The operating principle of air conditioners is similar for all these appliances, including refrigeration units, heat pumps etc. and is based on the temperature exchange between two different environments with the help of specially formulated liquids, generically called refrigerants.
From the beginning, it is necessary to specify that there is no air exchange between the indoor unit and the outdoor unit of an air conditioner, and the cold air inside does not come from outside via the connection between the two units of the equipment. Inside, hot air is circulated continuously and cooled by getting it in contact with the refrigerant that is found in the air conditioning equipment, thus forming a continuous heat takeover and heat removal circuit.
Processes that happen in the indoor unit of an air conditioner
Due to the fan’s rotation movement, the warm air in the room is filtered and driven on the evaporator located inside the unit, through which circulates the refrigerant. There is a temperature exchange: the hot air cools down in contact with the evaporator pipes and, it is released back into the room and the heat is transferred to the refrigerant. As the refrigerant takes over the heat, it switches from the cold liquid state to the low-pressure cold gas.
The cooling process make water vapors condensate; the water resulted is being collected in a special tray released externally, through a hose. If your AC in not working as it should be, it might be time to have an air conditioner Denver technician do some repairs.