Air conditioners are loved and much needed to provide cool air when temperatures are off the scale during the summer season. Despite the benefits an air conditioner provides, many are unfamiliar with its heating and cooling systems. You must have wondered how a split air conditioner cools the room.
Does it bring dirty air inside the room, or does it affect the room’s ventilation and indoor air quality? People often misunderstand that their wall-mounted air conditioners bring in fresh air from the outside. This article will help you understand the working of your split system air conditioner in detail.
How do split air conditioners work?
A split ac unit consists of two components, the indoor unit called an evaporator, and the outdoor unit called a condenser. The evaporator delivers cool air and is placed inside the room while the compressor, usually attached to the wall, is outside the room. Like some of the window AC’s, split-type air conditioners do not have the option to bring in the fresh air. Let’s understand what mechanism does split AC’s work.
The indoor components of a split system ac are connected to the outdoor elements with the help of wirings and copper wires. The copper pipes allow movement of a special liquid called a refrigerant from the outdoor unit, compressor to the indoor unit, evaporator through the condenser. The homeowners can control the cold airflow in the room using a remote control or thermostat.
The split-type aircon requires connecting the indoor and outdoor components to allow hot air passage from inside the room to the outside. These types of AC’s do not require an external exhaust as the refrigerant itself converts the heat of air to energy used to vent the air. The AC’s condenser pulls the heat and humidity from the atmosphere of the room using refrigerant.
The refrigerant, which is a cooled high-pressure special liquid, turns into gas when it comes into contact with the hot air of the room. It pushes the hot air outside the room. The refrigerant then passes through the evaporator to the condenser, where it cools down because of the low pressure. This blows cold air into the room, thus cooling down the temperature of the area.
Thus as seen from the above explanation, split ac do not bring fresh air or dirty air from outside. Instead, it cools the air inside the room, and the cycle continues till the room’s overall temperature cools down to the temperature set by the homeowner.
Need for ventilation
Before explaining the need for ventilation, first, let us understand the meaning of ventilation. What is the importance of ventilation? The replacement of the indoor air with fresh, good quality outdoor air to displace and dilute harmful air pollutants present inside the building is called ventilation.
Pollutants are harmful substances present in the environment that affect health. These include carbon dioxide, formaldehyde, bacteria, viruses, carbon monoxide. Ventilation has proved to dilute and displace these pollutants from the area.
If a room is completely closed, the concentration of air pollutants increases. This impacts the health of the people present inside the room. Ventilation is vital for displacing or reducing the concentration of air pollutants.
Also, dirty air accumulates in a room with no ventilation system. Residences such as condominiums or houses have a high percentage of airtightness. Due to the aircon, contaminated air cannot leave the room, and if nothing is done for ventilation, this dirty air will accumulate in the room.
The need for additional ventilation depends on your requirements. The ventilation system can reduce your cooling needs, thus lowering the bill or improving air quality. The function or style of a ventilation system will vary depending on the age and construction of the house and the health of the family, and comfort needs.
Ways to circulate fresh air
You need to put some extra effort to eliminate air loss as split aircon do not circulate air from inside to outside or vice versa. The indoor air will be full of contaminants, allergens, or viruses. If you keep it that way, the air quality will worsen, which will adversely affect health. One can adapt some of the tips mentioned below to maintain good air quality and get fresh air every day.
Open windows
Windows and doors should be used for proper ventilation in the room. Opening them once in a while will allow stale and stuffy air to flow out and be replaced by fresh, clean air. Turning the fans on will make this process more effective.
Ventilation hole
Hot air moves up while cool air moves down. It is recommended to provide a ventilation hole in the room so that air that moves out is replaced by fresh air. The ventilation hole should be made higher up in the walls, which allows the hot air to flow out from the hole quickly, and the fresh air replacing it will move down, thus maintaining the temperature and ventilation.
Adapting HVAC system
HVAC or Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning is much more than a simple AC. It is a complete package that functions not only for heating or cooling purposes but also for ventilation. The HVAC system offers separate ventilation ductwork and AC ductwork. The HVAC duct supplies ventilation air as a part of the cold air ensuring the right amount of fresh air supply.
Exhaust fan installation
Installing an exhaust fan will serve the same purpose as ventilation but more effectively than manual ventilation. An exhaust fan is used chiefly when manual ventilation is not possible or is too difficult.
Side effects of split air conditioners
Dry skin
If you spend long hours in an air-conditioned environment, it may cause your skin to lose moisture. You need to aid your skin with moisturizers to avoid dry skin constantly.
Breathing problems
Air conditioners cause lung diseases such as Legionnaires disease, a fatal disease that causes high fever and pneumonia. Air conditioners circulate many air-borne diseases spread by germs and microorganisms that cause breathing problems.
Chronic illness
Air conditioners are known to increase the effects of the illness that you are already suffering from. It increases the symptoms of low blood pressure, pain, arthritis, neuritis, etc.
Inability to deal with heat
People who spend a lot of time in an air-conditioned environment become intolerant of hot summers. These effects are because of the stress on the body when the temperature changes. This intolerance has led to increased heat death.
