John A. Kinkaid Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc.

How Do Air Conditioners Work?

how do air conditioners work

You walk into a hot, muggy, languorous room. It’s so stuffy, you can’t even bear it! But then you pop on the A/C and within a few minutes, the room is as cool as ice. If anyone living centuries ago experienced this, they might chalk it up to magic. So, how does this even happen? How do air conditioners work? Here, you can discover the answer to this question, and more, as we breakdown how do air conditioners work!

What Air Conditioners Do

First, in order for air conditioners to work at all, they have to do four things:

  • Control temperature
  • Manage humidity
  • Control air circulation and ventilation
  • Cleanse the air

Therefore, in order to do these things, air conditioners work in a closed system. In other words, they have to be closed off from the outside. Thus, air conditioners are designed to restrict airflow from the outside so that they can control the temperature, humidity, and circulation in the building. This is what makes air conditioning possible.

What They’re Made Of

Second, let’s take a look at the key components of an air conditioner to understand how it works. For instance, a basic A/C unit consists of three parts:

  • Compressor
  • Condenser
  • Evaporator

Now we can look at how these parts work together to cool air.

How They Do It

Third, if you want to know how do air conditioners work, you have to understand that it’s basically the cycle of taking a chemical called a refrigerant and turning it into a liquid, then a gas, then a liquid again. So, here’s a simply step-by-step breakdown of how this works:

  • Initially, the refrigerant reaches the compressor as a low-pressure gas. The compressor squeezes so it becomes a high-pressure, hot gas.
  • Next, this gas moves to the condenser. A fan pushes the hot air outside and the condenser cools everything down to turn the refrigerant back into a liquid.
  • Then, as the refrigerant makes its way into the evaporator, it becomes a gas again, produces cool air, and this gets pushed into your home or office.
  • Finally, this process makes the refrigerant turn back into a low-pressure gas. It returns to the compressor, and the process starts all over again.

If you’d like a more-detailed visual of this process, click here.

Stay Cool with Kinkaid!

Last, if you’d like more information on how do air conditioners work, or need one installed in your home or office, contact us at Kinkaid! We’ve offered superb service to customers for over a century. So give us a call today!

Benefits of a Routinely Clean A/C Filter

clean a/c filter

Getting your car oil changed, cleaning the microwave, clearing out your inbox, and having a clean A/C filter. These are all routine activities we feel like we can get away with not doing for a while. Who hasn’t gone a few extra thousand miles before getting their oil changed? Or let their inbox fill up with emails from 6 months ago? Seems innocent enough. But letting your A/C filter get dirty comes with certain risks. Below you’ll find just a few reasons why you should regularly clean your A/C filter.

Block Allergens

First, allergens slammed the Philadelphia-area this past Spring. Additionally, it seemed to run much later into the year than usual. Thus, if you’re allergic to pollen, you cannot afford to let your A/C filter get dirty. A clogged filter becomes more susceptible to tearing, thereby letting in all sorts of allergens. But with a habitually clean A/C filter, you don’t have to worry. While the allergens outside may challenge even the strongest allergy medicine you can take, you can trust you’ll breathe easy inside with a clean filter.

Keep Out Dust and Dirt

Second, not only does a clean A/C filter keep out pollen and other allergens, it also keeps out pollutants. Dust and dirt can not only irritate allergies, but also make your house dirty. With Summer comes humidity, causing dust and dirt to stick to everything it lands on. This can cause mold and mildew. Then, this can lead to spending more time and money on cleaning your house. Furthermore, as the dirt and dust gets sucked back into the return air vent, it will go through your AC unit, coating it and causing it to slow down and not work efficiently.

Clean A/C Filter = Better A/C

Third, a clean A/C filter is like having clean lungs. If your lungs stay clean and strong, they don’t have to work as hard. So, if you keep your A/C filter clean, your unit won’t have to work as hard to maintain the temperature you desire. Having a more efficient unit can lead to lower electrical bills. In addition, it helps keep every part of your unit clean and running smoothly. Thus, you don’t run the risk of needing an expensive repair or replacement in the future.

Clean A/C Filter with Kinkaid!

