What is Central Air Conditioning and How Does Central Air Work?

How does a central air conditioner work?

• When the indoor temperature rises above your desired set point, the thermostat turns on the system.
• The fan in the indoor unit pulls warm air from inside your home into return air ducts, then passes it through filters to remove dust and airborne pollutants.
• That air passes over the cold evaporator coil, where liquid refrigerant absorbs heat, changes it into a gas refrigerant, and cools the air.
• The blower fan then sends the cooled air into living spaces.
• The now-warm gas refrigerant travels to the compressor through copper tubing.
• The compressor pressurizes the gas and sends it to the condenser coil, which releases the heat outdoors and turns the refrigerant back to liquid.
• The refrigerant travels to the evaporator coil to continue the cycle.

Parts of a Central Air Conditioning System

• Both a split system and a packaged system use a thermostat to control the temperature and ductwork to circulate air around the indoor living spaces
• In a split system:
  • Outdoor unit—fan, condenser coil, and compressor
  • Indoor unit—furnace or fan coil, which houses the evaporator coil and fan to circulate cool air
  • Copper tubing—where the refrigerant flows between the indoor and outdoor units
• In a packaged system:
  • Fan, condenser coil, compressor, and fan coil—all in one unit

Learn More on Central Air Conditioning System Topics

Still have questions on central air systems? Contact a Carrier HVAC contractor to find out more about air conditioning systems and solutions. They have the knowledge and expertise to get your questions answered.