Fatigue and illness
People who work or stay over-air-conditioned become more prone to cold, flu, or breathing problems. Researchers stated that prolonged exposure to air conditioners could cause fatigue, headaches, breathing problems, or irritation.
Final words
As explained earlier, split-type air conditioners do not bring fresh air from outside but make use of air present in the room. It is often believed that the air conditioner’s efficiency will decrease if the room’s insulation is not done correctly. Hence, you might consider ventilation as a bad idea for the performance of your air conditioner. Instead, it has proven beneficial to provide circulation of fresh air. It reduces the burden on the air conditioner as some hot air is replaced by cool fresh air. HVAC contractors recommend integrating a proper ventilation system alongside air conditioning to optimize efficiency and ensure healthy indoor air quality.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Does split AC take air from outside?
Split ACs generally do not take air from outside. Instead, they recycle the air inside the room. The indoor unit cools the air by removing heat, and the air is then circulated back into the room. The outside unit is responsible for expelling the heat to the outside air but doesn’t bring fresh air into the room.
2. How to get fresh air in an AC room?
To introduce fresh air into an AC room, you can use a ventilation system or install a fresh air intake system in your split AC. Many advanced air conditioning systems come with a feature for fresh air intake, allowing some outdoor air to mix with the indoor air. Alternatively, you can open windows periodically or use air purifiers that also bring in filtered outdoor air.
3. Does AC pull air from outside?
Standard air conditioners, including split ACs, do not pull air from outside. They are designed to recirculate indoor air. However, certain models of HVAC systems, especially those with built-in ventilation, can pull in small amounts of fresh air from outside to improve indoor air quality.
4. Does AC bring in fresh air?
Air conditioners typically do not bring in fresh air. Their primary function is to cool or heat the air within the room. However, some modern systems offer a fresh air intake option. Without that feature, fresh air needs to be manually introduced to the room through windows or ventilation.
5. Do air conditioners take in air from outside?
No, air conditioners do not generally take in air from outside. They work by recirculating the indoor air. However, you can install a ducted ventilation system alongside your air conditioner to supply fresh air from the outside.
6. Does AC ventilate a room?
Standard air conditioners don’t provide ventilation by themselves. While they circulate air within the room, they do not replace stale air with fresh air. To ensure proper ventilation, external systems or mechanical ventilation (like a fresh air fan) are often necessary.
7. Does AC room need ventilation?
Yes, AC rooms do need ventilation, especially for long-term comfort and health. While air conditioners cool the room, they do not provide fresh air, which can lead to stale, oxygen-deprived indoor environments. Proper ventilation ensures a constant supply of fresh air, reducing humidity and maintaining air quality.
8. How to air out a room with AC?
To air out a room with AC, you should occasionally open the windows or doors for cross-ventilation. This helps to bring in fresh outdoor air and expel stale air. Another option is to use an air exchange system that works in tandem with the air conditioner, ensuring that fresh air is continuously brought in while maintaining the room’s temperature.
9. Does AC circulate air from outside?
No, standard air conditioners do not circulate air from outside. They only circulate the air inside the room. For outside air circulation, a separate ventilation system or a fresh air intake system is required. This helps to improve air quality and prevent the room from becoming stuffy.
10. Does AC provide ventilation?
Air conditioners do not provide natural ventilation. They circulate the indoor air but do not actively replace stale air with fresh air. For proper ventilation, especially in sealed rooms, you should install a ventilation system alongside your AC. This ensures a continuous supply of fresh air while maintaining comfortable temperatures.
11. How does a split AC work?
A split AC works by cooling the air inside a room. The indoor unit absorbs heat from the room air and cools it using refrigerants, which are then pumped outside via pipes to the outdoor unit. The outdoor unit releases this heat, and the cool air is circulated back into the room by the indoor unit.
12. Does split AC bring in fresh air?
In general, split ACs do not bring fresh air into the room. They recirculate the indoor air to maintain the desired temperature. However, if equipped with a fresh air intake feature, the system can pull in outside air for better air quality.
13. Is ventilation required in an AC room?
Yes, adequate ventilation is required in an AC room to avoid stuffiness and improve indoor air quality. Ventilation can be provided by using external air intake systems, opening windows occasionally, or integrating a dedicated ventilation system that works alongside the AC.
14. Does split AC remove air from the room?
A split AC does not remove air from the room; it merely cools and circulates the same air. It works by pulling in the warm indoor air, cooling it, and then circulating it back into the room.
15. Can an AC be used as an exhaust?
Air conditioners are not designed to act as exhaust systems. Their role is to cool and circulate air inside the room, not to exhaust air out. For exhaust purposes, you will need a dedicated exhaust fan or ventilation system.
16. Does split AC have a fresh air intake?
Some modern split AC systems offer a fresh air intake option that allows outside air to mix with the indoor air. However, traditional systems do not have this feature, and you may need additional ventilation or air exchange systems to introduce fresh air.
