Understanding the Various Parts of a Home HVAC System

The eight main components of the home HVAC system need to work correctly.  An understanding of their function is useful, should a problem occur. 

1. The furnace is the largest part of the system, and is generally installed in a separate area in the attic or basement. Its function is to push air, either hot or cool, through vents, to maintain or modify the temperature, throughout the home.
2. The heat exchanger is housed within the furnace unit.  It heats the air that is drawn from either outside or from within the house.  It then blows the heated air  back into the rooms, until the correct temperature is reached.
3. The Evaporator coils carry out exactly opposite job to the heat exchanger.  They are attached to the outside of the furnace and react when the thermostat demands cool air.  This is picked up by the furnace fan and blown throughout the home.
4. The condensing unit resides outside the house and is a refrigerator unit, which works by compressing a special gas into liquid and spraying it out of nozzles which allows it to soak up heat from the air.  The cooled air is then blown through the rooms of the house.
5. Refrigerant lines are pipes made from aluminum or copper, and are designed to work under extreme temperatures.  They carry the refrigerant to and from the evaporator coils and return it to the condenser unit.
6. The thermostat is the interface between the home, and the furnace. It ensures that the furnace delivers the desired air temperature into the home.
7. Heating ducts are an integral part of the house design and carry the conditioned air throughout the home before distribution.
8.  Vents are the final part of the system.  They deliver the conditioned air into the room, either warm or cool, depending on what the home owner requires.

Stack Heating & Cooling are proud to serve the Greater Cleveland area of Ohio and our specialist engineers are waiting for you to contact us for friendly, professional advice on all elements of your home HVAC system.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Cleveland, Ohio 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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