Split Air Conditioners
If you are in the process of remodeling your home to add additional rooms, looking to convert areas such as garages or carports into livable rooms, or just need an alternative to a traditional central heat and air conditioner, a split air conditioner system may be just the thing you're looking for. Split air conditioners are also ideal for small apartments or even commercial areas where separate temperatures are needed in various locations. The potential uses for a split system are extensive.
What Are Split Air Conditioners?
Similar to traditional central air conditioners, a split system is comprised of two major components, an outdoor condenser and compressor unit, and an interior air handler unit. The two pieces are linked through a series of power cables and air tubing. The main difference between a traditional system and a split system is the fact that the split system can run multiple interior air handlers. While these units are much smaller than the ones attached to central air units, they are able to be placed in individual rooms throughout the house. The need for ductwork that connects a traditional central unit's air handler to each room in the house is eliminated with a split systems since each room has its own smaller air handler.
What Are The Benefits Of A Split Air Conditioner?
One of the primary benefits of a split system is the elimination for the ductwork component of a standard central air system. This can be beneficial when adding rooms to a home, especially since reworking a homes ductwork can be complicated as well as costly.
Another feature worth noting is the ability to have each room that contains an air handler set to its own temperature. With a central unit, the temperature the main thermostat is set to determines the temperature in every room the ducts are routed to. With a split system, each air handler has its own temperature control, allowing you to set rooms to warmer or colder temperatures than others.
Split systems can also be more cost effective since you only need to run the air handlers in the rooms you need cooled. With a central air system, you are forced to cool the entire house when you run the air conditioner, requiring a significant deal of electricity that isn't necessarily needed. If some of the rooms are unoccupied, cooling them down may be considered a waste. With a split system, if a room is unoccupied and does not need to be cooled, the air handler in that specific room just remains powered off.
Since split systems are slightly easier to install than traditional central air systems, the installation costs are typically much cheaper. The time it takes to install a split unit as well as the labor involved is much less than that of a central unit. They also don't require any ductwork to be run which not only reduces costs, but presents a significant cooling and heating alternative to areas that cannot accommodate a standard duct system.
What Are The Downsides Of A Split Air Conditioner?
One of the initial downsides of a split systems is the fact they tend to run 20% to 30% higher in cost than a traditional central air system. This does not, however, take into account any special charges for ductwork installation that may be needed with a central air unit. The increased cost can also be recovered over time with the reduced electric bills each month.
The smaller air units are also present in each room, not centrally hidden in a closet, the typical set up for a central air system. While they may not be as unattractive as a window unit, they can still present a challenge in smaller rooms. The units, however, can be wall mounted or ceiling mounted, allowing them to be less obtrusive in the overall design of the room.
While a central air unit can handle nearly every room in the average size home, a split system can only be run in four rooms since that is the maximum number of air handlers that can be connected to an outdoor condenser unit. If you need to heat or cool more than four separate rooms, you will need to purchase an additional condenser unit to run the added air handlers off of.
If you are looking at adding onto your home, have an issue in your residence that makes running traditional ductwork difficult, or even impossible, or simply want a more energy efficient alternative to traditional central air conditioners, a split air system may be the perfect choice.
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March 29th, 2010 - 02:06
Thank you for sharing. I am looking into purchasing a Split AC next month.
January 3rd, 2011 - 06:02
One of the initial downsides of a split systems is the fact they tend to run 20% to 30% higher in cost than a traditional central air system. This does not, however, take into account any special charges for ductwork installation that may be needed with a central air unit.