fitting an air
conditioner to a room: Measure the room's volume by multiplying its width by its length by its height in
fee. Multiply the result by an exposure factor: 16 if the longest outside wall faces north; 17 if it
faces east; 18, if south; 20, if west. Divide this result by an insulation factor: 6 if the room is well
insulated, 4 if it is poorly insulated or has a lot of windows, 5 if your estimate lies somewhere in
between. The resulting figure will be the approximate number of British thermal units (BTU's ) per hour
your air conditioner should be rated at for adequate cooling.
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