A/C
– Air conditioning also
referred to as A/C. A system
or device for reducing the
temperature and humidity, in
a space.
AHAM
– Acronym for Association
of Home Appliance Manufacturers.
AHAM produces the official rating
for dehumidifiers.
BTU
– British Thermal Unit. A
single BTU is the amount of energy
required to cool or heat a pound of
water one degree Fahrenheit.
Condenser
– The unit used to
condense a substance from a
gaseous state to liquid by cooling
it. Condensers are generally
recognized as heat exchangers. In
the case of air conditioners they
extract the inside heat from the
interior of the air conditioner to
the outside air. Often referred to as
“the outdoor unit.”
Dehumidifier
– Also called,
dehums. Dehumidifiers remove
humidity and are used to keep a
rooms humidity levels in check.
Maintaining correct humidity will
ensure a healthy crop. Too much
humidity will cause molds, rot and
devastate your crop.
Digital Inverter Compressor
–
A digitally controlled compressor
that converts AC voltage to DC
voltage to control compressor
speed. The inverter allows precise
throttle control of the conditioning
unit based on the load or need.
Inverter units are quieter, more
efficient and last longer.
Ductless Mini-Split
– An air
conditioner or heat pump that
requires no duct work to function.
The unit hangs on the wall or
ceiling and cools or heats the
surrounding area.
Evaporator
– The indoor portion
of the heat pump or air conditioner.
In a mini-split system this hangs on
the wall or ceiling and provides the
heating or cooling of the space.
H/P
– Heat Pump. A unit that can
operate as both an air conditioner
or a heater. When it’s cold outside
a heat pump extracts the outside
heat and transfers it inside. When
it’s warm outside, it reverses
directions and acts like an air
conditioner, removing heat. A
heat pump moves heat instead
of generating it, giving you more
energy efficiency.
HSPF
– Heating Seasonal
Performance Factor. The greater
the number/rating the more
efficient the heating. A 10 HSPF,
for example is a very good rating.
Humidifier
– Humidifiers use
water to put humidity in the
growing space. Many plants we
grow indoors are accustomed
to growing outdoors in tropical
areas where humidity is high. Also
certain parts of the country are
drier than others so you will need
to add humidity.
Line Set
– Insulated copper tubing
used to connect the evaporator
and condenser. The refrigerant
travels back and forth through the
line set between the evaporator
and condenser to create either
cooling or heating.
R-410
– A type of refrigerant.
Unlike alkyl halide refrigerants,
R-410A (which contains only
fluorine) does not contribute
to ozone depletion. Because of
that attribute it’s preferred and
used more broadly instead of
R-22 which are phased out. R-410
refrigerants allow for higher SEER
ratings therein reducing power
consumption and improving unit
efficiency.
SEER
– Seasonal Energy Efficiency
Ratio. The greater the SEER rating,
the more efficient the cooling
system. The minimum SEER rating
allowed by the Federal Government
is 14.
Ton
– The size of air conditioning
unit (heating or cooling) is
common referred to in “tons”. A
one ton unit, for example, is 12,000
BTU’s. A two ton, 24,000 BTU’s,
etc. This was arrived at using a
standard of how long it would take
to melt ice. A one ton unit takes
12,000BTU’s of heat one hour to
melt a ton of ice.
VFD
– Variable Frequency Drive.
The VFD is a an electrical device
that’s used to control the speed
and torque of an air conditioning
motor, like those used in an
inverter compressor.
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GLOSSARY OF TERMS
