Part of having a well-maintained heat pump is knowing how it works. To fully understand how your heat pump works to provide heating and air conditioning, you first need to realize that heat pumps don’t actually generate heat. They’re aptly named for the way they move or “pump” heat from one place to another.
In comparison, a furnace creates heat that’s distributed throughout the house, while a heat pump absorbs heat energy from the outside air (no matter how low the temperatures are) and transfers it to the indoor air. When in cooling mode, your heat pump will function no differently than an air conditioner as it absorbs heat from the indoor air and releases it through the outdoor unit.
How Heat Pumps Work
- Cooling Mode – When properly installed by a professional heating repair technician, a heat pump can help maintain cool temperatures while reducing humidity levels inside your home. This works by having a motorized fan pull warm air into your home’s ductwork. Your system’s compressor then circulates refrigerant between the indoor evaporator and outdoor condensing unit. Afterward, the warm air travels to the air handler while the refrigerant pumps from the exterior condenser coil to the interior evaporator coil and absorbs heat as the indoor air passes over it.
Cooled and dehumidified air is pushed through the connecting ducts to air vents throughout your house, which lowers your indoor temperature. This cycle repeats continuously to keep temperatures cool and comfortable.
- Heating Mode – When in heating mode, a heat pump operates just as it does in cooling mode, except that the flow of refrigerant is reversed by none other than a reversing valve. This flow reversal means that even in colder temperatures, the heating source becomes the outside air and the heat energy is released inside the house. The outdoor coil now has the function of an evaporator, and the indoor coil takes on the role of the condenser.
If you’re looking for professional air conditioning or heating repair services, look no further than Allison Air Conditioning. Call us today at (951) 736-1101, or reach out to us online to schedule your maintenance service. We serve Corona and surrounding areas in CA.