A central air conditioning system uses the forced air system within your home to deliver cooled air making use of the vents plenums and ducts to provide conditioned air.
Difference between furnace and air handler.
Some models also provide secondary heating and cooling parts to help out the heat pump.
If you have a furnace you probably don t need to think about an air handler.
In fact the two systems can look so similar you may think you have an electric furnace when in actuality you have an air handler.
Air handlers can have heating strips within their system but that is mainly used to assist the heat pump in extreme colds.
With the latest variable speed air.
Both air handlers and gas furnaces pair with your air conditioner or heat pump and are located in either a closet attic or basement.
Air handlers tend to be paired up with heat pumps and help manage air flow throughout the building.
Air handlers and furnaces aren t often found together.
The primary difference between forced air and central air systems then is that central air conditioning specifically refers to a cooling system.
That s what makes an air handler different from a furnace.
The two main components that you should consider are efficiency and comfort level.
In electric furnaces this is simply a matter of the exposure of the heating elements to the open air.
This is why it can be confusing to tell the difference between the two.
For homes with both a furnace and central air conditioning the furnace s blower acts as the air handler for the air conditioning system.