How to choose the perfect air conditioner for home and apartment

Air conditioner in theory

Before figuring out how to choose the right air conditioner, you need to understand what kind of device it is. But there is no magic here. Only physics. Elementary.

Air conditioning systems are systems of a closed type in which the state of a refrigerant changes. This happens due to changes in temperature and internal pressure. The liquid evaporates, turns into gas and absorbs thermal energy. And during the reverse transformation( from gas to liquid) - it gives.

Simply put, the air-conditioned design does not produce cold. It takes heat from your apartment and transfers it to a condenser installed outside it. All work of the refrigerant is supervised by the compressor.

Modern refrigerated structures can not only “steal”, but also “bring” heat to the house. If you do not go into the technical details of the process, we can say that the condenser and the evaporator switch roles.

By the way, the first air conditioner was developed not for “heavenly conditions” in the room. His task was to save one American printing company from high humidity, which spoiled the print quality. And this means that all “producers of cold”, without exception, along with the heat absorb moisture.

Poorly humidified air is a major cause of many respiratory diseases. Of course, the choice of air conditioning is an important step, but you should not forget about health. Therefore, before buying a device, do not be too lazy to install additional sources of humidification.

From theory to practice, or what are the conditioners

How to choose air conditioning for the home? Let's start with what types of air conditioners for your apartment can be found on the modern market of home appliances. Do you think that a lot of them? It seemed to you. In fact, there are only two types of domestic cooling systems:

• split systems ;
• monoblock devices .

What is the split system

Split systems - this is the lion's share of the market in the segment of air conditioning systems. They consist of a pair of blocks. One is placed in the living room, the second is displayed outside. Between themselves, they are connected by copper tubes( refrigerant circulates through them) and an electrical wire.

Split systems are: wall, channel, inverter, columned, cassette, floor-ceiling, multi-split systems. Let us examine in more detail the advantages and disadvantages of each of the structures.

• Wall split system. Cheap and powerful enough( 2-10 kW).Its indoor unit is installed above the window in the room, and the outdoor one below it on the outside of the building. This unit is an excellent solution for cooling small rooms( 10-100 m²).
• Split channel system. Hiding behind the false ceiling. Works on the principle of heat-resistant ducts. Creates a favorable microclimate in several rooms at the same time. The advantage of a channel conditioner is that it supplies air in the volumes that are needed for comprehensive ventilation of the air-conditioned areas.
• Cassette Split System. Mounted in the same way as a channel split system. But the air "cassette" dispersed through the lower unit, the size of which is 60x60 cm( as a standard ceiling plate).But power dictates size. The more powerful the unit, the bigger it is. The main advantage - inconspicuous. The unit is hidden from view and covered with bars. Designed for cooling large areas.
• Column split system. This is an ideal option for huge premises that need powerful cooling. The system is installed on the floor, away from people.
• Floor-ceiling split system. An excellent alternative to the "cassette" in the absence of a suspended ceiling. You can install such air conditioners both at the bottom and at the top of the wall. Their placement dictates the trajectory of the air flow. The advantage of this split system is that the coolness is distributed evenly throughout the room, without harming those present in it.
• Multi Split System. A unique modification of the split systems, allowing you to connect up to five indoor units of various designs and performance. Units of this type are installed where there is no possibility of outputting external blocks to the outer wall of a building. They have a significant drawback - disconnecting the external unit leads to the shutdown of all up to one internal ones.
• Inverter split system. This is a separate type of air conditioners with a frequency-controlled compressor motor. An inverter converts alternating current to direct current and vice versa. During the second conversion, the engine speed changes. This allows you to adjust the cooling power and heat supply. Unlike all other types of air conditioners, invertor works constantly. First, at full power to achieve a given temperature, and then at low, to support it. At the same time, power consumption is 20-50% lower than in simple cooling systems. Plus, compressor wear is reduced, and noise levels are reduced.

What is monoblock air conditioners

Monoblock refrigeration units are also divided into two groups:

• Window. Mounted in windows or a thin wall so that the "ass" is outside the building, that is, on the street. Advantages - low price and ease of installation. The disadvantages of such an air conditioner for an apartment include a high level of noise and a violation of the insulation of the room.
• Mobile. Stand out from others with its portability. They are easy to install and move freely inside the building. The system is easy to operate, but not effective. Cons: noise, cost, low level of support for a comfortable indoor microclimate.

