Refrigerants: The Key Player in the Operation of Heat Pumps in Vancouver

It's rather interesting to know that Vancouver heat pumps work like a prisoner exchange. Heat and cold keep exchanging places to regulate indoor temperature, just as two opposing sides swap POWs to regulate their troop count. This explains why a lot of heat pumps have external and internal units.



The heat pump is one of many examples of the refrigeration cycle at work. In the process, there is a constant exchange of heat and cold to direct warm and cool air where they're really needed. But the key player in any heat pump system is the refrigerant.



That's right; the refrigerant will help keep your home toasty throughout the Christmas winter. But don't refrigerants work the other way around?

Absorption of heat

As per the Second Law of Thermodynamics, the movement of heat is usually from a high to low temperature. To put it in a simpler context; when you put ice in a hot drink, heat quickly spreads through the ice, making the drink a bit cooler. Refrigerants work using this principle.



The transfer of heat happens in the outer unit of the heat pump system. Refrigerant is pumped into the coils facing the air intake vents. Any traces of heat get absorbed by the refrigerant. A compressor makes the heat even hotter before the transfer to the internal unit. The heat is the refrigerant in its gaseous form.

Heating the air

It's obvious that cool air is circulating if you feel cold in your home. Cool air inside the house will pass through a vent in the internal unit and eventually to an internal set of coils with heat running along them. At this point, the process is reversed. Now, it's the hot coils absorbing the cold from the air.



Just as water vapor condenses in the cold atmosphere, the refrigerant in its gaseous state reverts to liquid form and is pumped back to the external coils. A blower in the internal unit distributes the warm air via the ventilation system. Overall, it's one happy cycle.



The same principle can also be found in other products like a Vancouver tankless water heater and water-variant heat pumps. You can probably say the refrigerant is the star of this act. To know more about refrigerants, ask your friendly neighborhood plumber from Milani about them.

Holiday Heating in Langley: Just Beat Off the Cold and Do The Ski-doo

The winter holidays are supposed to be the "most wonderful time of the year," as one song puts it. You spend time with your family and friends, exchange gifts, and attend Christmas services, as many Canadians are wont to do. The festivities continue into Boxing Day, in certain cases, and on into the New Year. But things would not seem so festive if your HVAC system goes on the fritz.



Canada is already known for its deep white winters. To have your house without an active HVAC system for most of the season is all but a death sentence for you and your family. A check of the system can determine whether it needs maintenance, repair, or full system replacement. An outfit such as Milani can certainly deal with problems besetting your Langley heating system.

Simple Maintenance

Every homeowner has the primary responsibility of keeping his home's HVAC system in working order. The thermostat is the first place to start; it should be checked to ascertain that it is at the correct settings, and that it runs through the start-up and shutdown cycle. All power connections must be tested for the right voltage; while motors require sufficient lubrication. For cooling machinery, it is prudent to clean evaporator and air condenser coils, and check refrigerant levels.

Repair or Replace?

Repairs, whether done by yourself or by a professional, may be called for if maintenance does not quite do the trick. The initial stage concerns checking the right settings for the thermostat, determining whether indicator lights are working, and if the connections are sound. A thermometer check may be needed in case the readout is not calibrated. Call in a professional outfit when all options have failed, and it is time for a replacement.

Piping Cold

Keeping the HVAC running is just one home issue you may have to deal with at Christmastime. What happens when the taps run dry in the middle of your holiday festivities? It is equally aggravating to have tap water that is icy cold due to some problem in the plumbing. Qualified Richmond plumbers such as Milani can be called in to help.



Having a reliable HVAC or plumbing company at your beck and call can reduce the headaches this Christmas. On your part, keeping a regular maintenance schedule for both systems is enough to ensure their reliability.