Various air conditioning systems are available; however, each is different from the other in several ways. You might be wondering what these types available are and how they differ from one another. This article has gathered the information to understand the various HVAC systems available and everything you need to know about them. Therefore, do not always rush to the market to buy any AC system; make sure that you research and know the best type you need for your home.
The following are the standard AC systems you can find in the market:
Ducted Reverse Cycle
It is also known as the refrigerative, and they are the most excellent units one can get in the market today. The units work both ways to heat and cool your home, and it is easy to attain the right temperature you need with them. The ducted reverse cycle is a closed system meaning you will have to keep both the door and windows closed while using the units.
They work through compressing and decompressing hot or cold air to heat and cool your room. It is equipped with a series of diffusers that blows out the air; the airflow then goes round the house and is sucked back in by the return air filter to re-cool or re-heat and then gets released.
The primary benefit of using these benefits is that they can quickly cool or heat every room in your house; however, they cannot do this at once. To make this work, you will be required to divide the house into several zones and heat a few zones simultaneously; this will be more effective. In addition, they provide your house with comfort and better performance for an extended period.
On the other hand, the ducted reverse cycle units are expensive to acquire. For instance, to acquire a typical refrigerative unit system, they should have an amount ranging from $7000 to $10000 that can be used in a single-story building of four bedrooms and two bath homes. Moreover, their running and maintenance cost is higher than the other AC units available. Some people find that the recirculated air is stale sometimes, and that makes the unit disadvantageous to use; however, this can be avoided by installing fresh air externally while the system is in operation. Commercial projects always have the air system inducted before using their ducted reverse cycle systems.
Ductless Air Conditioning/ wall split air conditioners/ Reverse Cycle Ductless.
The Ductless Air conditioners work using similar principles to the ducted reverse cycle units, but they can only be used in a single room. They are made up of a head unit that sits in the respective room while there is a series of cables and pipes that connect the unit system to the compressor outside.
The main benefit of this unit is that they work by either heating or cooling to provide the best temperature control. One can easily install them within the shortest time possible, and they are always readily available. These walls split air conditioners are affordable; however, if you install them more than three times, you would instead buy one than reinstall your previous one. Their prices range from $1200 to $1500 for small rooms; this includes the supply and installation costs.
The top disadvantage of having these units is that they only work to cool and heat the room in which they are placed. Thus, one cannot rely on these conditioners to cool or heat and transfer the air to other rooms next to the central unit’s specific room. Like the previously discussed AC, they can make the air stale. Moreover, the unit blows directly to people something that might be uncomfortable to others.
It would help if you were careful as some of these units can be sold with only one functionality, either cooling or heating.
Box units
They are cheap to acquire in the market, but they are not the best choice. This is just a box that can be placed on a window frame or wall, where half of the box unit side sits inside the room while the other is exposed outside. The compressor that is outside is responsible for cooling and heating. The section inside the house has buttons, and that’s where the air flows from; therefore, they can only cool or heat the room they are placed in. The advantage of using the box units is that they are cheap and suitable for use in locations that require air conditioning for numerous days in a year. The limitation to these box units is that sometimes they become noisy and have less power. Moreover, they can be ugly or unpresentable because one side sits inside while the other sits inside, and they only cool and heat a single room, that is, where they have been placed.
Evaporative coolers
These are the large boxes you might have seen on the roofs of people roofs; it operates through drawing in air that is run through a series of sheets made like wet hay bales. It works just like the wind brings about a cooling effect in the ocean. The box unit has a big fan that sucks air on the roof; the air gets in and out of your house through any opening, like windows or doors.
A significant percentage of commercial buildings, factories, and shops are equipped with this type of AC as it is cheap and straightforward to use.
Evaporative conditioners are among the cheapest air conditioners in the market, they need less maintenances fees, and they can even cool your whole home within an hour.
The disadvantage with these units is that they do not work in high humidity atmospheres. When the air gets saturated, the evaporative unit declines to add more moisture, making the system stop cooling. In addition, they are likely to cause too much dampness in your home, which can attract moulding, they as well lack a temperature control unit, and thus they can only run on or off.
Lastly, the windows and doors should be open for the system to run efficiently, posing a security threat. If the system stays unused for long, you will need to call experts to flush it and prevent the evaporative coolers from transmitting legionnaire’s disease.