Air Handlers
Hamstra Heating & Cooling installs, replaces, and repairs air handlers and other heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment for homes and businesses throughout Arizona.
Our licensed and insured professionals have you covered from your furnace to your heat pump. We can answer all your questions and provide the home HVAC solutions you want to enhance the comfort of your Tucson home.
What Is an Air Handler?
Your air handler regulates and circulates air. Homes with furnaces do not need air handlers. But if you have a heat pump for heating and cooling your home, it needs an air handler to circulate the conditioned air.
Ductless heat pump systems also use air handlers that mount to the wall or ceiling of an individual room. Are you looking to convert your garage, basement, or attic into an extra bedroom or exercise room? You can install a ductless unit to provide direct heating and cooling to the area—and you won’t need to extend any existing ductwork.
You can also connect individual air handlers in multiple rooms to the same outdoor unit for a multi-zone ductless system, allowing you to create different temperature zones throughout your home.
How Do Air Handlers Work?
The main components of an air handler are the evaporator coil, blower motor, and air filter. The evaporator coil facilitates heat transfer between the refrigerant gas passing through it and the indoor air. The blower motor pushes air into your ductwork and disperses it throughout your home. Your air filter supports better indoor air quality (IAQ) by trapping dust, dirt, and debris.
Blower Motor Types
Blower motors operate at different speeds. These are the different types of blower motors:
Permanent split capacitor (PSC) blower motors are common in older systems but not found in new energy-efficient HVAC systems. PSC motors typically use one speed for cooling and one speed for heating—they only turn on and off. When a PSC blower runs, it operates at full speed.
Constant torque electronically commutated motor (constant torque ECM) blowers are more energy efficient than PSC blowers and are common in newer HVAC systems. Constant torque ECM blowers feature multiple-speed taps, the ability to vary airflows with different heating and cooling stages, and energy-efficient indoor fan-only/circulate operation.
Variable-speed electronically commutated motor (variable-speed ECM) blowers take indoor comfort a step further. These motors are frequently paired with a programmable control module allowing for airflow customization, which can include:
- Increasing or decreasing airflow (CFM) in each heating or cooling stage.
- Ramping profiles (how long the motor spends ramping up to full speed).
- Cycle on/off delay timers (how long the fan runs at the end of each heating and cooling cycle).
- And other advanced features.
If your home’s existing duct system leaves several rooms struggling for adequate airflow, a system with a variable-speed ECM blower could help improve conditions without costly duct system modifications!
Air Handler Repair and Maintenance
Do you have an issue with your air handler that requires repair? We can help! If you have any concerns, know our professionals are just a call away. Our experts can investigate the issue and provide the appropriate repair.
Our Choice Service Club Membership provides a cost-effective strategy to maintain your air handler and other HVAC equipment. Join our maintenance club today to receive discounts, same-day service, friendly email scheduling reminders, and other perks.
Let Us Address Your Air Handler Needs
Whenever there’s an issue with your air handler in Tucson, AZ, our Hamstra Heating & Cooling professionals can assist! Call us at 520.629.9833 or request service online.