Res Heating - Heat Pumps: Air-source

Heat Pumps: Air-source

Heat pumps are unique and useful devices. They expend a small amount of energy to transfer heat from one place to another. All heat pumps operate on a principle called heat transfer- this means that they pull heat out of the air or ground and use it to heat the air that flows into the home. There are three main types of heat pumps but in this section, we will discuss air-source pumps. To read about the other two types, see heat pumps, ground-source and heat pumps, absorption.

The air-source heat pump is the most common type. These are usually set up a lot like split system air conditioning in that one unit is outside and the other is inside. The outside end houses a fan and a compressor. As the fan blows, air from outside is brought in, where it blows over cold coils. The refrigerant in the coils converts the air to vapor, which is taken in by the compressor. This heats the refrigerant on the other end.

The inside end houses the hot coils and as air from the house blows over the hot coils, it heats up, rises, and is drawn into a duct by a fan. The warm air is then transported to all parts of the home through the duct system in the walls and ceilings.

Alternatively, the refrigerant can be reversed so that the hot end is on the outside and the cold on the inside. Thus, the heat pump can actually serve as an air conditioner. This is very economical because it eliminates the need for both an air conditioning unit and a heater.

Breakdowns with these heat pumps generally occur with the compressor or the fan, which are housed in the outside unit. Rainforest Plumbing & Air technicians are trained to work with all kinds of heat pumps. Give us a call today at (480) 615-7766 to schedule service!

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