Do you know what HVAC stands for? It's an acronym for heating, ventilation and air conditioning. Let's have a look at each of these individual systems and see how they work together to provide your home with a comfortable environment.
Heating
The most common method of heating in the American home is forced air, with a furnace burner warming air, then dispersing it through ductwork and vents. Less common are radiant heating systems, using a boiler to send hot water through a home by way of tubes in the floor or through radiators in each room, and geothermal heating, which absorbs heat from the ground to disperse through the home.
Ventilation
Ventilation systems use an air handler and a home's ductwork to draw in return air, removing pollutants as the air passes through the filter and then dispersing conditioned air through supply ducts into the home.
Auxiliary ventilation equipment such as exhaust, supply, balanced or heat recovery or energy recovery ventilation systems may be installed to move moisture, odors and pollutants out of the home and let fresh air in. Air purifiers help by trapping pollutants and keeping them from circulating in your home's air, while dehumidifiers remove excess moisture in the home that might promote mold.
Air Conditioner
The air conditioner controls the temperature in your home in the summer months, providing cooling and eliminating moisture. If you have a split system central air conditioner or a heat pump, the air conditioner will consist of two units: an indoor evaporator and air handler and an outdoor compressor. Refrigerant is pumped between the two, with the refrigerant absorbing heat indoors and exhausting it outside. Air inside the home is cooled when it passes through an evaporator coil and is dispersed by an air handler through a system of ducts.
Another type of air conditioner is a ductless mini split, also a heat pump, but without ducts. It distributes conditioned air through air handlers mounted on the wall, ceiling or floor.
To learn more about what HVAC stands for, contact Air Assurance. We've served the metropolitan Tulsa area since 1985.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Stuart Miles/Shutterstock”