Air Handlers & Fan Coils
From the outside, heating and air conditioning systems look pretty simple – a condenser in the backyard and an evaporator inside your HVAC closet. And while those make up the bulk of your system, there are a few inner components that can make all the difference in terms of your air conditioner or heater’s efficiency: the air handler and the fan coil.
Air Handlers
Air handlers are the main devices used to condition and circulate air within your home. Air handlers are made up of a number of different components that help them with this task:
- Blower fans are the devices that actually move the air. While older blower fans had only one fixed speed at which they could operate, newer models are usually much more efficient, capable of adjusting their speed to the most efficient level for whatever they’re doing.
- Air handlers also house the heating and cooling elements of your HVAC system, be they fuel burning heaters, refrigeration evaporators, electric resistance heaters, heat pumps, or even evaporative coolers.
- To keep your air clean, air handlers also contain the air filters of your HVAC system. Filters are housed in the air handler in order to keep all the delicate components clean.
- If you have your HVAC system paired with a humidifier, it will also be located within the air handler. You can click here to learn more about humidifiers.
- The mixing chamber is used to maintain indoor air quality. Basically, it allows your HVAC to pull in outside air and exhaust indoor air. The mixing chamber ventilates the right ratios of indoor and outdoor air in order to create a stable temperature while still moving air in and out.
- A heat recovery device can be attached to the air handler for energy savings and increased conditioning capacity.
- Your air handler needs controls to regulate every aspect of its operation, including the flow rate, supply air temperature, mixed air temperature, humidity, and air quality.
- Vibration isolators are added in the ducts immediately before and after the air handler and within the fan compartment and the rest of the air handler. These absorb much of the vibration from the air handler so it doesn’t transmit the noise throughout your home.
Air Handler Replacement
If you’re having problems with the components of your air handler, but your overall AC or heat pump is still fairly new, you don’t have to worry about replacing your whole system. Instead, call Magnolia Heating & Air Conditioning for air handler replacement! We can replace your existing air handler and even swap it out for an R22 air handler if need be.
Fan Coils
If you have a smaller air handler, you probably have a fan coil. These are basically mini air handlers that consist of an air filter, a coil and a blower. Fan coils are typically not connected to ductwork and can control the temperature of one or more rooms at a time. They are far less expensive to install than full on air handlers, but they can be noisy and typically can’t condition as large of a space as air handlers.
You air handler or fan coils are the most important pieces of your HVAC system. If you need fan coil or air handler service in Maryland, Virginia or Washington, DC, call Magnolia Heating & Air Conditioning today!