So, always keep that A/C filter clean! A clean A/C filter blocks allergens, helps keep your home clean, saves you money, and keeps your unit running smoothly. But if you need help cleaning your unit, or need a repair, reach out to us at Kinkaid! With over a century of experience in the HVAC industry, we’re a team you can trust.

Save Money on Air Conditioning This Summer

save money on air conditioning

Summer is here and we finally have a break from all that cold. But that doesn’t mean homeowners can let their guard down when it comes to their HVAC systems. Many homeowners crank up the air conditioning when the weather gets hot, but this can get expensive. Here are a few important tips for saving money on air conditioning this summer.

Ensure Your House is Properly Insulated

That’s right! Just because it’s summer doesn’t mean insulation isn’t important. In winter, we insulate to keep the heat in. In the summer, that same insulation is vital to keep the heat out.

It is just as important to check all of your doors and windows for gaps that allow drafts through. We spend a lot of money on cooling our homes in the summer, so you don’t want that money steadily draining out through a crack under your door or window.

Seal Off Unused Rooms

Air conditioning is expensive. Depending on your system, you may be able to avoid using the A/C in rooms that you don’t use (or rarely use). If you have an A/C system that can be used to cool individual rooms, close off the rooms that are not frequently used, just like when you are trying to conserve heat in the winter. If there are cracks under the doors, seal them off with rags or towels.

Put Your Air Conditioning on a Timer

There is no need to leave the air conditioner on full blast when you are at work all day. Turning the air conditioning off, or at least significantly lowering the settings, while no one is home will save you a lot of money. If you have a pet that needs air conditioning while you are away, consider confining them to one room to reduce the need for air conditioning throughout the house.

Make Sure Your HVAC is in Working Order

Your don’t want to be in the middle of a heat wave and suddenly lose air conditioning just because you didn’t get the HVAC system inspected properly. Contact John A. Kinkaid Heating and Air Conditioning today to set up an appointment. Make sure your HVAC system is in the best condition, and provide your family peace of mind this summer.

Energy-Saving Tips for Fall

ambler air conditioning company

It’s still warm enough for air conditioning, but you might be starting to feel some cooler temperatures in the mornings and evenings. Early fall is a great time to adjust your air conditioning system and give it a little TLC before switching it off for the year. As a trusted Ambler air conditioning company, we have some easy energy-saving tips for getting the most out of your air conditioner and HVAC system this fall.

  1. Adjust your thermostat. Take a look at your thermostat settings and make temperature and timer adjustments with cool weather in mind. You might want to let the cooler weather do the legwork at night and in the early mornings instead of your A/C.
  2. Clean or replace your A/C filter. The average household should clean its A/C filter once or twice a month, and replace the filter every 60-90 days. Clean filters are more energy-efficient and improve air quality.
  3. Clean around the outdoor unit. Debris around the outdoor air conditioner unit can block airflow and make the system less efficient. Take a few minutes outside to clear away any sticks, grass clippings, pollen, and other remnants of summer from around the unit. This will make it easier to clear the area once the autumn leaves start dropping. It’s a good idea to make a note to yourself to clear fallen leaves regularly from the outdoor A/C unit.
  4. Reverse your ceiling fan blades. Pretty soon, you’ll be wishing your home were warmer instead of cooler. If possible, try reversing the direction of your ceiling fan blades. This will help circulate warm air instead of cool air, which will cut down on heating costs.
  5. Test out your heat. Avoid a heating emergency – be proactive by testing your heater before it gets really cold out. If it’s not running properly, you have plenty time to call an HVAC company like Kinkaid to identify and fix the problem.
  6. Stay on track with routine HVAC maintenance. It’s important to service and maintain your air conditioning and heating systems. At Kinkaid, our expert technicians provide full-service preventative maintenance to keep your systems in great working condition. Preventative maintenance helps avoid costly HVAC emergencies and ensures your comfort all year round.

We hope these tips help you stay cool now and warm later! If you’re interested in preventative maintenance for your HVAC system, take a look at our service plans and give us a call. Kinkaid is a trusted family company – we will always give you a prompt, friendly response!

215-657-1262
Willow Grove

215-646-5577
Ambler

1-866-HEAT-106
Toll Free

Email: John.Kinkaid.HVAC@gmail.com