HVAC Basic Components and Terms for Beginners

HVAC 

HVAC is a type of technology that provides the thermal comfort of an interior environment in a room, be it a building, house or a vehicle. The ideology of HVAC is basic principles from thermodynamics, mechanical engineering, heat transfer, and fluid mechanics. HVAC is applicable in our cooling system and refrigerator at homes, boiler, and furnace, amongst others. There are four main types of HVAC, namely, packaged heating and air systems, duct-free systems, hybrid systems, and split systems.  Every one should know a little about how heating and cooling in their house works. Were not experts so we went to the experts, thank you to Paradise Air and Heat, AC repair, Merritt Island experts for helping us help you understand HVAC better. 

What does HVAC stand for? 

HVAC is an acronym which stands for heating, ventilation, and air condition. The HVAC system provides cooling and heating to both commercial and residential buildings. The heating element in the HVAC system usually refers to a boiler or furnace. As for the ventilating element, it is either forced or natural. And the air conditioning element focuses on removing heat from the interior of a room. The three primary functions of the HVAC system are interrelated in providing better air quality by replacing or exchanging air within a space. In other words, the HVAC system can effectively help filter out moisture, smoke, odor, airborne bacteria, dust, carbon dioxide, and other gases. 

What is a furnace? 

In HVAC, a furnace is a system used for creating heat. A furnace has a thermostat that detects the rise and fall in temperature in a room and regulates it by heating the air through fluids such as oil or gas. When there is a drop in the temperature, the thermostat sends signals to the boiler or furnace, which in turn heats the gas or oil. Then the heated oil or gas will then distribute the heat throughout the house via a system of pipes. Frequently, people living in s cold environment install furnaces or boilers in their homes or offices to provide thermal comfort.   

What is heat? 

Heat is a measure of the quality of how hot a substance is or the degree of hotness. To dive into the science part of it a bit, heat is a form of energy. It might even shock you, but all matter contains heat energy. What causes heat in a substance is the movement of tiny particles called atoms, molecules, or ions in the case of liquids. When you add heat to a material, it causes an increase in the temperature of that substance. Also, heat can flow from one element to another, either through conduction, convection, or radiation. 

What is a Heat Exchanger and where is it? 

In HVAC, a heat exchanger is a device used to transfer thermal energy from one medium to another. Heat exchangers are essential in assisting in the cooling or heating of homes and buildings. You can find heat exchangers in an air condition system. It is the heat exchanger that is responsible for the cold air we feel when we turn on the air conditional or ventilating system. A heat exchanger transfers the hot air inside your home and brings in the cold air outside, and that’s why you feel the cold comfort inside. You can also find heat exchangers in machines and engines as it is also helpful in cooling them down so they can work efficiently. 

What is an evaporator coil? 

The evaporator coil is a tube-like coil, which allows compressed cooling chemicals like freon, for example, to evaporate from liquid to gas. During the process of conversion, the compressed cooling chemical absorbs heat then proceeds to the remaining part of the process to produce that cooling effect. Most evaporator tubes are parallel tubes while others are either plates or coils made from aluminum or copper. 

What is a condensing unit? 

A condensing unit is a temperature controlling device found in chillers, heat pumps, air conditioners, and refrigerators. A condensing unit moves energy in the form of heat by compressing a refrigerant. It works by pumping a refrigerant through a system of coils and uses the air around the coil to cool or heat the space. All condensers are heat exchangers with fan-forced air over the metal coils. 

What do refrigerant tubes do? 

There are two primary functions of a refrigerant tube. Firstly, the refrigerant tube functions in providing a passageway for the circulation of the refrigerant. The refrigerant tube can also serve as a passageway through which lubricant oil used in the condenser of your HVAC returns to the compressor. 

What is a thermostat? 

 A thermostat is a device that helps to regulate the temperature when it reaches a certain point automatically. A thermostat is handy in any device that heats or cools to a set point temperature as in an HVAC system, water heater, electric cooker, ovens, and so on. Thermostats do come with sensor technology that detects this temperature change. Common sensor technology in use today includes bimetallic sensors, electrical thermocouples, expanding wax pellets, and electronic thermistors or semiconductors. 

What types of ductwork are used in houses? 

Ductwork is a part of the HVAC system often neglected, even though it serves an essential purpose. There are different types of ductwork, and the type to use depends on your HVAC needs. There are two basic broad categories of ductwork you can use, namely the flexible and rigid. The flexible ductwork, as the name suggests, is flexible and more versatile, making it suitable for trunks and branch cooling and heating systems. On the other hand, the rigid ductwork is more stringent due to the nature of the material used in making them. So, the rigid ductwork is ideal ductwork to use to build an entire HVAC system in houses. 

What is a heat pump? 

Just as we have an air pump, water pump and so on, there is also what is called a heat pump. The heat pump is a device that you can use to transfer heat energy to form a source to a thermal reservoir. A heat pump works by moving thermal energy in the direction opposite to the heat transfer flow of spontaneous energy by absorbing heat from a cold place and then releasing the heat in a warmer place. The heat pump needs an external power in order to accomplish the work of transferring energy from the heat source to the heat sink. A/C not cooling? A good place to go next would be https://www.thesmartconsumer.com/ac-not-cooling-hvac-diagnostics