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

“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.