Mini - Split or Ductless Air Conditioners

Many of us would have preferred to install a central air conditioner but somehow the houses we stay in do not have the provision for one. And installing window air conditioners for all the rooms would mean blocking a window in each of the rooms. This can be a problem for some. There was hardly any solution in sight, till the introduction of the mini-split or ductless air conditioners. Sometimes they are also referred to as the duct-free air conditioners.

The ductless air conditioners basically are a derivative from the central air conditioning system and the window air conditioning system taking the plusses from both, and removing the restrictions of each. The necessity for inventing this ductless air conditioners can be traced back to a few reasons. First of all, not all houses had the provision for ducts being installed. Even if the house had provisions, installing ducts would be a pretty expensive exercise.

For the ductless air conditioners an outside unit is installed on the exterior walls of the building. It can also be on the roof of the building. The unit would include the compressor. Since this is a very important part of the device it needs to be sheltered. The units installed inside the rooms include an evaporator. These are installed high on the walls or even in the ceiling of the rooms which you want to regulate the temperature of. The outdoor and indoor units are connected through a refrigerant pipe. This pipe is about 3 inches in diameter. The pipe is passed through a hole that is drilled into the wall. A single outdoor unit can be connected to a maximum of three units indoors.

Once you have understood what needs to be done, you can then proceed with the job of cutting the hole. Always remember to set the unit slightly out of level. This will allow the condensate to drain easily. Plugging the unit is also crucial and it should be done with proper attention. Check the voltage it needs to be plugged in – whether 120 volts or 240 volts. It shouldn't happen that the unit overloads the outlet circuit. Another small thing but we often forget to take care when we make the hole in the wall is that if the cord from the unit reaches the plug point.

This variant of air conditioners allows you to have separate zones in your house with different temperature controls. The plus for this air conditioner is that it does not block any of the windows inside the rooms. Another positive is the low levels of noise inside the house. Since the compressor rests outside the house, the noise levels naturally get reduced.

These air conditioners are a bit more expensive when compared to the window air conditioners. However, they are more economical than the central air conditioners. So it is ideal for those who want to do away with the noise and blocked windows that come with window air conditioners and also have a limited budget.