Home heat pumps are designed to provide two types of thermal energy, heating and cooling. Your refrigerator and automobile air-conditioning are types of heat pumps. There are three basic parts of a heat pump – the condenser, compressor and evaporator. This type of system is referred to as an air-to-air transfer system or closed-circuit heat pump.
There are other parts of a heat pump, but these three components are the most fundamental and easiest to understand. In heating mode, the refrigerant flows through the system and back to the heat source from indoors where it’s a gas to outdoors where it changes its state and becomes a liquid again after going through a valve. During the liquid phase the outside coils condense the liquid from the warmer ambient air, even though it may seem cold outside. The refrigerant continues to move through the system until it reaches the compressor and another valve where its state is changed from a liquid to a gas. The evaporation system or blower motor of your HVAC distributes the warmed air evenly throughout your home.
In the summer, the systems working in reverse as an air-conditioner, similar to the one in your automobile, to cool your home. When it’s extremely cold for extended periods, heat pumps have a hard time removing warmth from the outside air, and often need an electric system or gas furnace backup.
MR Cool understands residential and commercial heat pumps. Call the friendly staff at Donald P. Dick Air Conditioning to learn more about heat pumps and how a heat pump might help you save on your energy budget.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about heat pumps and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Donald P Dick Air Conditioning services the greater Fresno area in California. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!