Getting An HVAC Inspection? Be Sure To Know The Following Terms

One part of your home that may be a bit of a mystery to you is the HVAC system. If it has been doing its job properly since you moved in, you may have never even thought of doing maintenance to keep it running. When getting your first HVAC inspection done, it helps to know some of the new terms that your technician will be using when discussing the health of the system.

Air Handler

The air handler is used for both heating and cooling your home, and it is located inside your house. It is the unit that holds the fan, condenser coil, and the evaporator coil. Don't make the mistake of thinking that this part is just used for heating since it is part of the furnace, as it serves a dual purpose

Refrigerant

The fluid traveling through the HVAC system for your air conditioner is the refrigerant, sometimes mistakenly referred to as Freon. This is because older air conditioner systems used Freon, and the term is often used incorrectly when referring to the refrigerant. Be aware that this is the fluid that absorbs the heat in your home to cool the air.

Condenser Coil

The whole condenser unit is the appliance located outside your home, and the condenser coil is inside it. This coil is what is responsible for extracting the heat that the refrigerant is removing from the air, and converting refrigerant from a gas to a liquid.

Flue

All of the combustion gas created from a furnace has to go somewhere, and it travels out of your home through the flue. It is essentially a fancy name for the exhaust vent of your furnace. Some furnaces use a direct vent, which means that the gases naturally leave the furnace and travel up the flue. Others use a power vent, which uses an electric fan to push out those fumes.

Ton

Your HVAC technician may reference the power of your HVAC system, which is measured in tons. However, this measurement is different from what you think of when measuring weight. A 1 ton HVAC system is the equivalent of producing 12,000 BTUs every hour, with a single BTU being the heat that is required to change the temperature of 1 lb of water by 1°F. The tonnage of the HVAC system may be discussed to describe how powerful the system is, with a higher number meaning it is more powerful.

For more information about your HVAC system, contact a company like Always Ready Repair.