Hagerstown AC Guide: Air Duct Components and Controls

Various types of systems distribute cool air through a series of passages called ducts to create the comfort and feeling of luxury we often take for granted today. While the purpose of your Hagerstown air conditioning is to provide invisible comfort, the components under the floor, behind the walls, alongside of the house or up on the roof are very real.

How Your AC Works

Because heat rises to cooler air, most air conditioning systems use a process of making a chemical, known as refrigerants, that rapidly transform from gas to liquid and back again to absorb and redistribute unwanted heat. Pressure is then added by a compressor or released into coils to accelerate the refrigerants transformation.

Your heat is produced by a controlled flame then transferred to eagerly awaiting cool air. In both cases, at an exchange point, the air is “conditioned” and blowers circulate the air to and from the rooms in your home through the ductwork.

Ducts

Forced air heat in many older homes has ductwork hanging between the joists.  These are commonly made of metal, take up a lot of space and are prone to rattle. It was discovered that the ductwork, though clunky, could be used to distribute cool air as well as heat.

Advances in technology have expanded the insulation capacities and reduced the size of ductwork so more space can be treated with higher value and less structural impact.  This is due in large part to the highly efficient heating and cooling systems available today.

Enhancing Control

Although the movement of air is fairly simple, controls improve the efficiency of the air conditioning in your home– and reduce your energy or electricity bill. These controls monitor a lot, including the changes in the amount and temperature of your homes air, filters and adjusts humidity and direct the flow of air. From the manual turn of a lever, to fully automated control of your home’s entire AC and heat from your smartphone, technology has transformed how we experience comfort in our homes.

Not to mention thermostats, dampers, zone controls and relay switches that further accommodate all of the many way we take care of our most basic creature comfort– air conditioning.

Have A Question?

For more information about how to best maintain and service your Hagerstown air conditioning system, give your local professionals, Larry & Sons Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning, a call today!