What Is a Heat Pump and How Does it Work?

A heat pump is one of the essential equipment at home. But you may not know it yet, it actually does not only heat your space during the winter, it also cools it when summer time comes. The thing about it is that it does not burn fuel in order to produce heat and the electricity it uses does not go through an element. It essentially works in the same way or method to that of air conditioning systems and refrigerators. Liquid will absorb the heat and it turns into gas. The gas releases heat as soon as it returns into a liquid state.

Heat Pumps in the Summer

During the summer months, a heat pump functions like a typical central air conditioner. It will remove the heat from the house and then vents it outside. Meanwhile, a liquid refrigerant will be pumped through the evaporator coil. The same liquid will expand while moving through the coil. In the process, it will transform into gas while absorbing heat from the air that surrounds the coil. Additionally, a blower will push air around the cooled coil using the ducts and inside the living space. The gas that contains heat will move through a compressor and then starts the liquefying process. It will then move to the condenser coil located outside the home. This is where the compressed gas will release the heat and then it returns to its liquid state.

During the Winter

For the winter season meanwhile, the heat pump literally reverses the process. It will extract heat from the cold air outside and then release the same inside the home. Know that the use of heat pump makes a lot of sense when the temperature outside is around 45 degrees Fahrenheit up to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. But when temperature drops a bit more, the equipment becomes a little less efficient.

So if the temperature outside is quite low, the alternative is using an auxiliary electric heater, which will serve as the effective supplement of the heat pump’s output. However, keep in mind that this unit is quite expensive to purchase and operate. Therefore, if you live in an area where winter is particularly harsh, say for instance in the northeast, then a heat pump won’t be as practical as it would seem so. The advantages are only felt in areas where air conditioning is not really a necessity.

Maintenance

If you’re using heat pumps at home, be reminded that regular maintenance is very important. Just like any other type of heating equipment, small and minor problems need to be addressed so that there will be no expensive heat pump repair later on. And because a heat pump is a bit more complex and technical, it makes sense if you call in a professional HVAC service contractor to do the repair, maintenance, and troubleshooting of your heat pump.