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Types of Building Heating & Cooling Systems
Links to articles detailing each type of building cooling or heating system
- POST a QUESTION or COMMENT about types of heating or cooling systems
This article provides a table summarizing the various typs of heating or cooling systems.
For each system type we include a link to our home page for information about that type of cooling or heating equipment.
Page top photo: an older type of warm air heating system, a "gravity furnace" that distributed heated air up into the building through a single floor grate, using natural convection to heat the building.
Gravity furnaces were fired at first by coal or sometimes wood, later by oil or gas fuel.
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Table of Common Types of Building Heating & Cooling Systems
| Heating or Heating & Cooling System Type | Comments |
| Air conditioning (cooling) only | Various types: ductless split system, conventional indoor air handler, ouitdoor compressor/condenser unit, portable units AIR CONDITIONING & HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS and
|
| Air conditioning + heating: heat pump systems | |
| Air conditioning, single stage | |
| Air conditioning, two stage | |
| Electric heat: baseboards, radiant floor, radiant ceiling, wall heaters | ELECTRIC HEAT |
| Heating-only, fueled by gas, oil, electricity | BOILERS, HEATING FURNACES, HEATING |
| Heating only, milivolt, pilot light ignited gas heat | GAS BURNER FLAME & NOISE DEFECTS |
| Heating, single stage (electric, heat pump) | |
| Heating, two stage (electric, heat pump) | |
| Heating, forced warm air | FURNACES, HEATING |
| Heating, gravity-flow (convection) warm air | FURNACE CONTROLS & SWITCHES - described gravity furnace heating |
| Heating, hot water (hydronic heat), zoned, zone valves | Add control of ZONE VALVES, HEATING - 3-wire zone valves in order to instruct valve both to open & to close |
| Heating, hot water (hydronic heat), zoned, solenoid valves | Control of solenoid operated ZONE VALVES, HEATING, may be 2-wire or 3-wire |
| Heating, hot water (hydronic heat), zoned, circulator pumps |
Control of individual heating zone circulators |
| Heating, water to air, including forced warm air & fan convectors | |
| Heating, gravity (convection) | BOILERS, HEATING No circulators or zone valves to control |
| Heat pumps with electrical, gas, or oil auxiliary or backup heat | HEAT PUMPS, DIAGNOSIS, REPAIR |
| Heat pumps, air, ground, or hydro (water) heat exchanger | GEOTHERMAL HEATING SYSTEMS |
| Heat pumps without auxiliary or backup heat supply | HEAT PUMPS |
| Radiant heating systems: in floor, in ceiling, electric, hydronic, solar forced air, blockbed, others. | |
| Solar heating systems | SOLAR HOT WATER HEATERS & heating systems |
| Steam heating systems | STEAM HEATING SYSTEMS |
| Hot water heaters | WATER HEATERS |
| Wood or other bio-fuel fired heating systems | WOOD BURNING HEATERS FIREPLACES STOVES |
Notes to the table above
- Thermostat wiring also depends on how the installer has wired the thermostat.
...
Continue reading at DIAGNOSE & FIX HEATING PROBLEMS-BOILER or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.
Or see these
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- DIAGNOSTIC GUIDE A/C or HEAT PUMP
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- PARTS - AIR CONDITIONING or HEAT PUMP
- AIR CONDITIONING & HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
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- MANUALS & PARTS GUIDES - HVAC - home for all brands of air conditioners, boilers, heat pumps, furnaces, etc.
Suggested citation for this web page
HVAC SYSTEM TYPES at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.
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INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to HEATING SYSTEMS
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Citations & References
In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.
- AUDELS OIL BURNER GUIDE, INSTALLING, SERVICING, REPAIRING, [PDF online copy of this book] Frank D. Graham, Theo. Audel & Co., New York 1946, 1947, 1955 (out of print, copies occasionally available from antique book dealers and on EBay). Use THIS LINK to read a free online copy of this helpful classic textbook.
