Your HVAC System is a Well-Oiled Machine — Learn How the Parts Support Each Other

The components of your forced-air HVAC system must work together to supply heat in the winter and cool air in the summer. Typically, your A/C and heating system share a number of components, including the air filter, ductwork and thermostat, and in the case of heat pumps, which are becoming increasingly popular in Florida, the same appliance provides both cooling and heating. When cooling and heating systems share components, those components get wear and tear all year round. It is helpful to know how these components interact with one another.

As stated, the same ductwork is used for cooling and heating. The HVAC equipment cools or heats the air at a central location, and uses the same ducts to supply cool conditioned air to all the rooms in the home. Return ducts bring back stale air back to the A/C, heat pump or furnace to be filtered and conditioned again. Any leaks in the ductwork will be a problem whether you’re cooling or heating. Your conditioned air will escape into areas where you don’t want it, such as crawl spaces, the attic and wall cavities. As a result, your HVAC system will have to work harder to compensate for the lost air. Polluted air may infiltrate leaky ducts from unconditioned areas as well.

If you are replacing the HVAC system in your home, call a professional to evaluate the living space and recommend the correct sized A/C or heat pump. A system that’s too big for your home will cause as many problems as an under-sized system. The skilled HVAC technician should perform a cooling load calculation using Manual J, taking into account the size of your home, as well as a variety of other characteristics that will affect how much cooling or heating it will need.

Regular system inspections and maintenance is ensure optimal performance for both your cooling and heating systems. They will look at all the common components of the systems, such as the thermostat and ductwork, and then inspect and tune up the equipment itself. This is a good way to identify small issues before they become big problems, which usually happens on the hottest day of the summer.

Please contact us at NisAir Air Conditioning and Heating if you have any concerns about your home’s cooling and heating system. We have been serving Treasure Coast communities since 1973.