HVAC glossary
Decode your estimate. Every term links to the service it matters for.
How to use this glossary
Use these definitions to decode estimates and repair recommendations. Not sure what your system needs? The 20-second diagnostic will point you in the right direction.
AC
AC, A.C. or Ac may refer to: Air conditioning, technologies for altering the temperature and humidity of air; Alternating current, a type of…
Define → AC ServicesAir Conditioner
AC, A.C. or Ac may refer to: Air conditioning, technologies for altering the temperature and humidity of air; Alternating current, a type of…
Define → Heating ServicesAir handler
An air moving and/or mixing unit. Residential air handlers include a blower, a coil, an expansion device, a heater rack and a filter. Heater…
Define → Heating ServicesElectric heat strip
An electric resistance heating element inside an air handler. In heat-pump homes, heat strips usually provide auxiliary or emergency heat wh…
Define → HVAC Efficiency TestingCapacity
The output or producing ability of cooling or heating systems. Cooling and heating capacities are referred to in British thermal units (BTUs…
Define → AC ServicesCharge
To add refrigerant to a system. This is refrigerant contained in a sealed system or in the sensing bulb to a thermostatic expansion valve.…
Define → AC ServicesCompressor
This is the heart of an air conditioning or heat pump system. It is part of the outdoor unit and pumps refrigerant in order to meet the cool…
Define → AC ServicesCondensate
Vapor that liquefies due to the lowering of its temperature to the saturation point.…
Define → HVAC Efficiency TestingDuctwork
A pipe or conduit through which air is delivered. Ducts are typically made of metal, fiberboard or a flexible material. In a home comfort sy…
Define → AC ServicesExpansion valve
A refrigerant-metering valve with a pressure- or temperature-controlled orifice.…
Define → AC ServicesFan
Any device that creates air currents.…
Define → Air Purifier ServicesFilter
Any device that removes impurities through a straining process.…
Define → Heating ServicesElectric air handler
The indoor unit that moves conditioned air through the duct system. In the Wenatchee Valley homes CWH commonly serves, this is often an elec…
Define → Heating ServicesIndoor coil
The indoor coil is where refrigerant absorbs or releases heat as air moves across it. In heat-pump and electric air-handler systems, coil co…
Define → Heat Pump ServicesHeat pump
A mechanical-compression cycle refrigeration system that can be reversed to either heat or cool the controlled space.…
Define → Air Purifier ServicesHEPA filter
Filter that traps airborne particles by forcing air through very dense mesh.…
Define → Humidifier ServicesHumidity
The presence of water vapor in the air.…
Define → All ServicesHVAC
Abbreviation for Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning.…
Define → Heating ServicesElectric heat startup
The sequence that starts electric heating: thermostat call, control board, sequencer or relay, breaker, blower, and heat strip operation. In…
Define → HVAC Efficiency TestingLoad calculation
Assessed by a dealer, the calculation factors in a number of criteria in your home (square footage, number ofwindows, year-round weather con…
Define → Air Purifier ServicesMedia
The material in a filter that traps and holds the impurities.…
Define → AC ServicesOrifice
An opening or hole; an inlet or outlet…
Define → AC ServicesRefrigerant
A chemical that produces a refrigerating effect while expanding and vaporizing. Most residential air conditioningsystems contain R-22 refrig…
Define → AC ServicesRefrigerant lines
Two copper lines connecting the outdoor condenser to the indoor evaporator coil.…
Define → AC ServicesSEER
Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio; a measure of cooling efficiency for air conditioners and heat pumps. The higher the SEER, the more energy …
Define → Smart Thermostat ServicesSensor
Any device that reacts to a change in the conditions being measured, permitting the condition to be controlled.…
Define → Smart Thermostat ServicesThermostat
A thermostat consists of a series of sensors and relays that monitor and control the functions of a heating andcooling system.…
Define → AC ServicesThermostatic expansion valve
A refrigerant metering device that maintains a constant evaporator temperature by monitoring suction vaporsuperheat; also called a thermal e…
Define → AC ServicesVacuum
A pressure below atmospheric pressure. A perfect vacuum is 30 inches of mercury (periodic symbol “Hg”)…
Define → Smart Thermostat ServicesZoning
A method of dividing a home into different comfort zones so each zone can be independently controlleddepending on use and need; an air condi…
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