Difference Between Central Air Conditioning and Forced Air

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April 6, 2022

As a homeowner, you will hear a lot of HVAC-related terms throughout your lifespan. Two of the most commonly used are forced air systems and central air conditioning. While initially, you may believe that these terms are interchangeable, that's simply not the case for several different reasons.

Difference Between Central Air Conditioning and Forced Air

What's a Forced Air System?

Forced air systems are characterized as systems that deliver temperature-controlled air throughout a home via vents and ducting. You'll most commonly hear forced air systems referred to as furnaces or heating systems. While forced air systems include furnaces, they encompass a broad range of heating and cooling systems. You'll want to think of forced air systems as air ducting and vents.

What's Central Air Conditioning?

A central air conditioner provides you with crisp cool air via a closed-loop refrigerant and cycled air system. All central air conditioning systems have three main components: the condenser, compressor, and evaporator coils. The condenser and compressor are located in an outdoor unit, while the evaporator coils are located inside. All three components work in unison to pull warm air in, remove its heat from the outdoors, and redisperse the cooled air back into the rooms throughout your home.

Breaking Down the Differences

The most apparent difference between central air conditioning and forced air is that central air conditioning specifically refers to a cooling system. In fact, central air conditioning is a subset of a forced air system. It utilizes that forced air system to deliver cooled air throughout the ducting and vents in your home.

It's important to think of a central air conditioning system as entirely independent of your furnace. While it does use the same ventilation system as your furnace, a central air conditioning system has an outdoor unit that works to cool your indoor air. A forced air system is simply the air distribution system. Central air applies to the actual air conditioning unit that is used.

After learning the main differences between a forced air system and a central air conditioning system, it becomes clear why these are often interchangeable in conversation.

Contact Us Today

If you're interested in investing in a new forced air or central air conditioning system, contact us at Master Mechanical. Our helpful HVAC experts will assist you in finding the right heating and cooling systems to meet the needs of your home.

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