Power - our everything is

Oh, how much! Only without panic. Let's figure out how to choose the most suitable air conditioners for an apartment, so that it would be both quality and inexpensive, and pretty. Go!

1. Decide what you are buying a unit for.
2. Take your measurements. Record the parameters and the type of room to be cooled.
3. Decide on how much money you want( can) spend on the purchase of air conditioning.

Finish? Now let's talk about the performance of the units. That is, how much coolness or heat can this air conditioner “natyrit” from the space of. If you incorrectly calculate the power and buy not “that”, you:

• waste money on a “weak” device unable to meet your requirements;
• will get a powerful unit, the potential of which is much higher than is needed for the room where it is installed.

How to avoid this? When choosing a cooling system, consider the following parameters:

1. Calculate the approximate consumption of the "chill" by the formula: 1 000 W per 8 m².
2. If direct sunlight penetrates into the building for at least half a day, add another 20-30% to the resulting figure.
3. Now add to this the amount of excess heat of electrical appliances standing in the room. On average, this is 30% of the power that is consumed by a device.
4. To the obtained result, plus the excess heat of all people who are in this room( 100 W / person - home / office, 150-300 W / person - catering and gym, respectively).

If you count laziness, rely on the approximate data plate:

Air conditioner and its functions

How to choose the air conditioner in the parameters? What to look for? What function is worth paying for? What else can surprise the cooling system? If these questions continue to arise in your head, let's look for answers together. Let's start with the main.

• Cold and warm. This, in fact, is what the device is purchased for. If everything is clear with cooling, it would not hurt to deal with heating. There are some nuances here.

Any conditioner you choose will not save you from freezing. And all because the lower limit of the temperature mode of the device is no more than 5 degrees in both directions. The use of air conditioning in the winter quickly wears out the compressor or causes it to break.

To avoid this, the manufacturer equips the air conditioner with additional “winter kits”, which at times increases the cost of the unit. In this case, the efficiency of the device at sub-zero temperatures decreases by more than 30%.In general, enjoy the desired heat from the air conditioner you will not succeed, but about heating the entire room and there can be no talk. It is more expedient to use cheaper and more effective “old-time” methods of heating residential( and not only) premises.

• Ventilation. Required basic function. In this mode, the motor “sleeps”, and only the fan of the indoor unit works, which helps to evenly distribute the air around the perimeter of the room.
• Automatic mode. Air conditioner decides which function to activate. Of course, depending on external circumstances( temperature, humidity, pressure).You do not need to pick up anything. The unit will do everything for you.
• Drying. In this mode, the air conditioner reduces the humidity of the air.
• Adjusting the air flow direction. A useful feature that will save you and others from direct contact with cold air flow. Be sure that now nothing “will blow you out” of the usual rut.
• Timer. A useful thing for the "forgetful."Just set the time to turn on and off the unit and do not worry about anything.
• Night mode. Creates the most "comfortable" cool sleeping conditions. Engine speed decreases, noise decreases. After seven hours, the device automatically turns off.
• Installation. There should not be to save. Proper installation of air conditioning - a pledge of its long work. Please note that this service is not cheap. Installation of the unit will cost you at least 30% of its value. But it is much cheaper than subsequent( possibly repeated) repair.

The price of a question of coolness at home

How to choose the right air conditioners for an apartment? If you want to buy a technical work of art, then you should pay attention to the aggregates of the highest class. They are produced exclusively by Japanese corporations, and include the most "delicious" technical developments of our time.

Conditioners of average price range are produced by both Japanese and European manufacturers. These units are of high quality, but have a shorter service life than their dear fellows.

The budget market belongs to Korea and China. In this segment there are no clear rules of the game, neither for quality nor for price. Such conditioners are assembled from cheaper materials, have a modest functionality and a short service life. In some cases( sudden changes in pressure, temperature, humidity) a cheap unit can turn into a threat to your life.

Before making a choice, weigh the pros and cons. Compare the specifications of your favorite models. Do not pursue cheapness. Quality goods + professional installation is a guarantee of your safety for many long years.

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