GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Bibb:  A water faucet to which a hose may be attached, also called a hose bibb or sill cock.

BTU:  A BTU, which stands for British Thermal Unit, is a measure of heat.  One BTU is roughly equivalent to that given off by burning one wooden kitchen match.  BTUs are used to measure both heat gain and heat removal.  For example, a 10,000 BTU per hour air conditioner will remove 10,000 BTUs of heat from a room in one hour.  The energy content of oil, gas and electricity can also be measured in BTUs as follows:

One cubic foot of natural gas contains approximately 1,030 BTUs.
One gallon of number two heating oil contains approximately 138,000 BTUs.
One kilowatt-hour of electricity is equal to 3,413 BTUs.
Bulkhead:  Near water, the retaining wall which separates a body of water from land.  In a building, the enclosure for the top of a stairway at the roof level of a building.

Caulking:  A flexible putty-like compound used to fill gaps between windows, doors, trim, etc., and the structure they are mounted in.  Caulking helps prevent air and water infiltration.

Cesspool:  An underground catch basin for liquid waste, usually lined with brick, concrete, or stone, capable of drainage into the surrounding soil.

Condensation:  In a building, beads or droplets of water (and frequently frost in extremely cold weather) that accumulate on the inside of the exterior covering of a building when warm, moisture-laden air from the interior reaches the temperature that no longer permits the air to sustain the moisture it holds.  Use of louvers or ventilators will reduce moisture condensation in attics.  A vapor barrier under the gypsum lath or dry wall on exposed walls will reduce condensation in them.

Conduit, Electrical:  A pipe, usually metal, in which one or more wires are installed.

Conduit, Non-Electrical:  Any small passage or channel that goes from one area to another.

Copalum Connector:  A special type of crimp connector the US Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends when pigtailing Copper wires to Aluminum wiring.

Electric Heat:  Electric Heat was popular for a short time when electricity costs were low.  Now, electric heat is seldom used in new construction.  Electric heat has the advantage of allowing you to adjust room temperatures individually.  Unfortunately, electric heat is expensive to operate. For that reason, many people keep the temperature low, particularly in rooms they seldom use.

Expansion Tank:  Part of a hot water heating system that is filled with air. Its purpose is to provide a cushion for the expansion of the hot water in the heating system.  (Many people confuse expansion tanks with hot water storage tanks.)  

Flue:  The space or passage in a chimney through which smoke, gas, or fumes ascend.  Each passage is called a flue, which together with any other flues and the surrounding masonry make up the chimney.

Forced Hot Air Heating:  Heating system where a fan circulates air over a heat exchanger in a furnace, and back through the building to heat the building.  Forced hot air heating systems are used in many buildings today.  Contrary to popular belief, forced hot air heating ducts are not well suited to conversion to central air conditioning.  This is because forced hot air ducts are at floor level, while air conditioning ducts should be at ceiling level for optimum cooling.  Most forced hot air systems have filters that need to be changed frequently.

Furnace:  Strictly speaking, an enclosed area for heating air.  In common usage, a furnace is taken to mean any piece of equipment where fossil fuel is converted to heat.

Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI):  Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters, or GFCIs, are safety devices now routinely installed where electrical outlets and appliances are used in close proximity to water, (and are now required in those areas by the electrical code).  GFCIs sense the current flowing into the conductors of the outlet.  If there is a small imbalance (such as would occur were someone getting an electric shock) the power is rapidly turned off.  This makes the operation of kitchen and bathroom electrical appliances safer.  GFCIs occasionally trip for other reasons, such as a small amount of water being splashed on the outlet.

Grout:  Mortar made of such consistency (by adding water) that it will just flow into the joints and cavities of the masonry work and fill them solid.

Heat Pump - An air conditioner that contains a valve that allows it to alternate between heating and cooling.

Heat Source - A body of air or liquid from which heat is collected. With York heat pumps, the air outside the home is used as the heat source during the heating cycle.

Hot Water Booster Tank:  A hot water heater or storage tank used with a tankless hot water heater to increase the reserve capacity.  Alone, hot water booster tanks usually cannot provide sufficient hot water.

Hot Water Heater:  Any device for producing hot water.  Most common are tankless coils used in conjunction with a furnace, or an oil, gas, or electric heater combined with a storage tank.  Most non-commercial hot water heaters are of limited capacity; that is, they are not designed for continuous or heavy use.

Hot Water Heating, Hydronic Heating:  Heating system where water is heated in a boiler, then circulated through radiators to heat a building.  Hot water heating systems are used in many modern one and two-family residences.  In older buildings, the radiators become blocked by dust, and heating efficiency is reduced.  Radiators need to be vacuumed every several years.  Some older systems have no circulator and use convection (the tendency of heated water to rise) to circulate the water in a building.  These are called convection hot water or gravity hot water systems.  Convection hot water heating is inefficient and considered obsolete.  Many people with convection hot water heating choose to convert to circulating hot water when feasible.

HSPF - Heating Seasonal Performance Factor. A measure of a heat pump's heating efficiency. The higher the HSPF, the more efficient the product. There is no government established minimum HSPF rating for heat pumps.

Humidifier:  A device designed to increase the humidity within a room or a building by means of the discharge of water vapor.  Humidifiers may consist of individual room size units or larger units attached to a forced hot air furnace to condition the entire building.  Some humidification will make a building seem more comfortable during the dry winter months.  In fact, a room usually feels warmer if the humidity level is higher.  However, too much humidification will cause moisture to build up in the walls and ceilings, and result in possible rot.

Hydronic Heating:  See Hot Water Heating. 

Outdoor Coil/Condensing Unit - The portion of a heat pump or central air conditioning system that is located outside the home and functions as a heat transfer point for collecting heat from and dispelling heat to the outside air.

SEER - Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. A measure of an air conditioner's cooling efficiency. The higher the SEER, the more efficient the product. The government's established minimum SEER rating for air conditioners is 10.

Septic Tank:  A sewage settling tank in which part of the sewage is converted into gas and sludge before the remaining waste is discharged by gravity into a leaching bed underground.  Septic tanks should be pumped at least every three years.

Single Package - A year-round heating and air conditioning system that has all of the components completely encased in one unit outside the home.

Soffit:  Usually the underside of an overhanging cornice.

Split System - A heat pump or central air conditioning system with components located both inside and outside the home. The most common design for home use.

Steam Heat:  One of the first types of central heating systems, still found in many private residences and buildings today.  Steam heating systems were used until the 1950s, and even later in large buildings.  Steam heat offered many advantages in the early part of the century when central heat became popular:  Steam heating systems were simple to install in existing buildings.  There were few moving parts.  Steam could easily heat large buildings that could not be practically heated by any other system of the day.  By today’s standards, steam heat is noisy and inefficient.  There is also a long delay between the time the thermostat calls for heat to the time heat becomes available.  Once the radiators warm up, they continue to radiate heat after the boiler has shut off.

Supplementary Heat - The auxiliary or emergency heat, usually electrical resistance heat, provided at temperatures below a heat pump's balance point.

Trap:  A bend in a water pipe to hold water so gases will not escape from the plumbing system into the building.