You are one of those who use a heat pump to keep their homes at comfortable temperatures year-round. These small but mighty machines work differently from furnaces and other HVAC systems. Instead of heating or cooling air, these pumps transfer air.
Understanding how your heat pump works gives you the knowledge about its essential functions so you can keep it in repair for as long as possible. This way, you get the most out of it before heat pump replacement in James City County, VA, becomes necessary.
The Heating & Cooling Cycle
Your heat pump works in two modes – heating and cooling, which operate in the reverse of each other. The cool liquid refrigerant in the outdoor unit absorbs heat energy and turns it into a cold gas. Pressure heats the cold gas that gets cooled by air in the indoor unit. This heats the air and turns it into a warm liquid. When the warm liquid enters the outdoor unit, the pressure works to cool it, and the cycle begins again. The opposite happens in cooling mode.
Homeowners with even minimal knowledge of heat pumps can act to take better care of this equipment, thus preventing heat pump replacement for as long as possible.