A heat pump is a system that is able to both heat or cool your home, by extracting heat energy from one place and transferring it to another.
There are many components to a heat pump system but we’ll go over a quick summary of how it works.
Cooling Mode
In cooling mode, a heat pump can lower the temperature and humidity levels inside your home, very similar to an air conditioner.
It does this by pulling in the warm air from inside your home through a motorized fan and then circulating liquid refrigerant between the indoor evaporator and outdoor condensing units through a compressor. The warm air travels to the air handler while refrigerant is pumped from the exterior condenser coil to the interior evaporator coil. The refrigerant absorbs the heat as it passes through the unit’s cooling coils.
The cooled air is then pushed through the connecting indoor ducts to air vents throughout your home, lowering the temperature. The refrigeration cycle continues until your home reaches your desired temperature.
Heating Mode
Heating mode is essentially the reverse of cooling mode. Because of the reversing valve, the outside air now becomes the heat source, as the pump changes the refrigerant’s direction of flow.
What was the exterior condenser coil in cooling mode now has the function of the evaporator, and what was the interior evaporator coil now has the function of the condenser. The heat energy is absorbed from the outside air by the condenser coil and released inside by the evaporator coil.
Then the motorized fan pulls the air from inside your home and pumps the refrigerant from the interior coil to the exterior coil, where it absorbs the heat from the air. The heated air is then pushed through your air vents to warm your home. And the cycle continues!
Say That Again?
In the simplest of terms – when in heating mode, a heat pump works by absorbing heat from the outside air and transferring it to your indoor air. When in cooling mode, it will absorb heat from the air inside your home and release it to the outdoor air. Simple as that!
It’s crucial to ensure your heat pump is properly maintained and runs efficiently throughout the whole year. Whether you’re interested in a new heat pump system or need a heat pump repair, Taylor Heating & A/C is ready to help educate on the different heat pump systems and efficiencies we have to offer. Get in touch with us today!
If you’re simply interested in learning more about heat pumps. Check out our Heat Pump Channel on YouTube.
