Air Handler v. Air Conditioner

Have you ever had a technician come to your home and throw around confusing HVAC terms. The terminology alone can be daunting. One question we receive a lot is: what’s the difference between an air conditioner and an air handler? An air handler contains the components that move the air throughout your home, called the blower. It is usually set inside the home and operates with both the heating and cooling components of your HVAC system. If you take a quick look at an air handler, it may closely resemble a furnace. Air handlers can run with either an air conditioner or a heat pump and contain the indoor coil used to cool and heat your home. Air conditioners contain the condenser and are traditionally set outside the home. One of the most common confusions with air conditioners is that they cool the existing air in your home. Air conditioners actually pull out heat from inside your home push it outside. The removal of heat is what makes the air feel cool, not the addition of cold air. The warm air inside your home is drawn into the system through return ducts and then go over a refrigerant coil. As the warm air is blown across the cooled coil, heat is removed. Refrigerant lines then carry the heat outside. Now you’re left with cool, comfortable indoor air that you can enjoy on the hottest of days. If you’d like more information about your current system and whether an air handler or air conditioner is right for your home, contact us at Spencer Air Conditioning and Heating at (972) 446-COOL (2665) or by logging on to spencerairconditioning.com to find out more. Our longevity speaks for our quality.