Living in a moderate climate like Durham, NC, means that you need heat during the chilly winters and air conditioning during the hot and humid summers. With a heat pump system, you get heating and cooling in one system. Knowing how a heat pump works to heat and cool your home allows you to make an informed decision when it’s time to replace your current system.
Learn How Heating Mode Works
Heat pumps contain a chemical refrigerant. When a heat pump is in heating mode, the liquid refrigerant passes through the outdoor unit’s coils and absorbs heat from the air. The warm refrigerant turns into a high-pressure gas, and it moves through the conduit to the indoor coils. The refrigerant releases the heat. The air handler blows air over the heated coils. The heated air passes through your home’s ducts and into each room.
Discover the Cooling Mode
In cooling mode, the refrigerant is a liquid in the indoor coil. It absorbs heat from your home’s air. The cooled air is then blown through the air handler and into your home’s ducts. The absorption of heat changes the refrigerant into a gas. The pressurized gas flows into the outdoor unit, where it releases the heat. The outdoor unit’s fins aid with heat dissipation. The refrigerant turns back into a liquid, allowing the cycle to repeat.
Understand Ductless Heat Pumps
Ductless heat pumps don’t require air ducts to send the heated or cooled air to your living spaces. Instead, they use a wall-mounted unit with a fan and thermostat. The wall-mounted unit has a conduit connected to the outdoor unit. The conduit contains the chemical refrigerant. As the refrigerant moves across the indoor unit’s coils, it releases heat in the winter or absorbs it in the summer.
For more information about how a heat pump installation could benefit your home, check out Lee Air Conditioning’s heat pump services, or call us today for additional details.
