Product Guide

How Does it Work?

Choosing a Furnace System

Indoor Air Quality

Frequently Asked Questions

Glossary of Terms


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Heating For Your Home
Glossary

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CAPACITY
Usually measured in BTUs or tons, capacity refers to an air conditioning or heating unit's ability to cool or heat a space. For instance, a 20-ton air conditioning unit has twice the capacity of a 10-ton unit.

CFM
A unit to express movement of volume, including air, in Cubic Feet per Minute. A 400 CFM air handler moves 400 cubic feet in one minute.


COMPRESSOR
The compressor plays an integral role in cooling your home. It is the device responsible for pumping refrigerant through the refrigerant lines and the coil, making the transfer of heat from inside your house to the outdoors possible.

Rheem uses the reliable Copeland® Compliant Scroll® compressor exclusively throughout its residential air conditioning and heat pump line for quiet, efficient, and trouble-free operation for many years to come.


CONDENSER
The coil responsible for dissipating heat to the surrounding, outside air. Also called the condenser coil, or outdoor coil, its role is reversed when a heat pump is used in heating mode.


CONTOUR COMFORT CONTROL™
The brain behind the most advanced furnace technology available today. Used in the Rheem Classic 90 Plus Modulating Gas Furnaces with Contour Comfort Control™, this breakthrough technology can keep temperatures throughout your house constant - as constant as one-half of one degree of your thermostat setting.

Conventional furnaces turn on and off when temperatures fall or climb to a pre-determined level, delivering warm air (usually much warmer that the air in the house), until the desired temperature is achieved, then turning off.

The Rheem Classic 90 Plus Modulating Gas Furnace is different. The fan speed and heat output are automatically and constantly varied. The result is that air flows from the registers at the precise temperature you select, for lower utility bills and greater comfort.

You can also use up to six optional remote sensors (mounted in closets or other strategic locations) to help the Contour Comfort Control™ system analyze temperatures throughout your home. The system then uses this information to direct furnace activity accordingly, effectively eliminating hotspots.


COP
The Coefficient of Performance rates a heat pump's ability to efficiently use electricity in its operation. The Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute provides the Coefficient of Performance at 47 degrees Fahrenheit and 17 degrees Fahrenheit. This is because a heat pump is more efficient at higher, outside-air temperatures.


dB
The relative loudness of a sound is expressed in dB, short for decibel. As an example, the sound of a human voice talking is around 70 dB. (See also SRN.)


DOE
A federal agency, the Department of Energy, sets the standards for efficiency throughout the HVAC industry and monitors consumption of energy sources.


DOWNFLOW
A term used to describe the direction of airflow through a furnace. A downflow furnace takes return air from the top, heats it, and then delivers the warm air from the bottom.


DUCT/DUCTWORK/DUCTING
A central heating and air conditioning system uses many components to heat or cool air. This warm or cool air is then transferred to different registers throughout the house via special, flexible, large-diameter pipes or ducts. The system of ducts throughout your house is often referred to as ductwork or ducting.
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