When buying a new car we do not even think of refusing from an air conditioner in favor of other options. On the contrary, it is better to refuse from something else, but the climate control should be obligatory in spite of one month of heat in a year. We understand the functionality of this option all year round. In fact, practically any air conditioner has a function of keeping set temperature. In case of high humidity it dries the air, namely dries it, but not dries it, it is convenient to use, for example, in fogging of glasses. Thus, for many people a split-system for an apartment is not a compulsory technique yet. Maybe the matter is in its name: in a car – climate-control, here – split-system. That is, I control the climate there, but at home I control the?
And we don’t just cool it
Our biggest delusion is that we, looking at air conditioner, imagine a debilitatingly hot summer. Further, the idea works as follows with respect to central America : but it is only one month in a year, we will manage somehow ..
It does not even occur to us that conditioner not only cools air, but also heats it. This air conditioner brings air up to the necessary condition, it CONDITIONES it.
Imagine a dank September evening, the rains for the third day, no one hurries to turn on the heating. Having wrapped up in all possible and impossible woolen clothes, we freeze, having wrapped up in a plaid, near a TV set or having closed our eyes with a book. You do not want to do anything, some inner discomfort. It is good to spend one evening with such splin, under the corresponding mood, but a week!..
And now we switch on the “condo” on 23-25 ° C. It’s quite another matter! The air, unlike electric heaters does not dry out, in the morning there is no headache from lack of oxygen, it is a completely comfortable atmosphere. And the power consumption is lower, than while using a heater! You immediately want to do something good and eternal!
We choose
The most important thing is to chose exactly necessary conditioner for you. There are several indicators for this.
Power
If air conditioner will work at the top of its ability, it will fail very quickly. And vice versa, if to overdo with power there can be rather sharp temperature fluctuations in the premise, and the cost of such system will increase and it will not justify itself.
To choose a necessary air-conditioning system, there are special formulas. They take into account the so-called heat-current energy in watts. This is heat emitted by people, animals, electrical appliances. So, for example, a person in a quiet state emits 0.1 kW of heat, and a TV set – 0.3 kW.
The formula looks like this: Q=Q1+Q2+Q3, where Q – cooling capacity you need in kW ,
Q1 – inflow of heat from a wall, window or a roof.
Q2 – heat produced by people and animals in the room.
Q3 – heat produced by home appliances and lighting.
There is own formula for calculation of each Q: as the amount of people in a room will change during the day, computer will be turned off, light will be on.
This formula also takes into account the height of the walls, which side the windows face, the inflow of heat from the outside and many other parameters. If you do not want to dwell on it, call the manager, let him calculate it – after all their company will install the device!
And for self-installation there are constants, which will be advised by the notorious manager when buying split-system. So, for example, for one-room apartment with one room of 20 sq.m., where one person with his beloved pug lives, the necessary capacity of air conditioner is from 1.85 to 2.25 kW.
Installation
Still the work of the system mainly depends on the quality of installation works. If the installer is from an authorized dealer, then you have nothing to worry about: they will do everything properly, and the split-system will please you for a long time.
The number of factory defects in air conditioners of good brands is negligible, but bad installation is quite common. That’s why the warranty on conditioner is often given by the company, which installs it.
If you buy a split-system without installation it is usually stipulated in a condition that a firm-manufacturer removes his guarantee liabilities in case of wrong installation. Now almost all official dealers have their own brigades of fitters and people, who provide after-warranty service. Yes, the cost of installation is expensive, but even more expensive will be repair and rework after “cheap”, but unprofessional installers.
Now about self-installation. I often hear the opinion – why should I pay enormous money for installation, when me and my partner Petey, the neighbor “will install it now and the money given by my wife for the installation will go for washing!”
Brigade of professional installers has special expensive tools, manometer station, freon filling tank, gas analyzer and vacuum pump. All members of a brigade have been specially trained by the company, which air conditioners they install. Without it a quality installation is not possible!
Now the leading companies working with climatic equipment in America have united into the Association of Industries of Climate Industry APIK . Membership in APIC can serve as a guarantee of company seriousness and protection from buying gray equipment.
