Air conditioning involves a fair bit of specialised terminology and technicality. If you have an Air Conditioning system, you might have probably heard the foreign language of HVAC. To help you understand our language, we have compiled a list of some basic and advance terminology used in the HVAC Field and Business.
Air Conditioner: A device that changes humidity levels, temperature or quality of air.
Air filter: Air filters are designed to trap dust and contaminants in the air from clogging up the indoor unit of an air conditioning system.
Air purifier: This product is specifically designed to remove allergens, pollutants, bacteria and odours from the air in your home.
ASHRAE: American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers is a global society advancing human well-being through sustainable technology for the built environment. The Society and its members focus on building systems, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, refrigeration and sustainability within the industry.
BTU: A British Thermal Unit is a measurement of the amount of heat required to raise or lower the temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit.
Charging a System: Adding coolant, or refrigerant, to an HVAC system.
Compressor: A pump that increases the pressure of refrigerant gas.
Condensate: As warm air is pulled or pushed across the cool evaporator coil the coil creates liquid, or condensate which is mechanically drained away from the equipment.
Condenser Coil: Generally, the outdoor coil, it removes heat from the refrigerant, allowing the refrigerant to be converted from vapor to liquid and completes the refrigeration process.
Condenser Fan: A fan that accelerates the movement of air over the condenser coil, facilitating the removal of heat from the refrigerant.
Damper: Found at the junction points of ductwork, these sheet metal plates can be opened or closed to control the flow of air into a zone.
Dehumidifier: A device that removes humidity, or moisture, from the air.
Diffuser: A grille over an air supply duct with vanes that distribute the discharging air in a specific pattern or direction.
Duct: This is a tube that carries air to various areas of a building. Ducts can be round or rectangular, and are made from a variety of materials including sheet metal, fiberglass and vinyl.
Ductwork: A network of metal, fiberboard or flexible material flowing throughout a space which delivers air from an HVAC unit to the respective zones of a residential or commercial building.
Evaporator Coil: Also, an indoor coil. A device that is designed to absorb heat in the air in order to change the liquid refrigerant that flows through it into a vapor initiating the cooling process.
Expansion Valve: A valve that controls the levels of refrigerant through a temperature or pressure control.
Fan: A device consisting of a motor and a blower wheel that creates air flow.
Filter: The air filter is integral to the system intake ducting, prevents contaminants from entering the equipment and must be maintained or replaced at regular intervals. There is also a filter in the refrigeration system, also referred to as a drier, which acts like a strainer to remove dirt and undesired particles from the system.
Humidity: Dampness in the air caused by water vapor.
HVAC: Heating, ventilation and air conditioning. This acronym refers to the entire discipline that surrounds air conditioning
Indoor Unit: The part of an air conditioning unit that’s located inside the building, and provides the ‘conditioned’ air into the space. This unit contains a heat exchange coil,filters, remote signal receiver and fan.
Inverter technology: Inverter based systems can achieve the desired room temperature quicker and steadily without fluctuations which means uninterrupted comfort and savings in running costs.
Multi split system: This is a split system where there’s more than one indoor unitattached to a single outdoor unit.
Outdoor Unit: This is the part of an air conditioning system that contains the compressor, propellerfan, circuit board and heat exchange coil. It’s situated outside, and pumps refrigerant to and from its companion indoor unit.
PSI: A pound per square inch is a unit of pressure resulting from the force of one pound-force applied to an area of one square inch.
Reciprocating Compressor: A type of compressor used in cooling systems to compress refrigerant by using a piston action.
Refrigerant: The fluid used in air conditioners and refrigerators to transfer heat into or out of an interior space. This fluid boils at a very low temperature enabling it to exude and absorb heat.
Refrigerant Charge: The amount of refrigerant in a system.
R410A: A non-ozone depleting refrigerant that transfers heat energy between the indoor and outdoor units of the air conditioning system.
R-32: This is a non-ozone depleting refrigerant and has 66% lower global warming potential (GWP) factor than R-410A.
Scroll Compressor: These compressors have fewer moving parts than reciprocating compressors and are used in both lower and higher efficiency air conditioners. Advantages include - efficient operation, higher tolerance to liquid refrigerant, less mechanical failure and smoother, quieter operation.
SEER: The efficiency of air conditioners is often rated by the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio which is defined by the Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute as the cooling output during a typical cooling-season divided by the total electric energy input during the same period.
Sensor: A device that reacts to a change in conditions.
Split System: An outdoor unit combined with an indoor unit (as opposed to a package unit), generally providing more efficiency and configuration options.
Ton: One ton is 12,000 BTUs per hour.
Thermostatic Expansion Valve: This is a device that creates a constant evaporator temperature by regulation of refrigerant flow through the system.
Vacuum: A space where the pressure is significantly below that of standard atmospheric pressure.
Ventilation: The process of moving air (changing) into and out of an interior space either by mechanically induced means.
Zoning: This is the method of heating or cooling different areas (or rooms) within one building independently – usually by using separate controls, or by opening and closing dampers within ducts in each zone.