HVAC INSTALLATIONS by Delta Mechanical - benefits and service description. Elements of an HVAC system - information and description.

A study conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found that indoor air could actually be more polluted than outdoor air. Considering that most individuals spend up to 90 percent of each day indoors--more than half of that time at home--you may be experiencing indoor air pollution without even knowing it. Today, homes are sealed more tightly to conserve energy. Unfortunately, this seals in mold, pollen, bacteria and other pollutants. And since the U.S. EPA ranks indoor air pollution among the top five environmental risks to public health, many homeowners are concerned.

Fortunately, there's a solution to most indoor air quality problems. There is an array of choices designed to ventilate stale indoor air, zap airborne germs, trap airborne particles and moisturize parched air.

A traditional home comfort system has two parts: an outdoor unit, such as an air conditioner or heat pump, and an indoor unit, such as a furnace or air handler. The evaporator coil is a series of piping connected to a furnace or air handler that blows indoor air across it, causing the coil to absorb heat from the air. The cooled air is then delivered to the house through ducting. The refrigerant then flows back to the compressor where the cycle starts over again.

Most home comfort systems have two parts: an outdoor air conditioner or heat pump, and an indoor unit, a furnace. Furnaces heat and circulate warm air in the winter. They also take cool air from the outdoor unit and circulate it through your home in summer. The indoor and outdoor units are designed to work together. When the furnace is properly matched with a heat pump or air conditioner, you enjoy maximum efficiency and extended system life. Furnace heating ability is measured with an Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) percentage. A higher AFUE percentage indicates a more efficient furnace.

The basic components of a furnace system are:

• A Burner, where gas (natural or propane) or oil is delivered and burned
• A Heat Exchanger, where the heat from the burning gas is transferred to the air distribution system
• Ductwork to transfer the heated air throughout the home
• A Flue or Vent Pipe, to exhaust byproducts of combustion (such as water vapor and carbon

A traditional home comfort system has two parts: an outdoor unit, such as an air conditioner or heat pump, and an indoor unit. The air handler is the indoor unit that circulates cool air through your home in the summer and warm air in the winter. The indoor and outdoor units are designed to work together. Air handlers supply conditioned air evenly throughout your home, when used in place of a furnace, with either an air conditioning or heat pump system.

A traditional home comfort system has two parts: an indoor unit, such as a furnace or air handler, and an outdoor unit. An air conditioner is the outdoor unit that cools air and sends it to the indoor unit for circulation through your home. Indoor and outdoor units are designed to work together. When the air conditioner is properly matched with a furnace or air handler, you get maximum efficiency and longer system life. Air conditioning and cooling efficiency is measured using a Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER). A higher SEER means higher energy efficiency. The latest standard for SEER is 13 (beginning January 2006).

Here's what makes it cool
A "split system" central air conditioner includes a compressor, fan, condenser coil, evaporator coil and refrigerant. The system removes heat from indoor air and transfers it outside, leaving the cooled indoor air to be re-circulated. A central air conditioning system uses electricity as its power source

The basic components of an air conditioning system are:

• A Condensing Unit (the outdoor section)
• A matching indoor air handler or furnace with coil
• Ductwork to transfer the cooled air throughout the home

A split system heat pump keeps homes comfortable all year long. In summer, it draws heat out of your home to cool it. In the winter, it draws heat from outside air into your home to warm it. Many heat pumps have a booster electrical-resistance heater that automatically heats outside air even more. Outside air always has heat in it -- even at very low outdoor temperatures. Like a central air conditioner, a heat pump includes a compressor, fan, outdoor coil, indoor coil, and a refrigerant. The efficiency of heat pumps is rated using SEER (for cooling efficiency) and HSPF (for heating efficiency). A heat pump uses electricity as its power source.

The basic components of a heat pump are:

• An outdoor Heat Pump section
• A matching indoor Air Handler or Gas (natural or propane) or Oil Furnace with coil
• Ductwork to transfer the heated or cooled air throughout the home.

• The compressor compresses cool Freon gas, causing it to become hot, high-pressure Freon Gas (red, in the diagram above).
• The hot gas runs through a set of condensing coils where it dissipates heat and then condenses into a liquid.
• This liquid then runs through an expansion valve and evaporates, becoming cold, low-pressure Freon gas (light blue, in the diagram above).
• The cold gas runs through the coils, allowing the gas to absorb heat and cool down the air inside.