Korean Job Discussion Forums

[brento1138]

I was talking about this with a friend, and he didn't really know either. I'm wondering, how do these wall-mounted air-con units work? Do they suck the air from outside and put it inside? (They do seem to have a large fan on the outside)... Or do they simply suck the air from the inside, cool it (through that filter on the top) and put it back inside? The little tube going outside seems to be only for water/condensation so it might be too small for air to travel through?

So I am curious... how do these aircon units work? Does the air come from the outside fan or is just inside air being recycled and cooled from the inside?

I am talking about these types:

http://www.global-b2b-network.com/direct/dbimage/50276195/Split_Wall_Mounted_Type_Air_Conditioner.jpg

http://img.alibaba.com/photo/11428985/Aircon_DC_Inverter_9000_18000_Btu.jpg

[Drunken Monkey]

Refrigeration (air conditioning) can be a very complicated subject (well i found it complicated anyway!!) as it combines changes in temperature and pressure.

From memory the air from the room is drawn over the refrigeration coils (If you take the cover off the air con unit they look like a series of metal plates) which contain the refrigerant which is in a liquid state. The refrigerant is allowed to expand and evaporate and takes the heat out of the air as it does so.

The gas is then compressed again back into a fluid and passed through a second set of heat exchange coils which are located in the big square unit outside your apartment. The fan moves air over the coils which takes the heat out of the refrigerant gas and this combined with the compression turns it back into a liquid ready to cool more air from your room.

The pipe that runs from the unit to outside is merely to drain the condensation that is created when the air is cooled.

Number 1 fault-finding check for your air con unit �
If the fan is running and everything seems to be operating normally but the air isn�t being cooled then the refrigerant gas has leaked out�..time to buy a new one (same applies for your fridge).

[CentralCali]

Don't forget to keep the filters clean, either! It's amazing how much that affects the cooling ability of the thing.

[brento1138]

Ah ha! So I am wrong to believe that the aircon unit is blowing in fresh air? It is merely recycling the air already in the room...hmmph. Thanks for that.

[blade]

Cool vid for people without airconhttp://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=-bqtQ5WQ3dA

[Jandar]

All the cooling takes place outside using a compressor.

The air is exchanged inside so it is merely circulating inside air.

So keep your windows open a bit when you want to exchange air.

It's not like window mounted system or the system in your car where
you can introduce fresh (hot) outside air into the system.

Also your Apartment isn't exactly air tight.

Yes, clean your filter at least once a week.

[ds_fan]

how does one change the filter?

[Jandar]

Should be a big vented piece of plastic on the front of your unit.

Pull it off or flip it open, mine has a bit of a tab on the right side, there
is a sheet of foam in there, that is the filter.

You can vacuum it in place or remove it and run water through it from
the reverse side (floe from clean side to dirty side).

Shake the water out it doesn't have to be completely dried to go back
in but try to get as much out as you can.

If your here next year replace the filter, they should have them at
Home plus or any place that sells aircons.

[brento1138]

A few years ago at my hakwon, my director ordered us teachers to clean the air con filters in the classrooms. She gave us this spray foam stuff... that smelled strange. I've always wondered how bad that stuff was for my health...