Whether it's winter or summer, you'd be lost without your HVAC system. But how does it work, exactly? How is it able to get your home to just the right temperature? That's the job of the HVAC control system. Let's take a closer look at what it is and what it does.
How Your HVAC Control System Works
The control system starts with the sensors in your thermostat. It measures the temperature in the room around it, comparing it to the target temperature you've set. Say it's 55 degrees. Your ideal comfort level is 78. The thermostat sends a signal to your furnace to activate the blower, providing you with more heat. It continues checking the temperature over time, and when the room finally reaches 78 degrees, sends another signal, to stop the blower.
This is called a closed loop system: the controller continues to receive input and adjust accordingly. An open loop system has only one signal: turn on when instructed. Many ovens work this way. They send a signal to turn on the heating element to a certain temperature, but once it's on, don't monitor to ensure it's been reached and not exceeded.
Other HVAC Controls
Some thermostats can measure other factors as well, such as humidity, pressure, and even the time the system turns on and off. You input, for instance, the hours during which you're at work and a lower, energy-saving temperature to keep the house at while no one's home. The sensors check the current time, comparing it with the time you've entered, to see if it should adhere to your comfort temperature or your energy-saving temperature, based on the inputs.
The signals can be given two ways: either analog or digital. An analog thermostat uses an electrical current, relayed to the system's various components, whereas a digital device uses dry contacts. This is called direct digital control, and it allows you to command the central system from a single device.
To learn more about your HVAC control system, contact us at Hartman Brothers. We're Northeast Indiana's trusted source for quality heating and cooling solutions.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in New Haven, Indiana and surrounding Fort Wayne area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 260-376-2961.