There are no more frequently found systems in homes that are used to heat and cool them than HVAC units. Yet surprisingly most people do not even have the faintest idea of how furnaces and air conditioning systems work. There is a lot more too them than just flicking a switch and then feeling hot or cold air coming out of your vents. Here is a quick little overview of the basics of how your HVAC system works.
The foundation for the cooling aspect of HVAC systems was laid all the way back in 1851 when the first refrigeration machine was invented. It was not until 1902 that the first air conditioner for home comfort was put into use. Once combined with the aspect of heating, these two then formed what was to soon become the widely popular HVAC (heating – ventilation – air conditioning) system.
HVAC systems provide heat during the cooler months of the year and cool air during the hotter months of the year but they do a lot more than that too. They play a hand in the overall moisture control in your house and many people don’t realize one of their biggest functions is the ventilation aspect they add to your home or place of business; it’s the very reason why the ‘V’ is important enough to add to the term ‘HVAC’ that is often used to describe these units.
The ventilation part of the system has three main aspects to it. These are supplying fresh breathable air inside your home or place of business, getting the warm and cool air the system produces to the rooms it needs to go to and to filter the air in your home or place of business. This ability to heat and cool rooms completely, eliminate pet dander and other allergens and regulate CO2 and oxygen levels are why they have become so widely popular across North America.
Their heating function is usually done by using one of three fuel sources to produce heat. These are oil, natural gas and LP gas. They all do a nice job of producing heat and these days modern HVAC systems burn them very efficiently. The fuel is mixed with oxygen in a burner unit and then is distributed into the rooms in your home or place of business by the forced air that constantly circulates through the system.
Most air conditioning systems on HVAC units are usually located outside because of the large amount of air they require to do their job. A large fan draws air into the AC unit and then several processes take place to produce the cold air that is necessary to cool a home or business. Both the air coming into the system and the refrigerant that is under different pressures at various points in the air conditioning unit combine to produce the cool air.
HVAC systems are truly amazing at how well they do their jobs and how energy efficient they are nowadays when doing it.