- An electric motor in an air conditioner compresses gas into a cold liquid. The motor then pumps this liquid between two heat exchangers. One heat exchanger, on the outside of the air conditioner, transfers the heat from the liquid to the air. The heat exchanger on the inside of the air conditioner transfers heat from the room into the refrigerant so that it can be transferred outside the room or building.
- In simple air conditioners, the motor that drives the condenser and pump also drives two fans. One fan circulates air across the heat exchanger inside the room to help facilitate the cooling of inside air. The other fan blows air across the outside heat exchanger to help remove heat from the air conditioner's coolant. The motor in an air conditioner is an electric motor. Electricity flows through tightly wound copper coils, thus creating a magnetic field. This magnetic field acts off magnets mounted on the interior shaft of the motor and causes it to spin. This spinning drives the compressor and fans in a simple air conditioner.
- More complex air conditioners allow for the motors, pumps and processes to be reversed, thus bringing heat into the room from the outside. These types of air conditioners are called heat pumps. In areas with more mild winters, heat pumps can provide heat in the summer and cooling in the winter.
