If you’re looking to beat the heat and keep your home cool this summer, a ductless air conditioning system might be a great option. Ductless AC systems are extremely effective and much easier to install than central air conditioning. We’re going to tell you everything you need to know about ductless air conditioning, including how it works, how it compares to other types of air conditioning, and how to know if a ductless system is right for your home.
How Air Conditioners Cool
All types of air conditioners including ductless ACs work by using a special refrigerant chemical that absorbs and removes heat from warm air. The process starts by sending the refrigerant through a compressor. Compressing the refrigerant instantly decreases its pressure and causes its temperature to drop to somewhere between 40 and 50 degrees. This cold liquid refrigerant is then pumped from the compressor and flows through the AC evaporator coil.
A fan is used to pull warm air in from the building and force it over the refrigerant-filled evaporator coil. Since the air is much warmer than the refrigerant, much of the heat energy in the air is naturally absorbed by the refrigerant. This almost instantly cools the air so that the air coming out of the system is much colder than the air being drawn into it.
As the refrigerant absorbs heat, it transforms from a cold liquid into a hot gas. This hot gas then flows back out into another coil known as the condenser coil. Since the refrigerant is now much hotter than the surrounding air, all the heat energy it absorbed then flows back out into the air outside. This process starts to cool the refrigerant, which is then pumped back through the compressor so that it again turns into a cold liquid and the cooling process can continue.
Whenever any type of AC system runs, it constantly removes heat from the air in the building. This results in the indoor temperature quickly dropping as all the heat is absorbed and pumped outside.
The Difference Between Central and Ductless Air Conditioning
With central air conditioning, the warm air is drawn in through a vent and travels through the return duct to a central evaporator coil located within the HVAC air handler compartment. The cold air is then pumped through the supply ductwork, where it eventually flows out through all the building’s supply vents.
All ductless AC systems still use an outdoor compressor unit just as with central air conditioning. The difference is that ductless air conditioners have individual air handler units, each with its own internal fan and evaporator coil that work to cool the air in one room or other space. The fan in each air handler draws the surrounding warm air in from that room or space, removes heat from the air, then pumps the cool air back out into that area.
Ductless AC systems can be either single-zone or multi-zone systems. A single-zone system has one outdoor compressor unit that is connected and supplies cold refrigerant to one indoor air handler, which means that it can only effectively cool one room or area. This type of system is ideal if you’re looking to cool any parts of the house that aren’t connected to a central HVAC system, such as a garage. A single-zone system can also be effective for cooling a smaller building such as a shed, cabin, or even small office space.
Multi-zone systems can typically have anywhere from three to eight air handlers connected to one larger outdoor compressor unit. This type of system allows you to provide effective cooling for multiple rooms or areas at one time. One major advantage that a multi-zone ductless AC system has over central air conditioning is that each of the air handler units has its own independent controls. This means that you can set your desired temperature for each room instead of having to cool the entire house down to the same temperature. You can also turn the air handlers off in any rooms that you’re not occupying or that don’t need to be cooled, so you can reduce the amount of energy the system uses.
How to Know if Ductless AC Is Right for You
If you’re looking to cool any building that doesn’t have a ducted central HVAC system, then ductless AC is definitely the way to go. Ductless cooling systems are most similar to window or portable air conditioners since they all cool the air immediately surrounding them. However, ductless ACs are far more powerful and much more effective than even the best window or portable unit. Ductless systems also tend to be far quieter. Still, the biggest benefit of ductless AC systems is that they are far more energy efficient and cost much less to operate when compared with portable and window ACs. Ductless ACs are also much more energy efficient than most central air conditioners.
A ductless AC system can also be a great choice for supplementing your existing central air conditioning system. Let’s say that you have a room in your house with skylights or large windows. This space will always stay much warmer than the rest of the house due to all the heat gain from the sunlight. The only way you could ever really cool a room like this effectively with a central AC system would be to turn the temperature on your thermostat down even further. That way, your AC would run for longer, and the other rooms in your home would be uncomfortably cold.
Even turning your thermostat down may not have that much of an effect unless you have a return vent in the room so that all the heat can be drawn into the central AC system more effectively. A ductless AC can be extremely effective in this type of situation since it will help keep the room cool enough without putting additional strain on your central AC system.
A ductless AC system can also be a great choice if you’re planning an addition to your home. Any time you add on to your home, you run the risk of your existing central air conditioner not cooling effectively since it may no longer be large enough for the size of your home. In that case, you would often need to spend at least a few thousand dollars to upgrade to a larger AC unit. There is also the additional expense of installing ductwork in the new space. Compared to having to install ductwork and upgrade your AC, installing a ductless AC system in the new room will typically be quite a bit cheaper.
Expert AC Services
At Perfect, Plumbing Heating & Air, our team can take care of all of your air conditioning needs. We specialize in installing ductless air conditioning and central AC systems, and we offer professional AC repair and maintenance services. We can also assist if you need any heating, indoor air quality, or plumbing services in Boise, ID or the Treasure Valley area. To get more information on ductless air conditioning and see if a ductless AC system is right for your home, contact us today.
