Hvac For Dummies

In most cases, we do not bother to understand how our air conditioner unit works. Most of us are too busy with our daily chores to take out some time and sit down to understand the parts and working of our HVAC. But believe it or not, it is useful. It not only helps you to troubleshoot in case your AC stops working, but also to demonstrate to your air conditioning repairman that you understand the language of cooling and heating. They will, as a result, be very careful in making repairs and replacement and also not try to play any prank on you.

An HVAC performs the following:

• Heating: In winter seasons it makes you rooms warm by adding thermal energy to indoor air and increasing its temperature.

• Cooling: It cools your rooms by removing the heat present in the indoor air.

• Humidifying: Sometimes the indoor air feels damp as there is no moisture in it. An AC has humidifier that makes the air comfortably moist by adding water vapor or steam.

• Dehumidifying: In summers you face an acute problem of humidity. This increases sweating even more. In such seasons the AC removes moisture from the air to give you a comfortable dry feeling.

• Cleaning: The AC also has a filter that is designed to remove dust, pollen, smoke and contaminants from air inside the space.

• Ventilating: Ventilation is an important function of an HVAC. It makes the indoor air fresh by adding air from outside.

The best way to understand the parts and functioning of HVAC is to compare it with the human body:

Compressor: The compressor of an AC can be rightfully compared to the heart in a human body. Just like the human heart pumps blood throughout the body, the compressor pumps refrigerant in the entire cooling and heating system. The compressor looks like an inverted bucket and plays a central part in the functioning of a cooling unit. If it stops functioning then the situation will just be like a heart stroke which requires immediate surgery. You will either need to repair or replace the compressor.

Refrigerant: If you compare the compressor with a human heart, then the refrigerant or Freon should be likened to blood. The refrigerant changes state quite a number of times as it moves through the unit to provide cooing. It enters the evaporator as a cool liquid to absorb heat of the indoor air that is passed over the evaporator coils. During the process of absorption, the refrigerant becomes heated and turns into vapor. It thereafter goes into the compressor where it is further compressed to high pressure gas. It then enters the condenser, where it cooled to release the heat, which is vented out through an exhaust. The refrigerant is now a cool and low pressure liquid. It is ready to go into the evaporator for another cooling cycle.

Copper tubes: There are numerous copper lines that are coming out of the compressor. These can compared to human veins. Their job is to feed the refrigerant into and back out of the compressor. If there is a refrigerant leak, you need to seal the leakage in the tube. However it depends on the region. If it is in an inaccessible area then it is difficult to repair just like human veins.

Filter Dryer: It can be compared with human kidney. The function of a kidney is filtering unwanted particles from the blood. The filter dryer in an air conditioning system removes aerial contaminants from the air that is resent to rooms for cooling. They ensure that you breathe clean air. Beside filter there is a light in the air duct. This is UV light that is fitted to kill bacteria microbial beings present in the air.

Condenser: It operates like our sweat glands. Human body needs to cool down after workout or after a stressful day. The body cools down by releasing sweat through the sweat glands. The condenser cools the vaporized and high pressure refrigerant that has become heated due to absorption of heat present in the room air. It was further compressed by the compressor. The condenser is looped in a coil pattern to increase surface area allowing maximum ability to cool down. However, you should not see sweat in your condenser. If you see it, call a technician immediately.

Thermostat: The thermostat is just like the brain that senses outside temperature and directs the machine to heat and cool accordingly. The human brain direct various acts of the body according to the ambiance and circumstances. The central board of the AC can therefore be compared with the central nervous system.

Blower Motor are the Legs - The blower motors can be compared to the human limbs that is related to movement of the body. In an AC unit, these motors run the fan that propels air to the cooling unit an also blows it from the unit to the ducts for getting it conducted to the rooms.

Evaporator Coil: The evaporator coil can be aptly compared to human lungs. The hot air from the room is taken in through the return ducts. There are blowers in the duct that propel the air to the evaporator coil. The evaporator coil has cool refrigerant that absorbs the heat from the air and makes it cool. It is the cool air that is resent to make rooms cool. It is like human lungs that absorbs oxygen.

Similarly, the drain lines function just like the urinary tract in the human body. An AC produces gallons of water during the condensation process. The water moves d through the drain lines into a sink. These drains can also expel the water out of the home. If the drains are clogged due to algae, it needs to be cleared immediately.

The system of return air and supply air can be compared to the process of inhaling oxygen from the surrounding and exhaling carbon dioxide back to the environment. The return air is hot air from the room that is taken in by the HVAC through return duct and the supply air is the cooled air that is resent back to the rooms through supply duct.

Besides these the HVAC Has a furnace that is used to heat air in winters. Some HVACs work on heat pump principle where the same device does the heating and cooling just by reversing the cycles. The humidifier that adds moisture to the room air is located either in return air duct on in supply air duct. There are dampers in the duct way that regulate airflow depending on the need for heating and cooling in the various area of the house.

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