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The 6 Most Critical Components of your HVAC System

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Knowing the ins and outs of your heating and cooling equipment can help you prevent expensive breakdowns and unwanted repairs while keeping your equipment performing at an optimal level. 

Fixing a mechanical issue is not easy, especially when you don’t know how the equipment works. When it comes to HVAC system maintenance, however, it’s important to understand the role each piece of equipment plays. Air conditioning (AC) and heating systems are engineered with several moving parts, and this blog will show you the purpose each one serves.

The Most Important Parts of Your Heating & Cooling System

If you take the time to really examine your heating and cooling system, you’ll notice six particular components: 

  • Heat Exchangers 
  • Blower Motors
  • Combustion Chambers 
  • Condenser Systems
  • Evaporator Coils
  • Thermostat

These mechanical parts are more than just pieces of equipment; they are essential to greater indoor comfort, safer air quality, more cost savings, and long-term peace of mind. Here’s what you need to know about each element: 

Heat Exchangers

The heat exchanger houses the furnace. It not only absorbs heat from the outside, but it also masks cold indoor environments with warm temperatures. Every furnace is equipped with a heat exchanger, and it must be protected with layers of stainless steel and temperature-resistant alloys. Damage to your heat exchanger can lead to carbon monoxide leaks, which can be poisonous and even fatal. Make sure to have this piece of equipment professionally inspected at least once a year.

Blower Motors 

Once the heat exchanger presents the right temperature, the blower motor activates. Blower motors move warm air through the duct system before it enters the air handling vents. This sets up warm air to be appropriately distributed throughout each room. Blower motors do not produce any mechanical sounds, despite running at high speeds. They do, however, help keep humidity at an appropriate level. 

Combustion Chambers

The combustion chamber is the most important part of your furnace. Its purpose is to trap an appropriate amount of heat in the furnace. Combustion chambers work like a science experiment in which a mixture of air and other gases are combined, resulting in the beginning of the heating cycle. This component also captures carbon monoxide and compresses it into a safe, natural gas, allowing you to get every bit of energy from each fuel source. 

Condensing System (Compressor)

HVAC condenser coils can be found in all air conditioning and heat pump systems. Their purpose is to cool the building by releasing heat into the outdoor air. This occurs when a refrigerant is compressed into a cool gas that is released in the fan blower. Inspect your condenser on a regular basis and make sure it is free of any leaves, grass clippings, dirt, or other debris. Additionally, you’ll want to protect it by letting the unit rest in the shade. This helps mitigate the risk of overheating.

Evaporator Coils

Evaporator coils are essential elements in any air conditioning system or heat pump. Commonly referred to as the evaporator core, these coils help absorb heat the refrigerant generates. They are often located inside the air handler right below the blower fan. And while this mechanical part helps your AC system lower the building temperature, it also helps bring heat indoors when the temperature starts to drop. Be sure to perform maintenance on your evaporator core at least twice a year to prevent condensation. Otherwise, it may start to breed mold and cause significant damage to the rest of your HVAC system.

Thermostat

Thermostats are usually centrally located in your home or office building. These temperature sensors are connected directly to your HVAC system through a special set of wires. Some heating and cooling systems are equipped with multiple thermostats for different zones of the building. For maximum energy efficiency, it would be in your best interest to invest in a programmable thermostat. With this solution, building owners and facility managers can easily control different temperatures and humidity levels straight from their computers, smartphones, or tablets. 

Get the Most out of Your HVAC Equipment

The experts at Service Unlimited are there to help keep your HVAC system performing at its best. Our team of problem solvers delivers peace-of-mind solutions to help save you money and conserve energy. We’ll help you install, repair, and maintain any heating and air conditioning system, no matter what type of unit you have. 

Book your appointment today so you can start taking advantage of any of our [best-in-class solutions]!

Your HVAC System’s Most Critical Components

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Your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system is made up of many different parts. You may have heard of some of them, while others may be a mystery to you. Understanding how the most important HVAC components work will help you identify when your HVAC system has a problem. Below are the most critical components of your system and how they operate within it.

Visible Components

These are the HVAC parts you may be most familiar with. They are built into the building and connected to the HVAC system, and they are at least somewhat visible. These components carry the heated or cooled air between the system and the building’s rooms and hallways.

