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Most often, air handlers are located in the attic, basement or a dedicated closet, and may closely resemble the shape of a gas furnace. As its name suggests, an air handler “handles” the air inside your home and delivers warm or cool indoor air throughout your entire home.
How do I find my air handler?
The air handler is the large metal box containing the fan and fan motor. Typically, the unit would be found in a basement, an attic, or sometimes in the back of a closet. Once it is located, look for a slot where an air filter should fit.
Is the air handler inside or outside?
The air handler is the component that circulates air inside your home. It’s typically found indoors, either in a closet or attic. An air handler’s basic components are an air filter, a blower and a coil. The internal blower moves air through the evaporator coil and transfers it throughout the building via ductwork.
Is an air handler the same as an air conditioner?
Air handlers are designed to move air around. That’s all that they do. They don’t heat up or cool down, they move air. Air conditioners, on the other hand, exist only to cool air by removing heat from the outdoor air.
What is an air handler in an HVAC system?
What is 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.
Does an air handler have a fan?
Just like a furnace, air handlers contain a blower (fan), controls, and an evaporator coil that conditions and recirculates the air in your home. The air handler works with the outdoor unit (a condenser or heat pump) in a typical split-system by using refrigerant lines that connect the two systems.
What is an indoor air handler?
The air handler is the indoor part of your AC system—and a vital part, at that! The indoor air handler unit comprises an air filter, coil, and blower. The handler pulls air in, passes it over the coils (to cool or heat), and then blows it back out into the home through the duct system.
What is an outside air handling unit?
An AHU designed for outdoor use, typically on roofs, is also known as a rooftop unit (RTU). The AHU is a large metal box containing separate ventilators for supply and exhaust, heating coil, cooling coil, heating/cooling recovery system, air filter racks or chambers, sound attenuators, mixing chamber, and dampers.
What is the inside HVAC unit called?
The outside components box is called the condenser while the inside box is the air handler. But you need to understand what’s inside these boxes, to learn how your central air conditioner works.
How much does it cost to replace an air handler?
Cost to Replace an Air Handler New Air Handler $700 – $1,500 Installation $1,200 – $1,800 Remove/Dispose of Old Unit $300 – $500 Total $2,200 – $3,800.
What is the difference between an air handler and a fan coil?
AHU, completely known as air handling unit is different from FCU or the fan coil unit. AHUs are usually connected to a central HVAC system whereas an FCU can function or be installed itself. It is no surprise that AHU is the bigger HVAC system not to mention, the FCU is also regarded as the smaller version of the AHU.
Do you have to replace air handler with air conditioner?
You should replace your air handler when you replace your air conditioner or heat pump because matched systems perform better. Since most HVAC systems are installed at the same time, your air handler unit is probably the same age as your air conditioner or heat pump unit.
Where is the air handler on AC unit?
What is an Air Handler? An air handler will most likely be found inside the home as part of a split-system air conditioner or heat pump. An internal blower distributes the conditioned air throughout a home, making it feel more comfortable in the process.
What is the purpose of an air handler?
Most often, air handlers are located in the attic, basement or a dedicated closet, and may closely resemble the shape of a gas furnace. As its name suggests, an air handler “handles” the air inside your home and delivers warm or cool indoor air throughout your entire home.
Why do I need an air handler?
Working in tandem with the air conditioner, the air handler keeps the air cold and blowing. However, air handlers can also be beneficial in slightly cooler climates. They can contain both heating and cooling elements. The cooling element would be the evaporator coil, which removes excess heat from the air.
How does an air handler system work?
Simply put, an air handler “handles air” around the house via ductwork. An air handler is installed inside and works with an outdoor air conditioning and/or heat pump condenser unit to make the air hot or cold. A blower fan that moves the conditioned air throughout the home via ductwork.
What is the difference between an air handler and a furnace?
The difference between an air handler and a furnace is that a furnace creates and moves heat. An air handler moves air heated (or cooled) by another source. Air handlers and furnaces are heating and cooling appliances that look very much alike.
How long does an air handler last?
Air conditioning units generally last around 15 years or so. If you want your air conditioning unit to live as long as possible, you want to get it maintained twice a year.
Where is the blower fan located?
The blower fan is located in the inside portion of your air conditioner and is so named because it is responsible for blowing the air to the ductwork in your system which then allows for the distribution of the air throughout your home.
Where is the fan in my furnace?
The blower fan is located inside a horizontal air conditioning unit in many home air conditioning systems, especially when the air handler is located in an attic or crawl area.
Where is the heater fan located?
The blower motor is usually under the dashboard on the passenger side. Blower motors that make loud squeaks or rattling noises may be worn out and on the verge of packing it in, but sometimes those noises are caused by leaves or other debris that can be cleaned out after the motor is removed from the vehicle.
Should I put my air handler in the attic?
Reduced Energy Bills An additional benefit of having your AC handler in the attic is that it can lead to a reduction in your utility bills. Since it can cool the home more evenly, it won’t have to work as hard. This will lead to a reduction in energy bills.
