A

Air Cleaning - Indoor Air Quality is one of the main motivations for people choosing to improve their HVAC system. There are a few ways to greatly cut down on the number of allergens, odors, and bacteria in your home. We strongly recommend RotoBrush Duct Cleaning, HEPA Filtration, Ultraviolet Light, and changing your filters!

Air Handling Unit (AHU) – AHU refers to the equipment that includes a blower or fan, heating and/or cooling coils, and related equipment such as controls, condensate drain pans, and air filters. Does not include ductwork, registers or grilles, or boilers and chillers.

AFUE – Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency – This percentage represents the furnaces heating efficiency. The higher the percentage, the more efficient the furnace. Over time, your furnace becomes less and less efficient. Maintaining your furnace annually can increase the efficiency and life of your furnace.

B

Boiler - heating system that forces hot water through radiators and uses zoning systems to heat sections of your home.

Blower Motor - the fan that propels the hot and cold air throughout the ductwork in your home.

BTU – British Thermal Unit – This is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. When a technician sizes up your house for a furnace/air conditioner install, that would control the amount of Btus that your furnace would need to put out.

Burner - device where combustion of air and gas takes place.

C

CFM - Cubix Feet per Minute - used to measure airflow.

Compressor - A reciprocating or rotary pump for raising the pressure of air or another gas; Reciprocating Compressor: a machine that compresses gases, composed of one or several cylinders; Rotary Compressor: a machine having a rotating member that directly compresses fluid in an enclosed housing; the fluid pressure rises as the volume of the closed space decreases.

Condensate - liquid formed when a gas is cooled.

Condenser - (Air conditioner, outdoor condensing unit) - the heat exchanger system that condenses and liquifies the refrigerant.

Day and Night 16 SEER Condensing Unit

D

Dehumidifier - device that removes humidity and cools the air.

Duct Cleaning - a service performed that cleans dust, sawdust, debris, and mold out of your ductwork throughout your home. Using RotoVision Video Inspection, we can show you what your ducts look like to help you decide what to do. There is no time table or recommended number of times to get your ducts cleaned, basically have them cleaned as needed.

Ductwork - the sheet metal that is in your walls and ceiling moving the warm or cool air throughout your home.

E

Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) - (used for room air conditioners, see SEER for central air conditioners)Cooling capacity in BTU/hr divided by electrical energy consumed in watts.

Evaporator Coil - The evaporator coil works with the air conditioner by cooling and dehumidifying the air by converting liquid refrigerant into a gas, which absorbs the heat from the air. The warmed refrigerant is then carried through a tube to the outdoor unit (condenser coil). The cooler air is forced back through the ductwork in your home.

F

Female thread - internal threads on fittings.

Flexible Duct - or Flex - ductwork that is easily bendible and able to maneuver.

Focus on Energy- the residential cash back rewards for high efficiency HVAC installations, check for rebates!

Freon – a general term for a group of simple hydrocarbons, used as refrigerants, ej. R-410A and discontinued R-22.

Furnace - The main heating device in your HVAC system. Uses combustion, blower motor, and heat exchanger to create heat and move air in the ductwork throughout your home.

G

Gasket - Foam Gasket - rubber or foam strips that seal joints.

Gas Valve – A device for starting, stopping, or regulating flow of gas.

H

Heat Anticipator - Basically, a device that helps to not overheat a room, technically, a wire-wound variable resistor that is placed near the bimetal element of a thermostat to provide extra sources of heat to help prevent the thermostat from allowing the system to overheat the room.

Heat Exchanger - the coil in your furnace that the air is forced through and heated and then moved through your home.

HEPA Filtration – high efficiency particulate air – high efficiency filter which removes 99.97% of all microns which one would normally breathe into lungs. Removes tobacco smoke, dust, allergens, dust mite feces, and other pollutants that can cause one to get sick.

High-Efficient Furnace - to be qualified as a high efficient furnace, the AFUE needs to be 95% or higher. Example (pictured below): Day and Night VS 95 95% Efficient Furnace (with variable speed blower and two-stage gas valve).

HSPF - Heating Seasonal Performance Factor - measures the efficiency of heating portion of your heat pump. HSPF is the estimated seasonal output of BTUs divided by the amount of energy in Watt-Hours. New heat pumps manufactured after 2005 are required to have an HSPF of at least 7.7. The most efficient heat pumps have an HSPF of 10.

HVAC – HVAC stands for Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning.

I

Ignition Module - when your thermostat calls for heat, your ignition module receives a signal which sends electricity to your igntion system.

(Ignition) Transformer - provides high voltage spark gap to ignite fuel in a heating system.

Inhibitor - chemical that prevents corrosion.

