When a homeowner contacts us to install or fix any issues with their furnace or air conditioning system, they rarely think about ventilation. However, this is the second letter in HVAC. That means that it’s just as important as the actual heating or cooling process. So how does HVAC work anyway? Read on for the answer!
Revisiting HVAC + R
From time to time on our social media accounts, we’ll talk about HVAC terms. Revisiting one of those posts today, let’s talk about what HVAC stands for:
• Heating
• Ventilation
• Air Conditioning, and
• Refrigeration
To borrow from a media marketing campaign from a few years ago, “It’s all connected.” Parts of your heating and cooling system work together. Your HVAC filter, for example, ensures that any air that enters the system is free of dirt and debris. The blower motor within your furnace helps to circulate your central air system.
It’s one of the reasons why tradesmen and women like us choose this industry: there’s always something different to do, regardless of the time of year or the season.
H – Heating
The first letter in HVAC stands for Heating. This is a furnace of some kind that burns a fuel source (sometimes natural gas, sometimes propane, and so on) via a pilot light. That transformed fuel source then heats the air that the blower motor pushes throughout your home via interconnected ductwork.
AC – Air Conditioning
Likewise, the third and fourth letters of HVAC stand for Air Conditioning. In that setup, your evaporator coils cool the air in an outside air unit or an aptly named “window shaker.” With a central air unit, the same ductwork and blower motor used by your furnace circulate cooled air.
The silent R – Refrigeration
In HVAC, there is a “silent R” – Refrigeration. Unlike your vehicle, your home’s air conditioning unit will rarely need freon. Nevertheless, refrigeration is a part of the industry, even if it’s a silent component.
Diving Deeper into V – Ventilation
Ventilation is essentially how your air circulates. Your HVAC system most likely uses forced air to “push” air (whether heated or cooled) throughout your home. The ventilation portion of HVAC recognizes this.
It also plays a vital role in your home’s heating and cooling. Ventilation helps to remove unpleasant odors from your home. It also is an essential component of your home’s air quality. Ventilation controls all of this via venting, mechanical operation, or through other sources such as an open window.
Your HVAC ventilation setup plays a critical role in your family’s health by reducing moisture. Without the V portion of HVAC, your home would be ripe for mold and mildew growth (not to mention a lack of a way to adequately heat or cool your home).
Finally, Ventilation also includes various forms of air purifiers, humidifiers (whether inroom or attached to your HVAC system itself), and dehumidifiers.
We’ll make certain your HVAC ventilation works as intended!
We’ve been proudly serving the Salt Lake City area with our HVAC services for many years. From troubleshooting to repair to whole-home installations and more, we can help with any issue you may be facing.
Would you like to get a free quote for our services? Then send us a message through our short contact form, requesting a quote HERE. You can also call us and chat with a member of our team at (801) 980-0903. Either way, we look forward to meeting and helping you with your HVAC needs.