How Can Heat Pumps Produce Heat and Cold?
You’ve likely already heard about heat pumps and how they can offer both heating and cooling from the same system. However, do you know how this modern equipment manages to pull this off? Here’s what you should know about the technology behind heat pump installation in Windsor.
Understanding the Refrigerant Cycle
Modern heat pumps aren’t all that different from traditional air conditioners. To understand how they work, you’ll first need to familiarize yourself with the refrigerant cycle. Many different systems make use of a refrigerant cycle, including heat pumps, traditional ACs, and household refrigerators.
Your AC contains a special gas called a refrigerant. A compressor increases the pressure of the gas, condensing it into a liquid. This process releases heat, so the condenser is the exterior unit of your AC system.
That liquid then travels to the evaporator, the indoor unit, where pressure is reduced to allow it to evaporate. The evaporation process draws in heat from the surroundings, which is what cools your home. The cycle repeats, continually taking heat from inside and pushing it outside.
Reversing Refrigerant Flow for Heating
A heat pump uses the same process with one key difference. It can reverse the flow to heat your home instead. It can operate with condensation taking place at the inside unit and evaporation taking place at the outside unit. This takes heat from outside and brings it into your home.
At first glance, the idea of taking heat from the cold outdoors and using it to heat your home may sound impossible. However, consider that during normal operation, your AC system takes heat from your cool home and pushes it into the hot outdoor environment. In both cases, the system pumps heat from a colder area to a warmer one.
Get a Quote on Heat Pump Installation in Windsor
The heat pump is a modern innovation that takes tried and true principles and uses them in a new way to provide both heating and cooling for your home. If it’s time to replace your existing AC or heating system, then heat pump installation in Windsor could be the right choice. Contact MGI Mechanical Services today to get your quote.
