Where does an old air conditioner go?
When an old AC is replaced, trained technicians catch its refrigerant so it doesn’t escape into the air, and much of the metal gets recycled. Your family can help the Earth at home, too.
First, what is refrigerant?
Refrigerant (say it “rih-FRIJ-er-unt”) is a special fluid that flows around and around inside an air conditioner, in closed copper tubes. It picks up heat inside your house and carries it outside. You can read how on How Air Conditioning Works.
Refrigerant should stay sealed inside the machine. Some older kinds can harm the ozone layer, a thin layer of gas high in the sky that blocks some of the sun’s strongest rays. Many kinds can also trap heat around the Earth if they leak out. So in the United States there are rules: nobody is allowed to let refrigerant escape into the air on purpose while working on an AC or getting rid of one.
The journey of an old AC
Here is what happens, step by step, when a big home AC system is replaced.
- Turn it off. A technician turns off the power to the old system and makes it safe to work on.
- Catch the refrigerant. The technician hooks up a recovery machine. It pumps the refrigerant out of the old AC and into a strong, sealed tank.
- Send it off. The tank goes to a place that can clean the refrigerant so it can be used again, or break it down safely.
- Take it apart. The old equipment is taken away and separated into parts.
- Recycle the metal. Copper, aluminum and steel can be melted down and made into new things.
- New system in. The new AC is filled with fresh refrigerant and sealed up tight.
Cut-and-order strip
Ask a grown-up to print this page. Cut the strips apart along the lines (with a grown-up’s help or kid scissors). Mix up the strips, then put them back in order.
| ✂️ The metal is recycled into new things. |
| ✂️ A technician turns off the power to the old AC. |
| ✂️ A recovery machine pumps the refrigerant into a sealed tank. |
| ✂️ The new AC is sealed up and turned on. |
| ✂️ The tank is sent away so the refrigerant can be cleaned or safely broken down. |
| ✂️ The old equipment is taken apart. |
Check your answer
Power off, recovery machine, tank sent away, taken apart, metal recycled, new AC sealed up.
Got them in order? Tell someone the story of the old AC.
Old AC parts matching
Draw a line from each old part on the left to where it goes next on the right. Some places get more than one line.
| Old part | Where it can go |
|---|---|
| Copper tubes | A special drop-off for grown-ups |
| Refrigerant | Metal recycling |
| Aluminum fins | A sealed tank, then cleaned or safely broken down |
| Steel cabinet | |
| Old thermostat with a silver ball inside |
Check your answers
Copper tubes, aluminum fins and the steel cabinet go to metal recycling. Refrigerant goes into a sealed tank. The silver-ball thermostat goes to a special drop-off.
Check Before You Toss
Some things go in the trash, some go in recycling, and some need a grown-up to take them to a special drop-off place. Sort these. Write T (trash), R (recycling) or G (grown-up drop-off).
| Thing | T, R or G? |
|---|---|
| Clean cardboard box from a new fan | |
| Empty aluminum can | |
| Used household batteries | |
| Old thermostat with a silver ball inside | |
| Curly light bulb (the twisty kind) | |
| Leftover paint | |
| Plastic water bottle |
Check your answers
Cardboard: R. Can: R. Batteries: G. Silver-ball thermostat: G. Curly bulb: G. Paint: G. Water bottle: R. Rules can be a little different in each city, so a grown-up can check.
Saving energy at home
Using less energy is another way to help the Earth. Every one of these is a habit you can help with.
Doors shut
When the AC or heat is on, close outside doors fast so the cool or warm air stays inside.
Curtains help
Summer: close curtains on sunny windows in the afternoon. Winter: open them on sunny days.
Lights off
Leaving a room with nobody in it? Lights off. Light bulbs make a little heat, too.
Fans are for people
A fan cools you by moving air over your skin. It doesn’t cool an empty room, so it can go off when you leave.
Big air grille clear
The big air grille, usually on a hallway wall or ceiling, is where the AC breathes in. Keep furniture, toys and laundry away from it.
Dress for the day
A sweater on a chilly day, or shorts on a hot one, keeps you comfy without changing the thermostat.
Pick one habit for this week: doors curtains lights fans air grille clothes
At the end of the week, talk with your family about how it went.
