Basics of HVAC

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What IS HVAC?

Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning

Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2011. All rights reserved.

What does it do?

 HVAC is an acronym for your indoor air

quality, what you breathe, temperature,
humidity -- in your house.

 So when you hear the term "HVAC" it

means the entire air system of your home.

Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2011. All rights reserved.

HVAC Components

 The Furnace
 The Air Conditioning
Unit(s).
 Evaporator Coils
 Condensing Unit

Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2011. All rights reserved.

How BIG Should It Be?

 Load
 Heating & Cooling
 Accuracy
 Design
 R, U Value

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Manufacturers

 Ruud
 Carrier
 Heil
 Honeywell
 Armstrong
 Coleman
 Many others…

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The Air Conditioning Unit

An air conditioner is like a refrigerator without the

insulated box. It evaporates a refrigerant, like Freon,
to provide cooling.
Most Air Conditioners Have:
 A compressor
 An expansion valve
 A hot coil (on the outside)
 A chilled coil (on the inside)
 Two fans
 A control unit
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2011. All rights reserved.
What are BTW’s and EER’s

 BTU or British Thermal Units, are the amount

of heat required to raise the temp. of one # of
water, 1 degree fahrenheit. 1 ton=
12,000BTU.
 EER is Energy Efficiency Rating and tells you
the BTU rating over the wattage. The higher
the EER, the better the energy efficiency, but
it will probably cost more.

Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2011. All rights reserved.

Furnace
 As part of the HVAC, the
furnace heats the air that
circulates in the home. The
quality of air in the home can
be influenced by how often
you change the air filter on
your unit.
 Usually the Air Conditioner is
outside, and the furnace is in
the attic or inside the house.
The HVAC uses the same
venting system for both.

Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2011. All rights reserved.