The Working of Heating and Cooling Systems

Man has made many innovations which have improved his quality of life. One such advancement is heating and cooling systems. We depend on these systems to keep the temperature of the room warm in winters, and cool in summers. At times, we do tend to take such equipment for granted, which can lead to their damage. Knowing the basic working of these systems might help in taking proper care of them.

Almost all temperature control devices are embedded with three basic components; namely, a source of warm or cool air, a controller for regulating the system, and another controller for distributing the air evenly to the rooms.

Cooling systems, like air conditioners, contain refrigerants or freon, which helps cool down the air present inside the system's coil. The refrigerant or freon is converted into a hot and high-pressure gas with the help of the compressor. This hot and high-pressure gas passes through the coils and condenses into liquid.

This liquid expands, becoming cold in the process. While expanding, it absorbs heat and again goes back to the compressor, thus repeating the cycle. The fans and motors present in the cooling system pump the cold air to the room, in order to make the room cool.

The heating system works in a similar way, but instead of extracting hot air and pumping cold air, it takes in cold air and pumps out hot air. This helps in increasing the temperature of the room, thus making it warm. Heat strips are another kind of heating system, wherein fans and other elements help in pumping heat into the room.

Some systems make use of a boiler, fixed in the basement of the house. Water is heated, and the steam is sent to the various rooms via pipes, ducts, and vents. In some cases, the basement of the house is also fitted with a furnace. In such cases, the air is heated and then pumped into the house via air ducts.

The cost of both these systems is almost the same, and most of their working strategies are similar. Heat pumps are devices which can be used for heating as well as cooling. Efficiency is also observed in these systems; hence, you can buy one for your house if you do not have it.