A miser pays twice
Little about air conditioners of unknown producers. Let’s not go far and take my neighbor, for example. After abnormally hot summer of 2010 he decided to install a conditioner.
I chose for a long time and chose the product from the unknown Chinese producer. With a foam of his mouth he was proving to me that he would not overpay for a brand, that all air conditioners are made in the same factory in China and from the same parts.
As the main proof he used to point the finger at air-conditioner and said: it has the same casting as Mitsubishi! The casting can be the same, but the plastic is different.
In the hottest weather of 2011 I saw how the workers take off his wonderful air conditioner and install a product of a well-known manufacturer in its place. That is why I strongly recommend you – it is better to buy easier model, but of the brand with a reputation than “puffed up”, but unknown where and who made it.
Not to fly down the pipe
Many people are afraid that when a split-system is installed, their payment for electric power will go up many times. It is not so. Let’s consider an air conditioner with the power of 2,2 kW and the area of service of 20m² on the example.
On the average, such conditioner, when working in normal conditions, consumes from 300 till 400 watt/hour 0,3-0,4 kw/h . That is 4-5 kWh of electricity per day. At a rate of 2 Dollars 72 kopecks within the social norm or 4 Dollars 84 kopecks above the social norm per day we will spend 13 Dollars 60 kopecks or 24 Dollars 20 kopecks. In a month it will be 408 Dollars or 726 Dollars.
When heating a room with this air conditioner consumes 1 kW h, oil radiator consumes 3 kW h . The converter type heater consumes many times more than the oil one, it’s even scary to count . The conditioners of inverter type consume even less electricity.
Prices depend on capacity, number of options and brand promotion. They start at 8000 Dollars and go to infinity.
LICBEZ
Wall-split-systems
The most widespread type of air conditioners for today. Wall-mounted systems have wide range of capacity, what allows to choose AC for a room from 15-100 square meters.
The indoor unit is fixed on the wall under the ceiling.
The noise is about 25 decibels. For comparison: 30 decibels is the sound of a wall clock. Power of such conditioners is from 1,5 up to 8,5 kW.
The convenience of such system is evident: a stream of cooled air is directed along the ceiling. This allows you to evenly distribute cool air throughout the room and avoid direct flow of cold air on people.
Column split-systems
In order to cool the large space, the column split-systems are used, at that the air conditioner serves as a decoration. Usually such systems are installed in cinemas, restaurants, banquet halls. Models are fixed on the floor. By design they are stylized like columns already in the factory version, but at registration of interiors they play with it additionally. The approximate size of 50 cm width, 200 cm height. The distinctive feature – the powerful air delivery in a short unit of time.
Floor-ceiling split-systems
This system is mounted both on the ceiling and on the wall below. All this allows to place conditioner in a premise to your taste and according to interior design. At the same time it ventilates a room more effectively, unlike a wall-mounted split-system.
Split-systems of cassette type
If you are not able to fix conditioner on the wall or on the floor because of some reasons, a cassette-type conditioner will be your help. It is mounted in a suspended ceiling. Its main advantage is that it is hidden from the eyes, you can see only its lower part covered with a decorative grid.
GLOSSARY
A split-system is an air conditioner, air-conditioning system, which consists of two units: external compressor-evaporating unit and internal evaporating unit . That is, in its essence, split-system is the same conditioner, only it is not attached to the window opening. The external unit you can install outside the building in any place that is comfortable for you, even on the balcony.
Outside unit, where the noisiest processes take place, is fixed at the street.
There are several kinds of indoor units: wall-mounted, floor-ceiling, floor-standing, ceiling and cassette ones.
Multi-split-system. Nowadays the most modern and comfortable is multisplit-system. Such system is used when in one premise there are a lot of rooms. The essence is that one external block is mounted outside and several internal blocks are joined to it with different capacity, productivity and modification.
Such air conditioning systems produce much less noise, are more economical and are equipped with the latest. They usually use the latest technologies to clean the air, control the air flow and use filters made of the most modern materials
What factors should be considered when selecting an air conditioner to ensure that it provides year-long comfort and an eternal spring-like environment in your home or office?