• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Accomplishments / How Does an Air Conditioner Work?

How Does an Air Conditioner Work?

March 29, 2020 by Karen Hill

An air conditioner controls more than temperature indoors. It also controls the amount of moisture, movement, and purity of the air. We have come to depend on air conditioning systems to keep us comfortable during the summer months.

The machine used in air conditioning works very much like the one in a kitchen refrigerator. Both depend on a fast-evaporating liquid like Freon to rapidly chill whatever it comes in contact with.

When you turn on the switch of an air conditioner, fresh air passes through a filter to remove dust, and an electric motor starts circulating liquid Freon from a compressor through pipes or coils. As the Freon is being pumped through the coils, it absorbs the heat from the coils, and cools them and the air around them.

The added heat then causes the Freon to evaporate into a gas. At this point, an electric fan blows the cold, clean air out through the air conditioner vents into the room. The Freon becomes a liquid again as it returns to the compressor. This cycle keeps going until the system is shut off.

Since the 1940s, all new buildings and factories and many private homes have been designed to include air conditioning. Ships, airplanes, offices, restaurants, theaters, shops, and space vehicles make use of this steady flow of comfortable, purified air.

Related Facts

  • Why Does Mexico City Suffer From So Much Air Pollution and What Causes the Poor Air Quality In Mexico City?
  • Why Does Warm Air Hold More Moisture Than Cold Air?
  • Why Was Early US Air Mail Called The Pony Express of the Air?
  • Was the Clean Air Act in 1970 the first law that tried to reduce air pollution?
  • How do Hot Air Balloon Pilots Steer Hot Air Balloons and Control Direction?
  • How do rockets work in space if there is no air to push against?
  • Why Does a Candle Placed On a Rotating Turntable Point Inwards and How Does the Centrifuge Affect the Air?
  • What does the expression "to go up in the air" mean and Where does it come from?
  • What does the expression "to make the air blue" mean and Where does it come from?
  • Where does the expression "castle in the air (or in Spain)" come from and What does it mean?
  • Where does the expression "to give the air to a person" come from and What does it mean?
  • Why does Ice Cream Shrink when melted and How much Air does Ice Cream contain?

Filed Under: Accomplishments

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « How Does a Telephone Carry Your Voice?
Next Post: How Is Leather Made? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2021 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy