5 Heat Pump Components and Their Purposes in Clearwater, FL

Heat pumps are extraordinary specimens of engineering and design. Since they have the power to both cool and heat an indoor area, they can be of immense value to homeowners in Clearwater, FL, year-round. Here’s some information about five important heat pump components and what they do.

Reversing Valve

In most ways, the design of a heat pump is similar to that of an air conditioner. Since the former has the ability to function in both heating and cooling modes while the latter does not, you may wonder what it is that separates the two systems. The reversing valve is the answer.

The purpose of the reversing valve is to control the direction in which refrigerant flows through the heat pump. Cooling mode corresponds to one flow direction, and heat mode corresponds to the other.

Therefore, when refrigerant flows in the cooling mode direction, it evaporates in the indoor coils and condenses in the outdoor coils. Conversely, when the valve switches the system into heating mode, refrigerant will evaporate in the outdoor coils and condense in the indoor coils. If anything should ever cement the reversing valve in one or the other position, your heat pump will remain in the corresponding mode, even if the temperatures in your home don’t warrant this.

The Coils

Each heat pump has two sets of coils: the evaporator coils and the condenser coils. One of these sets sits inside your home, while the other comprises part of the heat pump’s outdoor unit. It makes sense to mention them in the same breath because, depending on which mode the heat pump happens to be in, one or the other of these sets can play the role of either the evaporator or the condenser.

The evaporator allows refrigerant to absorb heat from the surrounding air and evaporate into a gas, while the condenser enables refrigerant to condense after encountering a breeze of cooler air. As your heat pump works in cooling mode, the indoor coils will act as the evaporator, and the outdoor coils will be the condenser. Once you switch your heat pump to cooling mode in response to colder weather, the opposite will be the case.

Heat Pump Compressor

While the reversing valve gives each heat pump its distinguishing feature, the compressor is arguably the most important component in the entire system. Neither heating nor cooling is possible without it.

This is because, even after passing through the evaporator coils, refrigerant is still in no condition to condense and release its stored heat. It must reach a higher temperature and pressure before it becomes condensable, and this is what the compressor exists to do. Once the compressor finishes its work, the refrigerant moves to the condenser coils, air blows over them, the refrigerant condenses upon contact, and the heat transfer cycle can begin again.

Fans

Without fans, air will not move into your heat pump, and it will not pass into your home. Depending on the direction in which their blades blow, fans can either pull in or push out air. For example, in cooling mode, your heat pump’s fans will take in air from your home, and refrigerant will then extract heat from that air. Later in the process, after the system cools your air, other fans will blow that air through your home.

New fans will always have lubricated bearings. Over time, as lubrication fades, the blades may cease to function as well as they did before. Therefore, maintenance service technicians will need to lubricate your fans at least once per year.

Motors

Motors are essential because they both provide an initial boost to your heat pump’s compressor and set its fans into motion. Your system may have either single-speed, double-speed or variable-speed motors, with the latter being the most efficient.

The smooth interaction between these and other parts allows heat pumps to create comfortable indoor environments with impressive levels of efficiency. Unfortunately, one or more of these may occasionally break down. When this happens, call Climate Design and take advantage of the finest heat pump repair services around Clearwater, FL.

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