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How a heat pump uses refrigeration principles to heat and cool a home, including diagrams
Heat pumps operate similarly to refrigerators. They can draw warmth (or cooling) out of the air, the ground, or water. The most common type of heat pump is an “air-source” system.
“Split” air-source systems have an outdoor unit, which includes a compressor, outdoor coil, fan, and reversing valve. The unit is connected by refrigerant-filled tubing to an indoor component. The indoor unit contains a fan, indoor coil, and a supplemental resistance heating element.
Depending on whether the heat pump is in a cooling or heating mode, the refrigerant moving through the system makes the indoor coils either hot or cold.
