Installing and maintaining a heating and cooling system takes both years of experience as well as a keen understanding of the parts of an HVAC system. There are a lot of terms that might sound confusing at first, but are relatively easy to comprehend. Today, we want to unpack those terms so that you have a better understanding of the work we’re performing while we’re at your house.
Your “main” units: the furnace and/or central air conditioning
Let’s start with the most obvious: every home in our region has a furnace. This is usually in the basement and it has many components within itself. It keeps your home warm in the winter while also preventing issues such as frozen pipes.
Most homes also have an air conditioner of some kind too, usually in the vein of a central unit attached to the same ductwork as the furnace. Although “package units” exist, a more common setup today is an in-home furnace with an air conditioner that sits outside.
The thermostat(s)
This is a small box on the wall that controls the temperature of the home. It’s one of the more well-known parts of an HVAC system as we interact with it every day. Some homes have multiple thermostats, depending on their size and temperature needs.
The heat exchanger
When something is “exchanged”, it means that widget A is replaced with widget B. In retail, we exchange money for goods.
In HVAC, we exchange temperatures. Your heat exchanger pulls cold air from the outside and warms it for usage throughout your home. How is it heated exactly?
With your combustion chamber
This sounds scarier than it is. Your combustion chamber is where your pilot light ignites the heating source, whether propane, heating oil, or natural gas. The aforementioned heat exchanger then absorbs this energy, “exchanging” it for usable heat.
The blower motor
Whether you have or don’t have a central air conditioner, you have a blower motor. This is what pushes hot (or cold) air throughout your home. As often is the case with a full HVAC system, the blower within the furnace will push the cooled air from your outside air unit.
Your coils
There are two types of coils within the parts of an HVAC system: the evaporator and condenser coils.
An evaporator coil is what cools hot air as it works to lower your indoor air temperature. The condenser coil acts like a heat pump, pushing some hot air outside so the evaporator can work more efficiently.
Your ductwork
Finally, each HVAC system has ductwork. These are the various pipes and tubes that move forced air from your main units to the rooms in your home.
We can fix or install all parts of an HVAC system
Of course, while many homeowners like a little DIY weekend project, we wouldn’t recommend it with the parts of an HVAC system. They’re all dependent on each other and sometimes require advanced skills to properly maintain.
That’s why we’re here to help. We would love to help you with any and all of your HVAC problems or needs. Contact us today to schedule your inspection or get a free quote for our services online HERE.