Definition
An air handler is the indoor cabinet of a split heat pump or air conditioning system that houses the blower motor, the evaporator coil, controls and often the filter rack. It moves conditioned air through the supply ducts and pulls air back through the returns. Electric resistance heat strips inside many air handlers provide auxiliary and emergency heat.
Also called: Fan coil
Why it matters to you
SW Washington and Portland-metro homes that heat with an all-electric heat pump instead of a furnace use an air handler indoors, commonly in a garage, closet, basement or attic. Its heat strips help during defrost cycles and the coldest east-wind snaps out of the Columbia River Gorge, so they matter more here than in a cooling-only system.
Practical guidance
Homeowners can change the filter, keep the cabinet accessible and watch for water around its base or in the drain pan. Heat strip, blower and electrical work inside the cabinet should be left to a licensed technician.
About this definition
Written by the Home Energy Group team — a family-owned HVAC company celebrating 25 years of comfort & care across SW Washington and the Portland metro, licensed in Washington (WA LIC# HOMEEGI003J7) and Oregon (OR CCB# 184255). Definitions inform; an on-site diagnosis decides.
