Most single family residential buildings are heated and cooled through split air HVAC systems, usually referred to as central air. Split air systems, to put it as simply as possible, consist of three important parts. First of all, you have the air conditioning or condenser unit. Both terms are correct for this cabinet which is located outside of the house. Second, you have the duct system. The ducts not only connect the air conditioner and furnace, they also pump air into the rooms. Lastly, you have the furnace or air blower. Some homeowners don't even realize that the furnace, which houses the air blower, does power on when the air conditioner is running. That is, the large furnace blower circulates air throughout the ducts, and draws air through the return filters.

An Interconnected System

Basically, you can think of your HVAC system as consisting of these three main components: air-conditioner unit, ducts, and the furnace. These three systems are very interconnected. In fact, if you repair or replace one unit, you might also need to make adjustments or replacements to the other unit. For example, if you install a new air conditioning unit, you might need to couple it with a new furnace to maximize efficiency and match the circuitry. Also, your new air conditioning unit might be unnecessarily powerful and efficient if your furnace isn't able to properly circulate all of that cold air.

Clean Ducts

Obviously, the furnace and air conditioning units are far more complicated, advanced, and expensive then the duct system. These large appliances contain electrical components and technologies that can be expensive to repair or replace. So, it only makes sense that duct maintenance is so popular. That is, it is extremely affordable, and it can ultimately improve the efficiency of both your condenser and furnace.

If you fail to properly clean and maintain your ducts, you can expect your the other two components to struggle to reach maximum efficiency. For instance, if your air return ducts are dirty, your furnace will be taking in all of this dusty and dirty air. Most of this debris will be filtered out, but it will cause your filter to get dirty quickly, and result in a furnace that needs to work harder.

As you can see, most split air central HVAC systems are rather simple when you think of them as as three separate units. However, since they are so closely interconnected, is important to do your best to make sure each individual component is regularly serviced. Contact a service, like Vigil Air, for help.

Share