Controlling the Humidity in Your Home

If you are looking to upgrade the heating method in your home and don't have ductwork, you'll need to find a ductless method to get the job done. One great method you should consider is a ductless heat pump. Here are some questions you likely have about this form of heating

What Are Air-To-Air Heat Pumps?

An air-to-air heat pump will resemble an air conditioner outside your home with the relatively small footprint it takes up. The device comes in models that just do heating, but you can upgrade to a model that has both heating and cooling. The way this heat pump works is by using refrigerant that travels to an indoor heat exchanger, with the liquid being high in temperature and pressure. As cool air blows over the heat exchanger, it produces hot air for the room. The refrigerant then goes through the rest of the system at a slightly cooler temperature until it reaches the outdoor heat exchanger, which adds heat to the cold refrigerant. The hot refrigerant then travels back through the system, and the process repeats itself. The system can also be reversed for a cooling mode as well, which brings in cool refrigerant to the heat exchanger inside your home, which blows cool air into the room.

What Are Air-To-Water Heat Pumps?

An air-to-water heat pump works in a similar manner to an air-to-air heat pump but uses water to provide the heat. The compressor generates a high-temperature refrigerant that leaves the compressor that goes into a plate heat exchanger. This heat exchanger heats the hot water that goes into a hot water tank. This water cycles through a separate system, which uses hot water to heat your home. The refrigerant leaves the plate heat exchanger at a lower temperature and pressure until it reaches an outdoor heat exchanger. Heat is transferred to the refrigerant before it travels back to the compressor and repeats the cycle.

Do Heat Pumps Work In All Climates? 

One thing to keep in mind about heat pumps is that they do not work in regions where you frequently see temperatures that are below freezing. Heat pumps need to extract some heat from the outside to transfer it to the inside of your home and will struggle in really cold temperatures. Look at the temperatures in the region where you live to determine if a heat pump will work well for you.

For more information about ductless heat pump installation, contact a local HVAC contractor.