Buildings in the U.S. with central heating systems generally rely upon either furnaces or heat pumps. Furnaces are common in northern regions while heat pumps are more often found throughout the southern states. At locally owned and operated Gulf Shore Cooling, LLC in Fort Meyers, FL, our licensed and insured technicians have the skills and the equipment to work on both types of systems.
How Thermostats Work
Both furnaces and heat pumps depend upon thermostats for regulation. Traditional thermostats are wall dials connected to a wire that connects with your heat source. Within those dials are bimetallic strips that function as a bridge in an electrical circuit. When your rooms grow too hot, those strips expand and break the circuit. When your rooms grow too cold, the strip contracts and the circuit is re-established. The new generation of smart thermostats uses the internet to enable you to regulate the heat levels in your rooms yourself, usually by means of a smartphone or computer-enabled app.
How Heat Pumps Operate
Heat pumps are devices that extract warmth from the outside air and deliver it into the interior of your home or workplace through a cycle that involves evaporation and condensation. A compressor component pumps the refrigerant between two sets of heat exchanger coils; one is on the inside while the other is on the outside. This cycle is fully reversible, so during the warmer months, heat pumps can function as air conditioning systems. Special heat pumps called geothermal pumps are able to use heat that’s stored in the ground.
How Furnaces Operate
Furnaces heat air in one part of your home and then distribute that heated air throughout other rooms by means of a series of ducts. Furnaces can be powered by oil, gas or electricity. A gas furnace creates heat when the pilot light ignites while an electric furnace creates heat through heating elements located within the furnace.
Gulf Shore Cooling, LLC has been providing homeowners and business owners throughout Fort Meyers with high-quality heating and cooling system repairs, maintenance services, and installations since 1983. We also install insulation solutions, smart-home technology, and air purification systems. We’re proud of our A+ accreditation from the Better Business Bureau. Call us today to schedule a service call.
