Air Conditioner Types

Once you’ve decided to purchase an air conditioner, your choices will include everything from window units to central air conditioning and so on. If you want air conditioner repair in Montreal, please check this website: https://airmagique.com/air-conditioner-repair-in-montreal/

 

1. Window Air Conditioners

Window air conditioners are the most common type of air conditioning you see. As you walk down a city street in the summer and look up, you’ll see plenty of these installed in the windows above you.

Or worse, but just as common, you’ll be dripped on by their condensation!

 

This type of air conditioner, normally mounted in a window, has an exhaust system which pushes hot air out the back and sides, while the refrigerant cooling system is pointed indoors.

Commonly, these units have the ability to cool one room at a time, and if you have a large home, you may need one of these installed in each room you want cooled.

Largely inexpensive, these are still the most popular option for those who live in small homes or apartments.

Another advantage of the window unit is that they can be moved between rooms as necessary and removed altogether in colder months.

One of the disadvantages of window air conditioners is losing the use of the window that it’s installed in, both in terms of access to fresh air and the amount light which enters the room.

A less common concern, but one to be aware of, is that window units mounted in windows close to the ground can be easily compromised by burglars.

 

2. Central Air Conditioning

For those with a large home who want to cool many rooms at once, central air conditioning or “central air” as it’s commonly known, is going to be the most effective form of air conditioning.

The system begins with a cooling compressor, which is located outside of the home and is the piece that actually cools the air.

A coil filled with refrigerant is used to cool the air, which is then blown by a fan and distributed throughout your house through your established ductwork.

Using these supply and return ducts, central air conditioning circulates the cool air through a building while warm air is then carried back through the return system and pushed out of the house through an exhaust system.

Your central air conditioning system will use the same system of ducts that your heating system uses to direct air from the furnace.

 

Although most older homes will not be fitted with central air, they will have this duct system, which makes central air easy to install should you decide to do so.

 

Because you’re dealing with the insides of your house, this type of system requires the most planning of any discussed here. Central air requires a professional to install and will be the most expensive system we look at here.

 

3. Portable Air Conditioners

Similar to window air conditioners, portable air conditioners are another example of a “unitary” or self-contained air conditioning system.

What this means is that like window units, portable air conditioners have all of their important components contained within one appliance.

These units are most commonly used in situations where either the design of a room or building rules and regulations prevent the installation of a window unit.

The way these work is by cooling the air with a condenser coil contained inside the unit and then sending the warm air out through a large exhaust hose.

 

The exhaust hose is a large tube which resembles a dryer vent and connects the unit to an airtight window kit, directing the exhaust outdoors. These window kits are usually included with the unit.

 

As a result of the condenser and exhaust fan being located within the same casing, these units are typically a bit noisier than other air conditioners.

 

The excessive noise is the result of the evaporator fan. This is the fan that evaporates the collected condensation inside the unit.

 

Also, these units have proven to be ineffective in rooms that are larger than 500 square feet.

Because of the noise and relative weakness of these units, many see the portable air conditioner as a last resort in situations where a window unit is impractical.

 

To their credit, these units are relatively light and usually have wheels, making them easy to move between rooms.

 

4. Through-the-wall Air Conditioners

Just like window air conditioners, through-the-wall air conditioners bring in warm air which is then exhausted, while they send cool air back into the room.

 

Like window units and portable air conditioners, these are self-contained or “unitary” systems.

 

For those without accessible windows, through-the-wall air conditioners are a viable option but require some planning because unlike window units, they will be mounted permanently and cannot be removed.

 

In order to mount one of these, a hole must be cut in an exterior wall, into which a sleeve is installed. These sleeves are necessary to support the weight of the air conditioner, as the wall itself is not strong enough to.

 

As you’ll be cutting into a wall of your house, it is highly recommended that this installation is performed by a professional.

 

One of the advantages of a through-the-wall air conditioner versus a window unit is that you don’t lose the use of your window. Another advantage is that there is an airtight seal created, making the unit more energy efficient.

 

5. Ductless Split System Air Conditioners

 

“Split systems” are the air conditioners that provide cooling to different “zones” within a home. These systems, unlike window units or portable air conditioners, are not self-contained appliances, but as the name suggests, are comprised of a two-part system. These are most commonly used in buildings without a comprehensive duct system.

 

They’re called a ‘split system’ because they consist of two or more parts, the condenser unit, which is installed outdoors.

