There are plenty of
San Diego HVAC contractors that are more than willing to offer residents
heat pump services. Whether it be a heat pump installation, repair, or consultation, you won’t have a problem finding a provider to service your needs. The problem will be, finding a provider that holds himself and his employees to higher standards. Heat pumps are unique because they transfer energy rather than generate it. This is just one of the things that makes them more efficient.
However, one major problem is,
heat pumps are only suitable is specific applications. Being that you are located in the beautiful
San Diego area, you live in an area where the winters are fairly mild. Making you more than a suitable candidate for one of these devices. However, before you just run out and blindly invest there are things you need to know about a heat pump.
What Makes Up A Heat Pump System?
Ductwork – When thinking about heating and air systems most people exclude the ductwork. They just simply discount it as being part of the unit. This is a mistake because it is the series of tunnels that delivers the air from the unit to the home.
Control Boards – A heat pump is made up of all kinds of controls. Controls that tell the unit when to turn on, when to shut off, when to defrost, when to drain, and tons of other things. Most of the controls are managed by the main control board.
Indoor Air Handlers – Even if you just have one big unit that sits outside, your system will be broken down into two different sections. This will be the outdoor or condensing section and the indoor or air handler section.
Refrigerant Or Freon – It is the
Freon that is responsible for most of the energy transfer of these units. It utilizes the
heat and transfers it to the outdoors.
Accumulators – Within a
heat pump the refrigerant is constantly changing between gases, liquids, low pressures, and high pressures. This is simply how they operate, but a compressor cannot pump liquid. This is why accumulators are installed. They will trap and capture any liquid that doesn’t get converted to a gas before interacting with the compressor.
Outdoor Units – The outdoor unit is the condensing unit and it’s where the compressor is located.
Refrigeration Lines And Pipes – That Freon has to be able to travel from location to location. This is where the refrigeration lines and pipes come in. They facilitate the transfer of the Freon from component to component.
Compressors – The motor that is solely responsible for distributing the Freon throughout the system. This is virtually the brain of the unit.
Thermostatic Expansion Valves (TXV) – The TXV is the device responsible for facilitating the changing of the Freon. Before it can change from a liquid to a gas or back, it must pass through a TXV. This regulates the changing of the substance.
Reversing Valve – This unit looks like a header or exhaust manifold and dictates the flow of the refrigerant. During the heating cycle, the Freon flows from the evaporator to the condenser. It is reversed in the cooling cycle. It is the reversing valve that reverses the flow of refrigerant.
Condenser Or Evaporator Coils – These are simply heating and cooling coils that the refrigerant passes through during its cycle. Either coil will heat or cool depending on the flow of the refrigerant.
Heat Strips – Heat pumps can’t operate effectively when the temperatures drop below 25 degrees F outside. In these situations, the units use heat strips to compensate.
How A Heat Pump Functions
Now that you know about all the components of a heat pump, you might be curious as to how they work in conjunction to heat or cool an area. It comes down to the flow of refrigerant. When the Freon is flowing from the compress to the condenser to the evaporator and back, the unit will be in the cooling cycle. This will cause the evaporator coil to get cold. A blower shoots air across the coil, blowing the air into the home. There is also some heat transfer in there where the Freon traps the heat from inside the home and transfers it outside via the refrigerant and lines.
The same thing happens in the heating cycle. The only difference is, the refrigerant flows in a different direction and it is now the evaporator that gets hot or warm.
Choosing Your Source For Heat Pump Services
Living in
San Diego affords one a lot of unique benefits. Access to tons of heating and air providers is one of those benefits. However, this doesn’t mean you’ll just want to blindly choose a provider to service your home. Unfortunately, not all of them hold themselves and their employees to higher than normal standards. You want to make sure you choose providers that are willing to go the extra mile for you and your home. Take your time and choose the right provider.
