An air conditioner can greatly change the temperature, relative humidity or quality of your indoor air. More specifically, an air conditioner creates your indoor area cooler, by pulling hot air from the inside of your home and transferring it to the outside, replacing the cool air in your indoor area with warmer air. Air conditioners have three settings, a cool, intermediate and warm setting. The cool setting is for those who want to temporarily cool off an entire room, while the warm setting is best for use during those long hot summer days.
There are three kinds of air conditioners – window type, central air conditioners and ductless central air conditioners. The difference between these three is primarily based on the location of your room. Window types mainly cool your room through opening and closing the vent, while ductless central air conditioners are energy efficient and put the air from your home through ducts.
The biggest difference between window and ductless air conditioners is based on the type of fan they have. Window air conditioners have small vents at the top of the unit. These vents let cool air from the top of your unit travel to the bottom of the unit where it is collected and dissipated to the room. If you turn on your air conditioner, the cool air flows from the fan into the vents and flows back out into the room, cooling your home even more. If you turn the air conditioner off, the air in the vents goes back into the home, cooling it again.
Central air conditioning units, also known as evaporator-air conditioners, have their vents in the floor. Because this design increases the overall efficiency of an air conditioner, more units are designed with these vents. In an evaporator-air conditioner, the fan actually draws in cold outside air and then blows it through the evaporator coil. The coil warms the air and then circulates it through the system. This design is more efficient than having the fan pulls hot air from outside. Since the coil draws in cold air, it is less efficient than a forced air cooler that pulls hot air out through vents.
Another advantage of window units is that they can be better insulated than ductless models. These models are designed so that they keep the cool air that they release close to the interior of the home, where it can be warmed up before being released into the room. The problem with ductless models is that if you have a high ceiling, you have to hope that the cool air is released outside. In high ceilings, however, the windows can be too small to allow for the expansion needed to create a properly insulated air conditioner.
While ductwork is a key part of a central air conditioning unit, it’s not the only part. Air vents and other cooling options must be carefully chosen for your building. Choosing the right units can make all the difference between comfortable cool air and drafts. If you’re ready to upgrade your central heating and cooling system, consult an expert who can help you determine which air conditioners best suit your needs.