 

Then compact blower units or evaporative units, which are usually mounted on walls, situated in appropriate areas for the ‘zones’ you want to be cool.

 

These parts are connected via conduits, which carry the power and refrigerant lines.

 

The advantage to split systems is that they can cool different rooms at different temperatures, as each compact unit is equipped with its own thermostat.

 

Because of this feature, these systems can also be even more expensive than having a central air conditioning system installed.

 

 

 

6. Package Terminal Air Conditioners

 

Package Terminal Air Conditioners or PTACs are the types of air conditioning system which is commonly found in commercial spaces such as hotels, hospitals, apartment buildings, and senior or assisted living facilities.

If you’ve stayed in a hotel before, you know that these are most often installed just above the floor and usually just below a window.

 

The part you don’t see is that on the other side of the wall, the PTAC has an exhaust system sending warm air outside of the building.

 

Although they are often used in commercial settings, they are also a viable option as a home air conditioning system.

Like all air conditioners, PTACs send coolant through a compressor which cools the air, which is then re-directed into the room being cooled.

 

Unlike central air conditioning, though, PTAC systems are ductless, which makes installation significantly less expensive than central air systems. Compared with central systems, PTACs are not too difficult to install and also cost less up front.

One of the main advantages to having a PTAC system is that in addition to being air conditioners, they often double as heating systems.

PTAC systems are generally used to heat or cool a single room. In many cases, a PTAC can be the elegant solution to a very specific problem. Imagine, for example; you’ve added a room to your house that is not connected to your central ductwork.

Or if you have a room that receives an excessive amount of sunlight and gets warmer than the rest of the house.

In cases like this, installing a PTAC can prevent you from overusing your central air conditioning just for the sake of cooling one room.

 

7. Evaporative or “Swamp” Coolers

Evaporative Coolers, sometimes referred to as “swamp coolers,” aren’t nearly as common as refrigerant air conditioners, but can be equally as effective.

Unlike traditional air conditioners, which use a refrigerant, commonly referred to as Freon, swamp coolers use only air and water.

 

The technology behind a swamp cooler is so simple, in fact, that a version of it can be traced back to ancient Egypt.

 

Simply put, when air passes above or through water, the air is cooled. With this in mind, evaporative coolers pull hot air into your house through moistened pads, which cools the air. This cooled air is then distributed throughout your house.

 

One of the limitations of an evaporative cooler is that they can only really be used in hot, dry climates. It is the hot, dry air that causes the evaporation.

 

In addition, swamp coolers act as humidifiers and would be undesirable in climates where humidity is already a problem.

 

As a result, swamp coolers are particularly popular in areas such as the American Southwest.

 

One of the benefits of a swamp cooler is that it uses significantly less energy than traditional air conditioners, as the only electricity being used is to operate the fan.

 

Another benefit for the ecologically conscious is that because swamp coolers do not use Freon nor emit carbon dioxide, both of which have been proven to have detrimental effects on the environment.

 

8. Geothermal Heating and Cooling

Geothermal cooling is a relatively new, energy efficient technology which is rapidly becoming popular around the world.

 

Because of the insulating properties of the earth, the ground beneath us maintains a relatively consistent temperature of around 55 degrees Fahrenheit year-round. Regardless of what the weather is like outside, the earth 4 to 6 feet down remains relatively unaffected.

 

Geothermal technology takes advantage of this ground temperature to heat and cool your home more efficiently than other methods.

 

A piping system, often known as a “loop,” or “earth loop,” circulates water between your home, a heat pump, and the earth itself.

 

These polyethylene pipes can be installed either vertically or horizontally, depending on the nature of the site’s geography.

 

In the winter, water runs through this earth loop and absorbs heat from the ground. This heat is then compressed, which raises the temperature, and then delivered into your home.

 

In the summer, this process is reversed. Heat from your home comes into the heat pump, the excess heat is removed and delivered into the ground, and the resulting cool air is then distributed through your home.

 

This system is revolutionary in that no fossil fuels are burned in order to create heat. The heat is simply being transferred to and from the earth. Electric power is being used, of course, to run the compressor, fan, and pump.

 

Because of the sustainability of this method, geothermal heating and cooling is becoming more popular every year, especially in Europe. In Switzerland and Sweden, over 70% of new homes use geothermal heating and cooling.

Source: https://www.homestratosphere.com/types-of-air-conditioners/