Types of Air Conditioners
There are many types of air conditioning solutions for different environments and functions. When you are looking for the right kind of HVAC unit to control the temperature and humidity of a building, there are three factors to keep in mind:
The Size of the House
The Location of the House
The Type of Installation Required
All three of these can require very different solutions to get the needed results. Here are some of the air conditioning types that might work best for your home or office with help from Tex-Perts Cooling & Heating.
Split System Air Conditioners
The term “split system air conditioner” refers to the fact that the hot coil and the cold coil sections are separated into 2 different units. The large box outside of your home that begins to work when you turn on your system is the hot side, also known as the condensing unit. The hot side unit contains a large spiral coil and a fan that blows air to dissipate the heat. On a commercial building, this section is often installed on the roof, as it can be quite noisy while running.
The other half of a split system air conditioner is known as the cool side, and is typically found with the furnace inside of the home. The cool side features an evaporator, a cold coil, and a blower that pushes cool air into the duct system, sending cold air into the various rooms of a home or office building. Split System Air Conditioners are the most common type of unit installed in homes.
These types of units can be found as cooling window units or split units. The major difference is in the size of the area that is to be cooled. Window and split units are normally used for smaller spaces. While the package unit is convenient for these tiny areas, it packs a fairly small punch. The central cooling unit, on the other hand, is often used for industrial areas or large office buildings that require the large cooling capacity equipped with central unit systems.
In a “packaged unit” central air conditioner, all of the elements like the evaporator, condenser, and compressor are housed in one box. Air ducts come directly to and from the outdoor unit through the home’s roof or exterior walls to circulate the air. The packaged unit is an all-in-one solution that eliminates the need to install an indoor furnace, because the heating and cooling components are all housed together.
What makes these units special is that all the major pieces are contained in a single casing. Also, packaged AC units can be built at the location they are to be installed. The large ones are always found mounted on the roofs of large buildings. Packaged units are cooled using either air or water cooled condensers.
Evaporative Air Conditioning Units
Also known as swamp coolers, evaporative units are used mostly in arid climates. Evaporative AC units can be found in areas like Arizona, whose environment has very little moisture in the air to begin with. These types of AC units cannot be used for humid climates as they need to evaporate air before they can start to cool their surroundings.
Ductless AC units are used when the plan of a building does not come already fitted with an HVAC. When that happens, there are two available choices: get it retrofitted before an HVAC installation or use ductless air conditioning units.
A single ductless AC unit can efficiently cool an open house with ease. However, the larger the space, the more difficult it can be to cool it down. This can be a serious disadvantage when trying to select the right cooling unit for your home.
Ductless mini split air conditioning systems are unique because they do not require ducts to run throughout your home. The condensing unit is installed outside (just like the traditional units).
Instead of having one central evaporator, ductless mini splits instead feature one small evaporator mounted in each room. The mounted units connect to the outside condenser with a minimal amount of electrical wiring and some small copper tubing.
Ductless mini splits are great for older homes with damaged or nonexistent duct systems. They are also good for new homes that are built with extreme efficiency, where running a central system would be excessive. Because each room’s air conditioning unit can be controlled independently, home owners may save money by only running the unit in certain rooms (this is called zoning.) Zoning can be an excellent way to reduce energy consumption.
It’s estimated that traditional air conditioning systems that use air ducts can expect to have between 25-30% of cooling loss because of expansive empty space in the ducts. But, by using insulated refrigerant lines, ductless mini split systems only lose around 5%. This means that you could see a significant reduction in your energy use by utilizing a ductless system.
Room Air Conditioning Units
We’ve all seen rows of window unit air conditioners sticking out of apartment building windows. Window units are a great solution to the problem of a large building without central air, and they allow each room’s temperature to be controlled individually. These are either window units or portable units that are mainly used to cool the temperature of 1-3 rooms. Room units are mounted in an opening that is specially made for an open window or a wall.
Window units are a self-contained system, where the cold coil and hot coil are housed in the same unit, but are divided by the window that sits down on top of the system. One piece is placed in the building while the other goes on the outside. The two pieces use a hose to connect them for the transfer of warm and cold air.
Because of their simplicity, portable units can be moved from one place to another. This allows hot air to be sent outside, while the cool air is sent inside. Proper installation is key for window units, as a poorly installed unit has high risk of falling out of the window and causing damage or injury. Window unit air conditioners can usually be purchased at big-box stores, but just like any air conditioner, may require maintenance and repair.
Central Air Conditioning Units
These AC units are the most commonly used because of their effectiveness. Central air works using the principle of ductwork. Fresh air is sent through the ducts in all the rooms to avoid any perceivable change in the temperature.
Retrofitting work needs to be done in any house that wants to use a central air conditioning system. There are also great new thermostats that help improve your energy bills even further.
The AC experts at Tex-Perts can help you choose which cooling system is right for you. We can help you with all the options, making the most out of the great available rebates for installing energy-efficient systems. Our bonded and certified HVAC specialists can carefully look into your building and its environment to see which kind of air conditioning system will work best for your needs.
Call us today at 210-599-1200 to be on your way to a new, cooler you!