When you take a quick glance at an air handler, you may think it’s a furnace due to its very close resemblance, but an air handler actually acts like the “lungs” of your home or business.
An air handler’s main function is to circulate the air in your home via a series of supply and return ventilation ducts or tubing. The other mechanical components around the air handler will create the heating, cooling, and filtration of the air in the system.
An air handler consists of four main parts:
Indoor Coil:
- Air moves across the coil and the coil will remove heat from the air to provide cooled air. Alternatively, it will add heat to the air to provide heating.
Blower Motor:
- Comes in varying speeds such as single speed, multi-speed, or variable speed. The blower moves the air to the connected ductwork or supply tubing that is specific to the type of air handler installed.
Air Supply & Return Plenum:
- The supply delivers the conditioned air and the return brings the air back to the air handler to be heated or cooled.
Filter:
- Before the heated or cooled air enters the ductwork or supply tubing, it passes through the air filter. This will clean out the particles in the air before going through your home or business.
There are multiple installation possibilities with an air handler as they are designed to be installed in spaces like attics, closets, crawl spaces, and basements. An air handler can be connected to a boiler or water heater, and have a hydronic component within it that heats the air that is blown through the ducts. The system can also be connected to a condensing unit, or heat pump, outside with refrigerant lines to provide cooling to the same property. It is simply the mechanism that “handles” the air in your home by conditioning it and recirculating it.
If you’re looking into adding an air handler to your current HVAC system, or replacing your current air handler with a new unit, give the specialists at HAMCO a call today! We specialize in all aspects of air handler maintenance, emergency service, and installation.