The Language of Air Conditioning

Don’t speak HVAC?

If you are shopping for a new air conditioning system in Troy or anywhere in the Capital District of New York State, some of the terminology may have you scratching your head. Or maybe you’ve had the technician over to take a look at your ailing system and he or she used vocabulary you weren’t familiar with before.

At Family Danz Heating & Cooling, we know there is plenty of jargon that might seem a bit strange to those unfamiliar with HVAC wording. HVAC itself is an acronym for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning — that one wasn’t so hard, so the rest won’t be either.

Although there are plenty more terms that might be confusing, here are a few of the ones you are most likely to come across.

AIR HANDLER: The assembly that contains the blower in a split system air conditioner.

CHECK THE CHARGE: That’s when the technician is measuring the pressure of the refrigerant in your air conditioning to see if it is the proper amount.

COMPRESSOR: The part in the AC’s condensing unit that raises the temperature and the refrigerant’s pressure.

EER: The efficiency rating used for window-mounted air conditioners, figured by the Btu/hr of cooling divided by electricity input in watts, instantaneously. The higher the EER, the more efficient the unit.

MERV: The Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value rating for filters. The higher the number, the smaller the particles it will trap.

REFRIGERANT: The fluid inside the air conditioner that carries the heat.

RETURN: The part of the ducting apparatus that draws air from the house or office back into the air handler to be conditioned again.

SEER: The efficiency rating that is used for central air conditioners, computed by taking Btu/hr of cooling divided by electricity input in watts and averaged over the whole cooling season. The higher the SEER, the more efficient the unit.

SPLIT SYSTEM: An air conditioner that has one box outside containing the condensing unit and one box inside with the air handler and evaporator coil. The refrigerant lines connect them.

SUPPLY: The part of the duct system where conditioned cool air is brought back into the house or office.

Of course, any time you are stumped by the lingo, you can ask your friendly Family Danz Heating & Cooling technician. We‘ve been the experts in keeping you cool and comfortable in your home and office throughout the Albany, Schenectady, Saratoga Springs, and Troy area for nearly 40 years.

We understand the ins and outs of air conditioning, and we’ll help you understand them, too.

Family Danz Heating & Cooling is a full-service heating and air conditioning contractor, offering sales and service all through the Capital District of New York State. If you would like more information on any of our services, call us at 518-427-8685.