The Basic Air Conditioning Controller
Your HVAC system will typically come with a thermostat that will tell you the temperature. While the temperature may be read from the controller itself, more typically, it’s found within the unit’s return air box. This can be found within your building’s roof.
Whenever the temperature is read from inside the return air box, it may not be as accurate as reading the room temperature. For instance, it’s possible that the room is actually quite cold (you may have your thermostat set to 70 degrees) but by the time the air finds its way back to the return air box it may have warmed up a lot (the air has heated up to 80 degrees). This means that your HVAC will continue to run even though you’re feeling cold. There are two different ways in which you can counteract this. The first thing that you can do is increase the temperature on the control so that the unit will cycle off faster. However, it’s important to understand here that the temperature that you set on the controller usually is inaccurate. Therefore it works on a scale where if you set it to 70 degrees, it doesn’t necessarily mean that your room is going to cool down to this temperature.
The second thing that you can do is place a ducted fixed constant in your hallway near where the return air grille is located. As the name suggests, this is something that will continually remain on. With this system, your conditioned air will be able to easily return to your unit’s airbox, helping the unit to cycle off. For instance, when your bedrooms are located a long way away from the return air, the air in the rooms will heat up too much before it’s able to make its way back to the air return. This is where your fixed constant would come into play. Its job is to bleed the air directly back into the grill so that the unit will cycle off and save you money because it won’t be running so much.
Variable Air Volume System (VAV) Air Conditioning Controller
With a VAV, the reverse cycle’s zone motors are ducted into your air conditioning system. This allows you to have some control over the temperature of the rooms that you’re in. Here a zone is a series of blades that allow you to close off a room’s ductwork, thus stopping air from flowing to that room. For instance, if you want to turn off the air to your bedroom you can close the blades so that the air won’t proceed down the ductwork towards your bedroom. Of course, the opposite is also true: you can open the blades up fully so that the air will start flowing into the room.
A VAV system doesn’t simply open or close the blades though. You can actually control what percentage they’re open. This is great for allowing you to control how much airflow makes it into a room – something that controls the room’s temperature overall. For instance, when you have a room whose temperature is around 70 degrees and you set the VAV controller in the room to 62 degrees, the air would enter and cool the room. When the room is about 62 degrees, the blades will begin to close in order to restrict the airflow so that the temperature is maintained. Once the room’s temperature is above 62 degrees, the blades will open again and allow airflow so you can maintain the temperature there.
The VAV system is one of the most basic types of HVAC systems. It’s an inexpensive way in which to control the airflow in just a few areas of your home. Understanding that it’s different from a VRV is important though. With a VRV multiple head units are running to one large compressor that’s located on the outside of the building.
Full Air Conditioning Temperature Control
Another system that works like the VAV system is the fully ducted temperature control system. With this system, you’ll have a controller that’s located in each of your rooms. This will read the room’s temperature determining whether the blades need to open or close so that each room gets the right amount of airflow to heat or cool it.
The main difference between these two systems is that a fully ducted temperature control system controls the temperature in your whole home, whereas a VAV controls it in just a few rooms. For this reason, a fully ducted temperature control system will make you feel more comfortable since each person can set the temperature they want in their living space.
You’ll also find that a fully ducted temperature control system is more economical and less expensive to run than a standard system. This is due to the fact that when a room reaches the desired temperature, it’ll turn off and the unit will also cycle off.
The Benefits to Choosing a Temperature Control HVAC System
By being able to control the temperature in each of your rooms, everyone can maintain the temperature they desire. Since everyone is different, it’s only normal to want different temperatures in our environment. Of course, there are also other factors that must be taken into consideration when determining a room’s temperature (e.g heat load, what people are wearing, what side of the house the sun is on). Fortunately, these are things that you can overcome by using a temperature control system.
The one thing these systems are unable to do is to perform separate heating and cooling operations. Therefore if you set the unit to cool, it’ll only be able to cool the rooms in your home. If someone wants to heat up a room, they won’t be able to do so. Nevertheless, this is the simplest way of explaining how temperature control works when you have a reverse cycle (refrigerative) HVAC system. IF you ever need help with air conditioning in Canton MI, just do some research.
We all know it’s important to get a professional to do the job, no matter whether you’re getting your car fixed, calling a plumber or going to the doctor. You want to know that the job has been done correctly, especially as it’s costing you.
Now that the temperature is getting hotter, this is a signal that summer is almost here. It’s time to make sure your air conditioner is ready to keep you nice and cool. But how can you ensure it’s performing well? Chances are if you notice any of the following signs, it’s time for an AC repair or replacement.