A Quick Heating Service Glossary
Imagine you’re going through a typical day and you encounter a heating problem. You’re no stranger to heater issues, so you call your trusted professional to give you some advice on what to do. Is it just a simple fix, or do you need to invest in replacing your heating in Mascot, TN? As you ask them, you hear a confusing jumble of words:
“Your heat exchanger is cracked and the blower motor isn’t receiving enough power.” What the heck does any of this mean?
Well, first of all, it’s perfectly normal not to immediately recognize these terms. Unless you’re extremely familiar with HVAC technology, there’s no good reason why you should know what a heat exchanger is, or know what the “AFUE” of your furnace might be. However, knowledge is power, and we’re going to give you the tools to make a great decision when confronted with heating issues and terms that might seem complicated.
Heating Terms to Be Familiar With
Let’s start with the reason you’re here: to be more familiar with certain important heating system terms. We’re going to list out some terms that you might want to know if you’re the owner of a furnace, heat pump, or another type of heating system. Then, if you still have questions about this glossary, feel free to call our team for more answers or support.
- Heat Exchanger: The heat exchanger is perhaps one of the most important components of your gas furnace system. It’s responsible for exchanging heat from the toxic, unbreathable air that’s created when gas is burned, to the safe and clean air of your home. When this component cracks, you could see carbon monoxide and flammable gas leak into your house and endanger your family. Make sure this component is always in good shape.
- AFUE Rating: This acronym stands for “annual fuel utilization efficiency” rating, and it’s a measurement to tell how efficient your furnace is. The closer this number is to 100, the more fuel-efficient your gas furnace is. Heat pumps don’t use this rating, and their energy efficiency is based on an HSPF rating.
- Blower Fan: The air needs to get from your heating system into your house effectively. The blower fan is what directs heated air through your air ducts and into the rooms of your house!
- Blower Motor: Your blower fan needs a motor to power it, right? This component does just that.
- Air Handler: Air handlers are what we call individual ductless heat pumps that provide comfort in the rooms of your house.
- Electric Coils: If you have an electric furnace, this system creates heat by heating up a coil through electric resistance. This is the type of coil that you might hear about with this kind of heating system.
- Refrigerant Coils: Refrigerant coils are still coils in a heat pump system, but they have lines of refrigerant running through them and function very differently than electric coils. These components are responsible for evaporating and condensing refrigerant.
