HVAC Terms, Explained Plainly
Grouped by subject, defined in context, and written so a term makes sense the first time you read it.
Every Glossary Page
Filtration and Air Quality Terms
MERV, pleated, media, and UV light all show up on filter boxes and repair invoices, but they describe different things: how tightly a filter...
Read more →Airflow Terms
A technician diagnosing a hot room or a weak vent tends to reach for a specific set of words: CFM, static pressure, delta-T, return, supply,...
Read more →Capacity and Sizing Terms
Ton, BTU, Manual J, load calculation, oversizing, and rule of thumb sizing are the six words behind almost every conversation about how big ...
Read more →Comfort and Humidity Terms
Two Southwest Florida homes can both read 75 degrees on the thermostat and feel completely different, one crisp, one sticky. The gap is humi...
Read more →Core Component Terms
A central air conditioner is really six parts working together, three of them living indoors in the air handler, two of them outside in the ...
Read more →Condensate and Drainage Terms
An air conditioner running in a humid climate is always moving water somewhere, and that path has its own vocabulary: condensate, drain pan,...
Read more →Efficiency Rating Terms
SEER2, EER2, and HSPF2 are the efficiency ratings printed on nearly every AC and heat pump quote, and variable speed, two-stage, and inverte...
Read more →AC Electrical Terms
An AC repair invoice is full of small electrical parts most homeowners never had a reason to learn: capacitor, contactor, relay, disconnect,...
Read more →Heat Pump and Heating Terms
A heat pump runs the same refrigerant cycle as a straight air conditioner, just reversible, and that reversibility is where most of this voc...
Read more →Installation Terms
A new AC system can look identical to a neighbor's from the curb and still be installed very differently underneath. Terms like matched syst...
Read more →Refrigerant and Sealed-System Terms
When a technician talks about refrigerant, superheat, subcooling, a TXV, a metering device, or a sealed system, they're describing one close...
Read more →Service and Maintenance Terms
Service call, diagnostic, tune-up, 34-point inspection, preventive maintenance, commissioning: these words all describe a visit from an HVAC...
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