If you're new to the task of buying a home, you'll want to acquire at least a superficial knowledge of residential heating and cooling systems. We'll start with heating, then move to air conditioning to help prepare you for choosing a new HVAC system.
Residential Heating Systems
In cold winter climates like we have here in Indiana, the gas furnace is the most popular type of heating system. After that come the oil, propane or electric furnace, electric baseboard heater, heat pump, boiler and radiant heating.
In a natural gas system, household air is drawn through ductwork into the furnace's combustion chamber where natural gas fed by burners is ignited by an electronic ignition system, or a pilot light in older models. The heated air contained in a metal heat exchanger is transferred from the metal to the air, then blown through supply ductwork to every room in the house, coming out of registers and vents. Air then returns to the furnace via return ducts. A thermostat controls how often the furnace kicks on in order to satisfy the set temperature.
Residential Cooling Systems
There are fewer alternatives available for cooling than heating. You basically have the air conditioner or the heat pump, with evaporative coolers sometimes used in drier, warmer climates.
For the purpose of cooling, a heat pump operates the same way as an air conditioner. Both use the principle of refrigeration to remove heat energy from the home and expel it outside. Refrigerant is a chemical solution that boils at very low temperatures. Under pressure, it converts from a gas to a liquid, and when that pressure is released, it converts back to a gas. When the latter occurs in the inside unit of a central air conditioner, heat energy and moisture are removed from household air, creating cool air.
While HVAC technology is a lot more complicated than this, you now have the basics. For more information to help you in choosing a new HVAC system, please contact us at Hartman Brothers Heating & Air Conditioning.
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 HVAC systems and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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