So you want to know about air conditioners. You want to make an informed decision before you buy one because come summer yours will be the coolest house in the neighborhood. Then read on and you will enjoy buying 'the one'!
Air condition units are devices that control and maintain the temperature, humidity and distribution of air in a given environment. Think of them as your normal refrigerator without the body frame. Air conditioning units do this by pumping out hot air from a room, cooling it, and then pumping back in the cooled air. They can be found in almost all buildings in America from office buildings to homes, hospitals, warehouses and industries.
There are different versions of air condition units in America, which vary in price, size, make and function. However, all these varieties of units can be categorized into four main divisions. They are;
* Split-system air-condition units
* Window air-condition units
* Cooling tower air-condition units
* Chilled water air-condition units
Split-system air condition units are by far the most common in the US. They are referred to as split-system due to the fact that they use a different coil for cool air from that of hot air. A good example is the central air condition unit which is found in almost all homes in America. These AC units are composed of an indoor section and an outdoor section known as the condenser. The sections are connected by a copper tube. The central air condition unit has ducts that run through out the building, and are then connected to each room through an opening in the walls or the ceiling. The expansion valve and cold coil are usually placed in the furnace. This unit has a fan located in a long spiral coil near the compressor. The fan blows air through the coil. The condensing unit is found in the back yard or on the roof of big buildings.
Window air condition units are small air conditioners built to fit into a standard window frame. They provide air conditioning in small spaces like a single room. Unlike the split-system unit, the window air condition unit has the control unit, compressor, expansion valve and chilled coil on the inside. Located outside is the hot coil. It has two fans which blow air over the coils, allowing hot air to exit hence cooling that room.
In the case of cooling tower units, a cooling tower blows air at right angles through a stream of water trickling through a sheet of plastic mesh. This causes some water to evaporate and in the process cools the water. However, the total cooling effect from a cooling water tower depends on the relative humidity.
For the chilled water air condition unit, the whole AC is located on the roof or behind the building. The unit's cold Freon cools water which is piped through out the building where the pipes are connected to the air ducts. This unit is ideal for sizable buildings where cooled air cannot be effectively delivered through the ducts. So now you know what you saw behind the mall.