If you’re considering installing a new heat pump in your Littleton, CO, home, you may need to choose between two different system types. One is a traditional heat pump, which uses the ductwork in your home’s walls to offer heating and cooling. The other is a high-velocity system, which uses a much smaller duct network to carry high-velocity hot and cold air to where you need it. Here’s what you need to know about each system type and how to choose between them.
Traditional Heat Pumps and How They Work
A traditional heat pump is a heating and cooling system that uses the refrigeration cycle to function. In the winter, it captures heat energy from the outside air by cycling extremely cold refrigerant through an outdoor heat exchanger. Then, it amplifies that heat using a compressor and carries the now-hot refrigerant indoors to heat your home. Once inside, a blower fan circulates your home’s air through another heat exchanger containing the hot refrigerant.
The indoor unit of a traditional heat pump works just like a forced-air furnace would, minus its burners and natural gas piping. The air that the blower circulates over the heat exchanger exits the system via your home’s in-wall network of ducts. From there, it travels through your home to get to the vents in the rooms that need it. In the summer, the cycle reverses, collecting heat from your home’s air and expelling it outside.
High Velocity Systems and How They Work
Operationally, a high-velocity heat pump system works just like a traditional one. The main difference between the two has to do with how a high-velocity system circulates air through your home. Instead of a network of large ducts running inside your home’s walls, a high-velocity system uses a network of small, flexible tubing and small vents strategically placed throughout your home.
A high-velocity heat pump system makes up for the smaller air volume it can push through its small tubing network by dramatically increasing the pressure of the air it puts out. This allows a high-velocity system to raise and lower the temperature in your home much faster than a traditional heat pump. It also means that you’ll have much less noticeable vents in your rooms. The vents used by a high-velocity system are usually about five inches in diameter at the most.
Choosing Between the Two System Types
If your home already has conventional ductwork installed in its walls, there’s a good chance that a traditional heat pump is the right choice for you. To make sure, however, you’d need one of our HVAC technicians to evaluate your home’s ductwork to make sure it can accommodate the heat pump you’d like to install.
In some cases, your home’s ductwork won’t be up to the task of working with the heat pump you’d like to install. This can happen if your ductwork is too small to handle the airflow the heat pump produces. It can also happen if your ductwork is old and has deteriorated to the point that it would be wasteful to use it. Doing so might throw away all of the efficiency gains that come from your new heat pump and might even compromise your comfort.
In those situations, or if your home never had preinstalled ductwork, to begin with, a high-velocity system might be the perfect choice. This is because it’s much easier to install the flexible tubing used by such systems inside finished walls. Our expert technicians can install it while avoiding obstructions in your walls and without damaging them. Then, you’d get all of the great benefits that come with a heat pump without the expense involved in retrofitting your home with traditional ductwork.
Your Heat Pump and High-Velocity Experts
Whether you choose a traditional heat pump or a high-velocity system for your Littleton home, Simply Mechanical is the place to call. Our team of HVAC specialists has over 30 years of experience working with HVAC systems of all kinds. We offer expert installation, repair, and maintenance services for all makes and models of HVAC systems. Plus, we offer ductwork, indoor air quality services, and Wi-Fi thermostats, too.
For your next traditional heat pump or high-velocity system installation in Littleton, call the experts at Simply Mechanical today.
