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When the temperature begins to rise and sweat beads form on your forehead, nothing feels better than sitting in your air-conditioned home. Likewise, nothing causes more frustration at that moment than when your AC begins to blow hot air.
If you’re among the nearly 100 million people who have air conditioning in the United States, you understand the frustration that a malfunctioning HVAC system causes.
If you understand an HVAC system diagram, you can better understand what’s going wrong when your vents begin to blast warm air.
The three main functions of an HVAC system are interrelated, especially when providing acceptable indoor air quality and thermal comfort. Your heating and air conditioning system is often one of the most complicated and extensive systems in your home, but when it stops working you’ll know soon enough! There are nine parts to your HVAC system that you should be familiar with:
Your air return is the part of your system that marks the starting point of the ventilation cycle. This return sucks in air, draws it through a filter, and then passes it into the main system. Pro tip: Make sure to dust your returns frequently as debris and dust can easily build up on your filters.
Your filter is the second part of the air return in which the air is drawn through. Pro tip: Make sure to change your filters regularly to keep your system in tip-top shape.
Another part of your system is the exhaust outlets where the exhaust created by the heating system is expelled. Pro tip: Check your chimney flue or vent stack annually and tune it up if necessary.
Your ducts are the channels in which the heated or cooled air passes through. Pro tip: Get your ducts cleaned every 2 to 5 years in order to keep everything in working condition.
This part of your system can be a bit trickier, but often problems originate here first. Pro tip: If something isn’t working right check for a tripped breaker or dead batteries in your thermostat.
This is likely the part of your system you think of when someone mentions an HVAC system. The outdoor unit houses the fan which provides air flow. Pro tip: Keep your unit clear of debris and vegetation as it can cause serious problems if plants are sucked into your fan.
As a part of the outdoor unit, the compressor is responsible for converting refrigerant from a gas to liquid and sends it to the coils. Pro tip: If something isn’t working quite right, check your compressor. It is often the cause of many system failures.
Usually another part of the outdoor unit, coils cool the air as it passes through with a little help from the refrigerant. Pro tip: Check your coils annually. If they freeze up you may want to check your filter and/or refrigerant levels.
The blower draws in warm air through the main section of the unit. Pro tip: The more efficiently this air moves through, the more durable your system will be.
Reach out to the Airtegrity team today for all your comfort needs!
