Heat pumps are becoming an increasingly popular style of HVAC system. As homeowners learn about this system, one of their biggest questions is whether will it cool as well. We’re going to dive into more detail about what a heat pump is and how it can help to control the temperature inside your home below.
Understanding the Basics of a Heat Pump
A heat pump is considered a dual-functional HVAC system that provides both heating and cooling for a home. Each heat pump will have three main components, which include refrigerant lines, an outdoor condenser unit, and an indoor air handler unit. Both the indoor and outdoor units will have coils filled with refrigerant alongside blower components to move air.
How Does It Work?
Heat pumps function by transporting heat from one location to another. When you want to cool your home, a heat pump will transport heat from inside your home to the outdoors. Conversely, if you want to warm your home, a heat pump will extract heat from the outdoor air and disperse it in your home.
For a heat pump to absorb heat, it must have an adequate amount of refrigerant. This refrigerant runs inside the condenser coil, evaporator coil, and the refrigerant lines that connect both units. Refrigerant works to absorb heat because physics proves that heat will move to low-pressure substances. By altering the pressure of the refrigerant in your system, a heat pump can absorb or release heat as needed.
To help you get a better understanding of how a heat pump cools your home, we’re going to run through the entire process starting at your indoor air handler unit. If you have a ductless mini-split setup, then each mini-split unit functions as its own indoor air handler unit with its own internal components. The whole cooling process starts at your thermostat, where your thermostat sends a signal to the indoor air handler unit to kick on.
The blower fan will pull in hot air from your home and pass it over an evaporator coil. This coil is filled with low pressure refrigerant. As hot air passes over the coil, heat naturally transfers into the refrigerant. This causes the refrigerant to increase in pressure and turn into a gas. The compressor pump inside the outdoor condenser unit is responsible for further increasing the pressure of the refrigerant while transporting it to the outdoor condenser unit.
Inside this condenser unit is a condenser coil that the refrigerant runs through. The blower fan at the outdoor unit will blow fresh outdoor air over the condenser coil. Because the outdoor air has a lower pressure than the high pressure refrigerant, heat naturally transfers to the air. The hot air gets blown out into the atmosphere and the remaining refrigerant turns back into a liquid. The compressor pump will force the refrigerant back in towards the indoor air handler unit and through an expansion valve.
This valve is responsible for resetting the pressure of the refrigerant so that it’s ready to reabsorb heat from inside your home. The heat pump will run for around 15 to 20 minutes per cycle. When it comes to heating your home, this entire process happens again but in reverse. Instead of removing heat from inside your home, the heat pump will remove heat from the air outside and bring it into your home.
Air-Source vs. Geothermal
The entire cooling process that we went over above describes the operation of an air-source heat pump. This is the most widely used type of heat pump due to its affordability and ease of installation. However, air-source heat pumps only operate at temperatures above freezing. When temperatures get too cold, these units switch over to auxiliary heating mode. This works much like an electric furnace where an electric-powered heating element heats the air. While effective, this method is quite costly to run.
The second type of heat pump is the geothermal or ground-source heat pump. Instead of pulling heat out of the air, this type of heat pump extracts heat from the soil. Because soil temperatures are so consistent, this type of system is ideal for heating homes regardless of the outdoor temperature. However, geothermal heat pumps are very invasive to install, with components being put beneath the soil’s surface. Their high upfront cost is why they’re not as popular as the air-source heat pump for homeowners.
The Benefits of a Heat Pump For Home Cooling
Choosing a heat pump to cool your home can come along with many great benefits. One of the most notable is that heat pumps are more effective at removing excess humidity from indoor air. Unlike traditional central air conditioning systems that run a couple of cycles per hour, heat pumps have much longer run cycles at a lower speed.
This longer run time allows heat pumps to effectively remove more excess moisture from the air than central air conditioning can. When moisture levels are high, it can feel hot and stuffy in your home. When moisture levels are put in check with the use of a heat pump, you’ll feel more comfortable at higher temperatures. This means you can enjoy setting your thermostat at a higher temperature to reduce energy usage while still remaining comfortable in your home.
If you opt to go with ductless mini-split units, you can enjoy the added benefit of zone temperature control. Each mini-split unit comes with its own remote and temperature settings. This way, you can set different temperatures for your living room, bedroom, kitchen, and other major rooms of your home. By having more control over the exact temperature in each room, you can be more efficient with your home’s energy usage.
Heat Pumps Can Heat as Well
With a heat pump being able to meet your Vancouver home comfort needs all year round, you can finally say goodbye to purchasing separate heating and cooling systems. This means only having to worry about maintaining the warranty coverage on one system. Heat pumps are also known to be extremely energy-efficient when it comes to home heating.
These units can reach operating efficiency levels up to 400%. Furthermore, there’s no combustion process because these heating systems don’t burn combustible fuels. For this reason, heat pumps don’t emit any toxic exhaust fumes, which makes them the safest option for any home. There’s no need to invest in chimney venting since there aren’t any harmful fumes being produced.
Upkeep and Maintenance
To ensure that your heat pump stays in good working condition, it needs to receive regular maintenance service. When it comes to professional maintenance, you should be getting it done in the spring and fall. As a homeowner, you’ll want to regularly ensure that you replace the filter inside your HVAC system every couple of months. Furthermore, it’s best to check your outdoor unit for debris after any major storm. Any leaves or other items that blow up against the unit will restrict its airflow and make it inefficient.
Exceptional Heat Pump Service
Western Pacific Heating, Cooling & Airflow offers exceptional heat pump service for the Vancouver, BC area. We can also help with all your heating, cooling, and construction needs. Also, if you’re interested in heat pump in-floor heating, we can help! Call our office today to book your next service consultation.
