Do Air Conditioners Bring In Fresh Air From Outside?

Air conditioners are no less than “heavenly angels” when it is burning hot outside. In fact, Australians would know this better than anyone else. The modern air conditioners offer benefits “both ways”; they work as cooling as well as heating units.

This “both ways” feature has been a mystery to every user. Yes, there is absolutely no doubt about the comfort an air conditioner brings. However, there is an unsolved riddle that every air conditioner user wants to solve – do air conditioners pull fresh air from outside? Well, if you are one of those confused users, then here is your answer.

Air Conditioners Do Not Bring Fresh Air From Outside

Well, the simplest answer to your question is, NO. Your air conditioner does not pull fresh air from outside. Rather, it uses the air inside your home and does what it does. So, what does it do, right?

Generally, air conditioners are of six different types.  Yes, they work differently, but none of them brings fresh air from outside. Rather, they move the unwanted heat out of your home, thus lowering the temperature inside your home. Here is how it goes:

Moving The Hot Air To The Curb

Your air conditioner has a heat pump that removes the heat from your house. It can work both ways, i.e., moving the heat or thermal energy inside your home in winters, and drawing it out in summers. But how does it capture and release the heat?

Every air conditioner has a compressor (also known as an air conditioner pump) that absorbs the heat from your home and throws it on the other side by using the “refrigerant” (a special fluid). This fluid is covered by a metal loop and works as a shuttle to move the heat out of your home.

The Refrigeration Cycle

This heat exchange process, also known as the refrigeration cycle, involves several steps to give you a cool atmosphere. The process has four stages, and they are:

1. The refrigerant absorbs the heat from inside your room/house.
2. The heat absorbed from the room raises the temperature of the refrigerant.
3. Then, this refrigerant draws that heat out of your home.
4. After transferring the heat outside, the refrigerant gets cold, and the other parts of the system distribute it to your home/room.

The refrigerant expands quickly because when it is distributed back in the home, it has to pass through a narrow valve into the evaporator (having a low pressure). This expansion makes the fluid very cold, and then a fan blows air on the refrigerant, which is then distributed to your home via ductwork.

The compressor is one of the most important components of the air conditioner. Any fault in this part will stop the cooling process immediately. If you are facing such issues, it is highly recommended to call licensed experts such as QuickAir.

Contact QuickAir

We have licensed and fully insured technicians offering repair and maintenance services for all cooling and heating units. Call us at 1300 730 896.