Types of air conditioners: home, ducted, mobile — and how to choose one.
Air Conditioners and Their Varieties
If you decide to purchase an air conditioner but don't know which model will suit your room, you should go straight to the office of a company that specializes in services such as the sale and installation of air conditioners. There any sales consultant will gladly answer all your questions, whether important or trivial. Once you determine the type of air conditioner, they will help you figure out which of these various metal boxes will meet your requirements and fit your needs, and if you're lucky they may even offer you a cup of coffee and hand you a catalog — some advanced companies, trying to stand out among many similar ones by their service, find ways to be memorable to their clients: it would not be surprising if soon, for example, Japanese air conditioners came with sushi delivery.
But first, it's not a bad idea to learn a little about air conditioners and their main types, so you go at least somewhat prepared and have some idea of the capabilities of these devices that manage the indoor climate.
To begin, a few words about the categories into which all air conditioners are divided. So, there are three in total. These are industrial air conditioners, semi-industrial (commercial-grade) air conditioners, and household (domestic) units, which interest us the most. Nevertheless, we will briefly describe each category separately.
Industrial air conditioners are usually complete air-conditioning systems. They are characterized by high power and long duct runs. Such units can operate under the harshest conditions. Their task is to provide and maintain the required conditions in production facilities, for example parameters such as air temperature and humidity. These devices are very reliable and durable — they have to be, since production is a serious business. Installation of industrial climate equipment should be performed only by professionals, and manufacturers must periodically carry out maintenance of their products. Industrial air conditioners are divided into several main types. We will not list them here; they differ in their technical capabilities and design. Sale and installation of industrial Daikin air conditioners is usually carried out by firms that specialize specifically in this type of equipment. However, they can also be found where household air conditioners are sold.
The range of applications for household air conditioners is quite wide: they are installed in residential houses, cottages, offices, shops, schools and kindergartens. Household air conditioners are divided into several subtypes: split systems, ducted and cassette air conditioners, as well as portable mobile units. The capacity of such equipment is calculated based on the area of the room for which the air conditioner is intended.
Split systems consist of a design with two main parts: an outdoor unit and an indoor unit and a system for interaction between them. The indoor unit can be mounted on the wall near the ceiling, while the outdoor unit is most often fixed under a window. Split systems are good for apartments also because they consume a relatively small amount of electricity, which is a significant advantage in times of economic instability. For a multi-room apartment you can install a multi-split system. The mounting principle and operation are the same as for the previous type; the difference lies only in the number of indoor units. As for manufacturers, you can confidently choose split systems of Japanese and Korean production.
There are also so-called ducted air conditioners. They represent a transitional option between household and industrial types. From industrial units they borrow fairly high power, from household ones — not very large dimensions. Such air conditioners work effectively in large halls. On the Russian market, ducted air conditioners from Daikin, Toshiba, General Climate, LG and Carrier have enjoyed trust for several years. The Daikin range of ducted air conditioners is considered the best in the world in terms of modernity, high quality and functionality.
The above-mentioned types of air conditioners all require installation. But it is not always possible to install them in every room without difficulty or damage. Here, special floor-standing, column and mobile air conditioners that do not require installation come to the rescue.
That is probably all. Now is the time to go to the office for a detailed consultation and choose an air conditioner.