Ion Deodorizing Filter - (in mini split systems) deodorizes by decomposing absorbed odors using the oxidizing and reducing effects of ions generated by fine ceramic particles.

J

Joint - connecting point between two pipes.

Joule - measurement of heat.

K

Kilovolt Ampere (kVA) - Unit of electrical flow equal to volts multiplied by amperes and divided by one thousand.

L

Leak Detector - device used to detect leaks in gas piping or refrgirant piping.

Load - Required rate of heat removal.

M

Mini Split System - ductless heating, cooling, and Indoor Air quality option, indoor and outdoor unit, mounted near ceiling for best efficiency and quiet non-intrusive use.

Motor - device used to convert electrical energy to mechanical energy.

N

Nipple - Pipe coupling threaded on both ends.

O

Orifices - holes used for igniting (when talking about burners) or holes in valves.

Outdoor Coil/Condensing Unit - Part of heat pump or air conditioner located outside and collects heat from outside and dispells heat to outside.

P

Programmable Thermostat - a thermostat that allows you to set times for your furnace to heat or air conditioner to cool. Also can allow you to set a schedule, such as a weekday program and a weekend program.

PSI - Pounds per Square Inch - pressure measurement

PVC - Polyvinyl chloride, plastic piping used for intake and exhaust air.

Q

R

Radiant Floor Heating - Heating process performed by putting copper tubing in a concrete floor and pumping hot water through the copper tubing.

Refrigerant - a chemical that turns a vapor to a liquid, therefore lowering a temperature. ej. R-22 Freon or R-410A

Relative Humidity- The amount of moisture in the air compared with the amount of moisture the air can hold.

Relay - An electromechanical device containing a coil and a set of contacts, contacts close when energized.

RotoBrush Duct Cleaning - Whole-House Duct Cleaning that uses their patented brush-and-vacuum method. Our process begins with the Rotovision Video Inspection to let the homeowner know what condition the inside of their ducts are in. We then remove the grilles and registers and vacuum and clean those. We then use the portable RotoBrush Pod and hoses to clean the inside of the customers' ducts. After cleaning all of the supply ducts and the return ducts, we use an anti-microbial fogger to stop mold growth. We then replace grilles and registers and clean home up to customer satisfaction.

R-22 – common, old refrigerant for heat pumps and air conditioners, a greenhouse gas, these hydrochlorofluorocarbons depletes the ozone, it is being phased out by January 1, 2010 and R-410A will be used instead.

R-410A – newer, safer refrigerant used in heat pumps and air conditioners, does not deplete ozone if it leaks out of system.

S

Secondary Air - Air that is mixed with a fuel while it is burning.

SEER – Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating – This is a measurement of the efficiency of cooling products. The higher the SEER, the more efficient the cooling product.

Solenoid Valve - controls the flow of gases or liquids by using a plunger that is fully closed or fully open.

T

Thermostat - Sensor that allows you to control your HVAC system (furnace, air conditioner, humidifier)

Two-Stage Gas Valve - Gas valve in 95% Goodman high efficiency furnaces. Has low-fire and high-fire ability, depending on how much temperature needs to change, saving you money on fuel costs.

Ton - One ton is 12,000 BTUs per hour.

Transformer - An electrical device by which alternating current of one voltage is changed to another voltage.

Transistor - device that acts as a valve and a relay for electronic flow.

(Furnace/Air Conditioner) Tune Up - it is recommended to get your furnace and air conditioner cleaned and tuned annually to ensure peak efficiency and longevity. For the furnace this includes cleaning the blower motor, checking heat exchanger for cracks, and checking all connections (see 16 Point Furnace Tune-Up). The A/C Tune Up includes checking refrigerant levels, checking all connections, and cleaning the coil with our "Green" cleaning solution (A/C Tune Up).

TX Valve - Device that controls the flow of refrigerants into the evaporator.

U

Upflow - term used to describe the flow of the air in your furnace, pulls air through the filter in bottom of furnace then upward through the heat exchanger.

V

Variable Speed Blower Motor - Allows more control of the airflow in your home. Has a constant setting which means your fan can circulate the air on low speed for better air quality. Lower speed saves money on energy bills.

Voltage - known as the pressure which causes current to flow.

W

Watt - unit of power.

Watt-Hour - Unit of energy (electrical energy) equal to the work done by 1 watt for 1 hour, equals 3,600 joules.

X

Y

Z

Zone - term usually used with boiler systems. Separates your home into heating sections for better efficiency.

Zone Valve - Valves that control the heating in each separate zone in your home.

Hope this increases your knowledge of the HVAC terms and how the system in your home works.

If there are other questions you have, visit the FAQ Page or call us.

715-386-7131