Thermostat

The thermostat is usually your system’s most visible component, and it is wired directly to your HVAC system. It has temperature sensors that turn on the heater or air conditioner based on the conditions in the building, room, or zone it heats or cools. You can install a programmable thermostat that allows you to set its temperatures in advance or control it manually. 

Additionally, you can use your thermostat to make your system more energy efficient. When you leave the building, lower the temperature only a few degrees in winter and raise it a couple of degrees in summer. This will reduce the amount of energy your HVAC system consumes when no one is using it. You can use remote thermostat controls to adjust the temperature back to its normal settings before you return.

Ductwork

Your building’s ductwork is the system of ducts that connect back to your HVAC unit or system. It carries the warm or cool air from the system out to the rest of the building. Ducts are often made of steel, but they can also be made from other materials, including fabric, fiberglass, polyurethane, and aluminum.

Registers, Grilles, & Diffusers

Registers, grilles, and diffusers are where the ductwork system meets a room or hallway. They can be round, square, or rectangular and are covered with angled slats that can be closed manually or controlled to change the airflow to a particular room. Registers, grilles, and diffusers can be made of temperature-safe metal, wood, or plastic.

Hidden Components

These are the HVAC system components you often cannot see, but that are critical for heating and cooling air within the system. Without these parts, the ducts and vents have nothing to carry to the rest of the building.

Condenser Coil and Compressor

The condenser coil and compressor are the parts of your air conditioner or heat pump that move and condense refrigerant to cool the building and release heat outside. A fan blows over the coil while the compressor pumps the refrigerant to release the captured heat more quickly. After the refrigerant is cooled and condensed, it travels through the refrigerant lines. These components are typically part of your HVAC system’s condensing unit, which is usually outside the building. 

You can maintain your condensing unit by annually clearing debris away from it and cleaning it off with a hose, or more often if necessary.

Refrigerant Lines

Refrigerant lines are copper tubes that carry refrigerant between the condensing unit and the evaporator coil. They carry superheated refrigerant vapor to the condensing unit where it is subcooled and delivered in liquid form to the evaporator. The liquid refrigerant is forced through a metering device installed between the refrigerant lines and the evaporator coil. This metering device lowers the pressure and subsequently the temperature of the refrigerant allowing it to flow into the coil for the absorption of heat.

Evaporator Coil

The evaporator coil is within your HVAC system’s indoor air handler. It receives liquid refrigerant from the condenser, and it uses warm air in the space to turn the refrigerant back into a gas. This process restarts the cooling cycle, so the refrigerant lines can carry the gas back to the condenser to be cooled and liquefied again.

Monitor your evaporator coil for mold growth and dust and dirt buildup, as well as ice caused by low pressures/temperatures. This could be an indicator of various system issues. If your HVAC system is not properly maintained, these problems can lead to breakdowns and expensive repairs.

Heat Exchanger

This component is present with fossil fuel burning heaters. The unit will burn the fuel and reject the products of combustion through the heat exchanger. This is basically an exhaust pipe reshaped to fit within the heaters casing. The cool air from the space is blown across it and it is heated by contacting the hot metal tubing. This tubing is consistently stressed with the acidic exhaust gases inside and the rapid heating and cooling of the metal.

Make sure your heat exchanger is properly inspected annually. If it isn’t, it could develop carbon monoxide leaks, which can cause headaches and nausea, and even lead to death. Installing carbon monoxide detectors around your office is recommended since carbon monoxide can’t be seen or smelled.

Combustion Chamber

The combustion chamber is the part of the furnace that combines oxygen with fuel. The fuel type depends on what kind of furnace or heating system you have. If you have a gas furnace, for instance, the fuel will be gas. Then either a pilot light, glow plug, or sparker ignites the fuel and oxygen mixture to create a controlled fire that is drawn through the heat exchanger.

A pilot light is a small flame that constantly burns fuel at the combustion chamber to light the main flame on a call for heat. It is found mostly in older heating systems. If it goes out, you may smell gas and a competent person must relight it. Glow plugs and sparkers, however, are electric ignition systems that light automatically. They are found in newer systems.

If you have an older heating system that contains a pilot leak, monitor it carefully. If the pilot light goes out, it will likely release gas into your building, which will cause major safety risks. 

Maintain Your HVAC Components With Us

At Service Unlimited, we provide preventive HVAC maintenance that will keep your system’s components in good working order. If you have any questions about our maintenance services, contact us today. We want to make sure your system produces conditioned air safely and efficiently.