Your System Explained

We all know the basics of how an air conditioner or heater work. They affect the air in one way or another to cool or heat your home. Some may have more in depth knowledge about this topic or they may just know the very horizon of the inner workings of these machines. If you are interested in learning more, there is plenty of resources to turn to, however, here at Snow Bear Heat & Air, we want everything to be as simple as possible. So, we have condensed that information and put it all right here for our customers. If you have any further questions or would like to know what your home may need, give us a call at (806)367-9416. We can set up an appointment for you or explain anything you may be struggling with. We can also send a technician out to your home to give you an estimate or diagnosis for a small $7 service fee! We pride ourselves in our knowledgeable staff in and out of the office. With any install or replacement, we will explain every step of the way what is occurring and what is to come.

Air conditioners can be quite simple. It gathers the warm air from inside the home and disposes it outside. Then, it releases cooler air inside. This simple process, however, takes a lot of effort and chemistry. Refrigerant is the gas that is in all AC units. It used to be R22 but has now been reinvented as R410A for newer models and eventually all. It is more environmentally friendly, safer in general and will replace R22 by the beginning of 2020. Warm air from inside the house goes into the evaporator coils where the heat is absorbed into the gas form of the refrigerant, also known as Freon. The refrigerant is condensed in the compressor back into a liquid so that the fan is able to dispose of the hot thermal energy into the outside air. The now cooler air is pushed back into the home. The liquid is moved through the expansion valve where the pressure is raised to make the refrigerant into a gas once again. The gas is again pushed through the evaporator coil to capture more hot thermal energy and it put through this process over and over again until the temperature in the home begins to match the temperature set on the thermostat.

Furnaces may run on propane, heating oil or electricity. The most common is the gas powered furnaces that distribute air through ductwork and vents. They begin the process of heating your home by igniting the gas or propane in the burner. The flames from this process heat up the metal heat exchanger and exhaust out of the flue. The heat exchanger moves the heat into the cold air coming in. The blower then pushed the heated air into the in place ductwork and through the vents into the home. As the warm air fills the home, the cold air is pushed into the return ducts which allows the process to repeat until the home is heated to the temperature
the thermostat is set at.

Heat Pumps work similarly to how an air conditioner does. However, it does heating and cooling and does not require separate  systems to do so. They are extremely efficient due to the fact that they just transfer heat instead of burning fuel to create it, which also makes them environmentally friendly. They pull the heat out of the ground or air and push it into the home or work in reverse to cool. Heat pumps are better utilized in tamer climates with no extreme heat or cold temperatures because they use the already available heat in the air. These systems can also be used with hot tubs or heated swimming pools. They are very virtual, efficient and  fairly simple!

Electric Air Handlers can heat and cool but not in the same way as a heat pump. These systems include the evaporator coil, blower motor and refrigerant similar to an air conditioning unit. However the air only needs to cycle through this one system to be heated or cooled. The cooling side is a simpler version of the process inside an AC unit. However, to warm the air, the same process is done but the system works such as a heat pump would and travels the air over the warm evaporator coil. In each situation, the unwanted heat or cold air is thrown out by the outdoor unit and the wanted air is pushed into the home through the inside system.

As you can see, there are plenty of options when looking into adding a heating or cooling system to your home. They all have their pros and would be wonderful for the right home. If you have any questions on what type of system may fit your home, call us at (806)367-9416 so that we can guide you in the right direction! We can help you through the entire process, from the initial plan to the final installation. These things can be expensive and time consuming when working with the wrong company.

Allow us to show you how efficient we can be when working on your home. We understand that everyone has a different budget and perspective and we pride ourselves on being able to find a solution for many of those customers. Call us today and get your free estimate or schedule an appointment with one of our technicians to begin the process. Heating and cooling are vital for a comfortable home and we want to assist you in making the jump to a higher level of satisfaction. You and your family cannot regret an investment like this when it adds so much to your home!

All we ask is a $7 service fee to get us out there and our technicians can suggest and give estimates on anything you may need! Call today!