Understanding Your Home’s Circulatory System

When you think about it, your home and the way it functions is a bit like a living body. Every part of your home accounts for another important function, must like the organs and systems in your own body.

If you think about your house in this way, then the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system is a lot like its circulatory system. It pumps air to and from every room in your house through a system of vents, ducts, and filters much like your heart pumps blood to and from different parts of your body through a system of veins, arteries, and organs.

Understanding your home’s circulatory system and how it works can help you understand your entire home better, which can help you with preventative maintenance and taking care of your home properly.

The first step of understanding your home’s HVAC system is knowing about its different parts:

The Thermostat

The thermostat is probably the only component of your HVAC system that gets a lot of attention. This little console controls the settings of your HVAC system so you can change the temperature, and in newer models, even program your heating and cooling settings to your own specifications.

The Heating System

HVAC systems are heated using a number of different means. Typically, your heating system is based on an electric, natural gas, oil, or even steam component.

The air is heated via a heating element or furnace, and once the air has reached the designated temperature the heating component is automatically switched off and will cut back on automatically if the air needs to be heated more.

Once the air is warmed to the appropriate temperature, it is flushed out into the ventilation system by use of a fan.

The Compressor

The compressor has multiple functions. It is the method by which your system pumps air into the system in order to be heated or cooled. The compressor is also responsible for cooling. To cool, the compressor pulls refrigerant into a system of coils.

The compressor is another one of the more visible components of the HVAC system. It is usually on the outside of your home, and you can often see and hear it running by means of a fan. The fan is how the compressor pulls air into your system.

Ventilation

One of the main purposes of an HVAC system is in the name: ventilation. Your home’s ventilation system is somewhat like the system of veins working throughout your body. Your entire home is connected to the main HVAC unit through a series of vents and ducts. This is how the heated or cooled air is dispersed through the house.

Depending on your specific type of HVAC system, some of the functions will vary. There are also a lot of other, smaller parts of your HVAC system that all have a function in the system that is essentially your home’s circulatory system. All of these parts work together to properly heat and cool your home so you and your family can stay safe and comfortable.