Your HVAC system is not overly complex, although it’s much more technologically advanced than it was even a decade ago. Since most parts of the country, Minneapolis included, need cooling as well as heating, these systems have evolved to share functionality where possible.
Basic HVAC system components
- In a typical forced-air HVAC system, the ducts are shared by both cooling and heating systems so it’s critical that the ductwork stays in good repair. The ductwork serves as a channel to transport and deliver cooled or heated air to the rooms in your home, and return stale air back to the HVAC equipment to be filtered and reconditioned.
- The thermostat is the control unit where you set the air temperature and switch from cooling to heating. In the case of programmable thermostats, the homeowner can program energy-saving temperatures ahead of time to fit the family’s daily and weekly schedules.
- The condenser/compressor is the box-like component that typically sits outside any home that has a split-system A/C or heat pump. It uses a compressor that condenses a refrigerant gas. The gas is cooled by heat exchange with external air and converted to a fluid. This is pumped through a line to the evaporator coil in the house. That coil is either part of an air handler, or in areas like ours that use furnace heating, is attached to the furnace blower.
- The refrigerant-filled evaporator coil removes heat energy from the interior air, providing cooled air for the blower to distribute to the ducts and eventually the rooms of your house.
- The heat exchanger is located within the furnace. It uses either gas or electricity to heat air in the wintertime.
- The return vents and ducts bring stale air back to the HVAC equipment to be re-cooled or reheated. Before the air is sucked into the equipment, it flows through an air filter that removes a variety of airborne particulates. This is to protect your system components, but also to improve indoor air quality.
Please contact us at Marsh Heating & Air Conditioning with any questions you might have about your HVAC system. We have been serving residents of the Twin Cities since 1974.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about HVAC systems and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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