Air Creations, Inc. Blog : Posts Tagged ‘Heat Pumps repairs’

What Makes a Heat Pump Different from an Air Conditioner?

Monday, September 4th, 2017

question-mark-badgeHere’s a confusing fact when it comes to the difference between air conditioners and heat pumps: an air conditioner is a type of heat pump. Technically, the job of an AC is to pump heat from one location to another. It removes heat from inside a building and releases it outside. But, in the world of residential and commercial HVAC, when somebody talks about a “heat pump,” what they mean is a refrigeration device, similar to an air conditioner, that can switch the direction it moves heat. So when you arrange to have a heat pump installed, or you need service for your heat pump in Cranford, NJ, the device you mean is a comfort system that offers both heating and cooling.

Okay… so what makes a heat pump different from an air conditioner? Yes, you know it can offer both heating and cooling, but what actual components allow a heat pump to do both those jobs even though it otherwise works like an air conditioner? (I.e. it has a compressor that circulates refrigerant between a set of indoor and outdoor coils.)

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Odd Heat Pump Behavior That Actually Isn’t Odd

Monday, December 26th, 2016

You probably have spent the majority of your life in homes that received their winter heat from a furnace. If this is your first winter using a heat pump for comfort—either because you had it installed in spring/summer or you’ve moved into a house with a heat pump already in place—you might find it does a few surprising things as it switches into heating mode.

Here are two specific things it will do that may seem like malfunctions. They aren’t, however.

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