Helpful HVAC Terms to Know for the Cooling Season

Helpful HVAC Terms to Know for the Cooling SeasonIf you’ve ever felt at a loss when trying to talk to your HVAC technician about air conditioner, join the club. To promote better communication when you call your technician this cooling season, here’s a short glossary of HVAC terms that may come in handy.

Air Conditioner — An air conditioner is any system that cools a building, including a central air conditioner, a heat pump or a ductless system. An air conditioner cools by moving refrigerant, which absorbs heat in the building, then exhausts it outdoors.

Air Handler or Blower — This A/C part moves conditioned air through the home. Generally located indoors, the air handler contains the indoor coil, which is used to cool the home.

Condenser — The outdoor portion of a split-system air conditioner, the condenser typically contains a section that cools down and condenses refrigerant into a liquid; the compressor, which increases the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant; and a fan to blow outdoor air through the heat exchanging section to cool the refrigerant.

Evaporator Coil — Located indoors either with the furnace or as part of the air handler, the evaporator coil is where the refrigerant evaporates while absorbing heat from the indoor supply air that passes over it

HVAC — An acronym that stands for heating, ventilation and air conditioning, HVAC refers to the entire system that cools or heats the house.

Refrigerant — A fluid that absorbs heat in the home, refrigerant is pumped through tubing to the outdoors, where the heat is exhausted as the refrigerant turns into a gas and is pumped back into the home.

Return Duct — This is the opposite of the supply side of the ducts, and is where air is drawn into the system for conditioning.

SEER — This acronym, which stands for “seasonal energy efficiency ratio,” is an air conditioner efficiency measure.

Supply Duct — The supply side of the ductwork system is that by which the conditioned air is distributed.

To learn other helpful HVAC terms, contact Hansberger Refrigeration and Electric Company. We’ve served Yuma since 1952.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Yuma, Arizona about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about HVAC terms and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 928-723-3183.

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