Ventilation and Air Leakage

Denver heating and air companies define air leakage is the passage of air in and out of various cracks or openings in buildings. It is also sometimes referred to as infiltration. Air leaking into a building may be caused by wind pressure or by differences in temperature inside and outside of the building. In the former case the wind builds up a pressure on one or two sides of a building, causing air to leak into the building. The action of the wind on the opposite side or sides produces a vacuum that draws air out of the building.

When the wind hits the front side of the building, its momentum builds up a pressure higher than inside the building, which causes the air to leak through any cracks present. AS the wind traverses the length of the building the air currents as the continue past the other side converge and produce a vacuum along this side by induction. Because the pressure on the outside of that side is lower than the inside of the building, air leaks out. Air leakage due to temperature difference or thermal effect is usually refereed to as stack or chimney effect. Air leakage due to cold air outside and warm air inside takes place when the building contains cracks or openings at different levels. This results in the cold and heavy air entering at low level and pushing the warm and light air out at high levels, the same as draft taking place in a chimney. This should be considered when designing for optimal HVAC and furnace efficiency.

Air Conditioner Parts

The three main parts of an air conditioner unit are the compressor, the condenser and the evaporator. The compressor and condenser are located on the outside of the air conditioner and the evaporator is located on the inside.

The basic functioning of the air conditioner is based on the principle of successive heating and cooling of a highly volatile liquid, such as a Freon. The liquid first enters the compressor, where it is compressed into a gas. This releases heat and makes the liquid cooler. The dissipated heat is radiated outwards with the help of a fan. The liquid then enters the condenser, where it absorbs heat from the surroundings to reconvert into a gas. Hence, the surroundings become cool. The entire process continues cyclically and this causes cooling of the room.

Besides the three fundamental Air Conditioner Parts, an air conditioner also has a hot coil on the outside to dissipate heat, a cool coil on the inside to absorb heat, two fans (one outside and one inside) and a control circuit to modify the temperature. This is done by changing the rotation speeds of the fans using a potentiometer.

The most important and expensive Air Conditioner Part is the compressor. Companies provide warranties on the compressor and a good quality compressor can function efficiently for several years.