NHIE Home Inspection Manual. Cooling System Study and Vocab Questions and Answers

NHIE Home Inspection Manual. Cooling System Study and Vocab Questions and Answers Is not having a cooling system a reportable deficiency? No, it's not considered a deficiency because a home is not required to have one. Note: - Consider reporting absent cooling system if standard in area Are cooling systems part of a home inspection? Answer: - Yes, if the cooling system is a permanent installation. What are the 4 basic types of AC systems? 1) Central air conditioner 2) Window Air Conditioner 3) Split air conditioner system 4) Ductless mini-split systems 5) Evaporator coil (A.K.A., swamp cooler) Air conditioning - Refers to the cooling, dehumidification, ventilation, and air filtration functions What are the 3 major parts of an air conditioning system? System that includes: 1) Air handler or furnace 2) An evaporator coil, 3) Condenser unit How does an air conditioning system work? - Cools by removing heat from house and moving heat to outside Air handler - Inside unit of heat pump What are the 3 parts of an air handler? 1) Fan, 2) Evaporator coil, 3) Associated controls & operating parts Boot (HVAC distribution system) - Sheet metal formed into rectangle or circle that connects air duct to grille or register British thermal unity (Btu) - Amount of heat required to increase temperature of 1 pound of water by one degree - i.e., common description of size or cooling capacity of AC system Collar - Round sheet metal ring that connects duct to plenum or trunk duct Compressor - Part of air conditioner or heat pump condenser unit - Compressor compresses gas refrigerant into superheated gas - Provides energy to move refrigerant through system Condensate - Water condenses into liquid when heat is removed by air flowing over evaporator coil - Lots of water in humid environments (e.g., Florida) - Water must be disposed of in appropriate manner Condenser coils - Tubes (i.e., coils) around perimeter of condenser unit Condenser unit - Outside unit of split AC or heat pump What are the parts of a condenser unit? 1) Compressor, 2) Condenser coils, 3) Fan, 4) Controls, & 5) Operating parts Damper (HVAC duct system): - Plate in a duct system that controls air flow in ducts - May be controlled manually or by motor - In zoned systems, motor controlled dampers are controlled by two or more thermostats Evaporator coil - Part of HVAC - Located in air handler of heat pump or furnace after combustion chamber - Should not be located before combustion chamber (i.e., moist air can damage furnace) heat pump - HVAC component that removes heat in cooling mode or adds heat in heating mode Heat seasonal performance factor (HSPF) - Measure of efficiency of heat pump in heating mode - HSPF = heat output over heating season / electricity used - HSPF is usually between 7 - 10 Latent load - Amount of heat energy AC must remove from inside because of vapor in air - Contributors to latent load are people, cooking, bathing, and outside air infiltration line set - Liquid line (e.g., small, high-pressure, warm) & suction line (e.g., larger, insulated, cold) - Tubes for refrigerant to flow between condenser and evaporator coil