- Brumbaigh, James E., Audel HVAC FUNDAMENTALS Vol. 1: HEATING SYSTEMS, FURNACES & BOILERS 4th Ed., [PDF] (2004) Wiley Publishing, - retrieved 2022/09/17 original source: http://arco-hvac.ir/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Engineering-Audel-Hvac-Fundamentals-Heating-Systems-Furnaces-And-Boilers.pdf
- Thanks to Scott C. LeMarr, for sharing his file of keys to decode Furnace and Water Heater Age from the data provided on the manufacturer's equipment labels. Mr. LeMarr is a professional home inspector, Certified Professional Inspector/President, MASTER Indoor Environmental Specialist (MIES). Vice President of Wisconsin NACHI. He and his company, Honest Home Inspections [ Website: www.HonestHomeInspections.com ], LLC. can be reached at 262-424-5587 or by email to scott@honesthomeinspections.com
- Fuel Oil & Oil Heating Magazine, 3621 Hill Rd., Parsippany, NJ 07054, 973-331-9545
- Domestic and Commercial Oil Burners, Charles H. Burkhardt, McGraw Hill Book Company, New York 3rd Ed 1969.
- National Fuel Gas Code (Z223.1) $16.00 and National Fuel Gas Code Handbook (Z223.2) $47.00 American Gas Association (A.G.A.), 1515 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22209 also available from National Fire Protection Association, Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA 02269. Fundamentals of Gas Appliance Venting and Ventilation, 1985, American Gas Association Laboratories, Engineering Services Department. American Gas Association, 1515 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22209. Catalog #XHO585. Reprinted 1989.
- The Steam Book, 1984, Training and Education Department, Fluid Handling Division, ITT [probably out of print, possibly available from several home inspection supply companies] Fuel Oil and Oil Heat Magazine, October 1990, offers an update,
- Principles of Steam Heating, $13.25 includes postage. Fuel oil & Oil Heat Magazine, 389 Passaic Ave., Fairfield, NJ 07004.
- The Lost Art of Steam Heating, Dan Holohan, 516-579-3046 FAX
- Principles of Steam Heating, Dan Holohan, technical editor of Fuel Oil and Oil Heat magazine, 389 Passaic Ave., Fairfield, NJ 07004 ($12.+1.25 postage/handling).
- "Residential Steam Heating Systems", Instructional Technologies Institute, Inc., 145 "D" Grassy Plain St., Bethel, CT 06801 800/227-1663 [home inspection training material] 1987
- "Residential Hydronic (circulating hot water) Heating Systems", Instructional Technologies Institute, Inc., 145 "D" Grassy Plain St., Bethel, CT 06801 800/227-1663 [home inspection training material] 1987
- "Warm Air Heating Systems". Instructional Technologies Institute, Inc., 145 "D" Grassy Plain St., Bethel, CT 06801 800/227-1663 [home inspection training material] 1987
- Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning Volume I, Heating Fundamentals,
- Boilers, Boiler Conversions, James E. Brumbaugh, ISBN 0-672-23389-4 (v. 1) Volume II, Oil, Gas, and Coal Burners, Controls, Ducts, Piping, Valves, James E. Brumbaugh, ISBN 0-672-23390-7 (v. 2) Volume III, Radiant Heating, Water Heaters, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, Heat Pumps, Air Cleaners, James E. Brumbaugh, ISBN 0-672-23383-5 (v. 3) or ISBN 0-672-23380-0 (set) Special Sales Director, Macmillan Publishing Co., 866 Third Ave., New York, NY 10022. Macmillan Publishing Co., NY
- Installation Guide for Residential Hydronic Heating Systems
- Installation Guide #200, The Hydronics Institute, 35 Russo Place, Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922
- The ABC's of Retention Head Oil Burners, National Association of Oil Heat Service Managers, TM 115, National Old Timers' Association of the Energy Industry, PO Box 168, Mineola, NY 11501. (Excellent tips on spotting problems on oil-fired heating equipment. Booklet.)
- In addition to citations & references found in this article, see the research citations given at the end of the related articles found at our suggested
CONTINUE READING or RECOMMENDED ARTICLES.
- Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd., 120 Carlton Street Suite 407, Toronto ON M5A 4K2. Tel: (416) 964-9415 1-800-268-7070 Email: info@carsondunlop.com. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors.
Thanks to Alan Carson and Bob Dunlop, for permission for InspectAPedia to use text excerpts from The HOME REFERENCE BOOK - the Encyclopedia of Homes and to use illustrations from The ILLUSTRATED HOME .
Carson Dunlop Associates provides extensive home inspection education and report writing material. In gratitude we provide links to tsome Carson Dunlop Associates products and services.
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