What happens to different types of air particles (dust, bacteria, mold spores, or other important ones I don’t even know about) that go through an air conditioner, do most come out with the condensed water, and what stays in the air?

Question

Also do air conditioners affect levels of gases such as carbon dioxide, are there notable gases besides water vapor that condense out?

In: Technology

Answer 1

So called “Central” Air conditioners (AC) which are units that sit outside and use air vents throughout your house work by pulling air from the inside of your house and sending it into your furnace (hopefully through the air filter that sits next to your furnace (Change this filter often)).

Above your furnace sits a object known as the A-coil. This is basically a radiator similar to what is toward the front of most car engine spaces. The entire job of the outside AC unit is to make this (A-coil) radiator very cold. As the furnace sends the air through the A-coil it becomes very cold, from that point it travels through your duct work and comes back to the living spaces as cold air through the air vents.

When air becomes colder it can hold less water so water condenses on the A-coil and drains out of the furnace. Most air pollutants like dust get trapped by the air filter before making it to the furnace (which is why you need to change it so often) Other than what gets trapped in the air filter most of the rest of this just stays in the air and comes right back out.

Edit: Typos and bonus fact: The radiator bit is called an A-coil because it’s shaped like an A

Answer 2

“Air conditioners” are what we normally call the machines that cool air by getting cold on one side (indoors) and hot on another side (outdoors). The condensed water is just a side effect of a cold surface in a humid environment (any amount of humidity above 0% is a risk of condensation) and is a problem to be dealt with. I would not expect it to trap or filter any particles in the air, though I imagine it happens on small scales.

Are you perhaps asking about some kind of air filter or purifier instead? Those are usually just filter based, perhaps leaving a slight static charge in the air because static electricity makes a good filter mechanism for static-affected particles. Neither they nor air conditioners produce any kinds of side-effect gases, as they run strictly on electricity.