We all know how to turn on our AC, but do you know what type of AC you have? Knowing your cooling system is important. By identifying which cooling system is in your home, you can better assess issues or problems that are associated with it. Understanding the cooling component also helps when maintaining your HVAC system.
Central air conditioners are designed to provide cooling to the entirety of a home. These systems comprise of a compressor unit located outside, which channels air to an indoor coil, which then creates conditioned air that is distributed via air ducts. These ducts are then connected to vents, with each room having one that supplies cold air while the other returns existing air for recirculation. This is the most common type of cooling found in homes.
Heat pumps act very similar to central air conditioning systems, except they have dual functionality. Heat pumps also operate with outdoor compressors and indoor coils, but this process can be changed to provide heat instead of cooling. Heat pumps help make your HVAC system more efficient by streamlining both heating and cooling into one system. But this is coupled with a lighter performance. Note: To tell if your cooling system is a central air conditioner or heat pump, turn on your heating. If the outdoor unit begins working and making noise, this means you have a heat pump. Another way to tell is by finding the outdoor unit’s model number and looking it up on the internet.
As their name implies, ductless mini-split systems work without distributing air through air ducts. Instead, mini-split cooling systems utilize one outdoor compressor, with each room or area of a home having an attached indoor unit. With each area having a dedicated indoor unit, you have the advantage of more flexibility with your cooling, as you can cool only certain rooms instead of the whole house. This type of cooling system is not as common, possibly due to its initial cost being more than traditional systems. Mini-splits are more popular in other countries.
Although these are more practical for dryer climates, you can still find evaporative coolers in some Monroe homes. Evaporative coolers don’t have refrigerants. Instead, evaporative coolers pull in fresh air from outside and cool it through evaporation. The cool air is then distributed through your home, as well as humidity. Evaporative coolers can be attached with ducts similar to a central AC system or come in a portable variant.
This type of AC is the most affordable, as well as being the most portable. Room and window air conditioners are used to cool single rooms instead of the entire house. They consist of a single unit, which is directly installed to the room it cools. Room and window air conditioners generally use less energy compared to central AC or heat pumps. But they provide less cooling and have higher chances of breakdowns.
