Air Con | Air Con Units and Training

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Air con

Air Con Principles

Employing the same principles as a home refrigerator, air conditioners cool with an evaporator, a cold indoor coil. The collected heat outside is released by the condenser, a hot outdoor coil. The evaporator and condenser coils consist of serpentine tubing (usually made of copper) shrouded by aluminium fins.

The compressor

The air con compressor (which is essentially a pump) moves the heat transfer fluid (or refrigerant) between the evaporator and the compressor between the condenser and the evaporator. The refrigerant is forced through the circuit of tubing and fins in the coils by the pump and the liquid refrigerant evaporates in the indoor evaporator coil which pulls heat out of the indoor air and cools the home. Hot refrigerant gas is pumped into the condenser outdoors, where it is reverted back to a liquid which gives up its heat to the air that flows over the metal tubing and fins in the air con condenser.

The basic types of air conditioner are split-system central air conditioners, room air con and packaged central air conditioners. Rather than cool the entire home, room air conditioners cool that specific room. If used to provide cooling only where it is needed then room air conditioners are more economical to operate than central units, even though they offer a lower level of efficiency than central air conditioners.

Domestic air conditioners usually range between 5500 Btu per hour to 14,000 Btu per hour. National appliance standards generally require new room air conditioners to have a minimum EER of 8.5 and it is recommended that you select a domestic air conditioner with a minimum EER of 9.0 if you live in a mild climate and a hot climate requires one with an EER of over 10.

Air Con Costs

In a report by the Association Of Home Appliance Manufacturers, it was stated that between 1972 and 1991, the average EER of room air conditioners rose by 47%. By replacing a 1970’s vintage room air conditioner with an EER of 5 with a new unit that has an EER of 10, air conditioning costs will be cut in half.

How central air con works

Central air con works by circulating cool air through a system of supply and return ducts. These carry the cooled air from the air conditioner to the home. As the cooled air circulates through the home it becomes warmer and then it returns to the air conditioner through the return ducts and registers. The two main types of central air conditioner are split-system units and packaged units.

Split-system air con

With a split-system central air conditioner, the compressor and condenser are contained in an outdoor metal cabinet while the evaporator is stored in an indoor cabinet. With many split-system air conditioners, the indoor cabinet also houses a furnace or a part of the heat pump. The cabinet or main supply duct of this furnace or heat pump also houses the air conditioners evaporator coil. A split-system is the most economical air conditioner to install in a home that has a furnace but no air conditioner.

Central Air Con

With a packaged central air conditioner one cabinet houses the evaporator, condenser and compressor. This is usually placed on a roof or concrete slab close to the house’s foundation. This type of system is also used in small commercial premises. A packaged air conditioner that has electric heating coils or a natural gas furnace is a combination of air conditioner and and central heater that elminates the need for a separate furnace indoors.

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