Air Creations, Inc. Blog : Posts Tagged ‘Air Conditioning System Installation’

Some Reasons to Consider a Packaged HVAC Unit

Monday, August 20th, 2018

technician-checks-ac-unit“Wait,” you’re saying, “what’s a packaged HVAC unit? Is that like a window AC?”

Well, sort of. A packaged HVAC unit is a cooling system or heat pump where all the components are contained in a single cabinet. The compressor, the evaporator coil, the condensing coil, the fans and motors—the works. The opposite of a packaged unit is a split system or a mini split system, where there are separate indoor and outdoor units. For example, the most common type of central AC found in homes is a split system with an outdoor condenser and an indoor evaporator with an air handler that sends the cooled air into the ducts.

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How Does a Ductless AC System Work?

Monday, August 6th, 2018

ductless-ac-unit-on-wallWhen you are looking for a new air conditioning system to cool down your house, or as part of planning for a new house, you may notice that one of your choices is a “ductless mini split heat pump,” which offers ductless cooling. These systems have enjoyed years of popularity in Japan and Europe, and now they are starting to show up in more homes in the US because of the many advantages they offer. No longer needing to use ducts eliminates a major cause of energy waste in an HVAC system, removes a source of air pollutants, and allows a homeowner to control the temperature in different parts of the house without affecting the other parts.

But how does a ductless AC actually do all this—without ducts? We’ll explain.

The Basics of Ductless Mini Split Heat Pumps

Before we go into more details, we want to point out that most ductless systems are heat pumps. That means they work as both cooling and heating systems. So when we mention below “ductless cooling,” we also mean ductless heating as well—you get both when you have a ductless mini split installed.

As to how these things work: they’re similar to the standard split system AC or heat pump in that they circulate refrigerant between two sets of coils—one indoors and one outdoors—to move heat from one place to another. In cooling mode, cold refrigerant is evaporated in an indoor unit to absorb heat, then is released to the outside through condensing in the outdoor unit.

What’s different about the two is that a standard split system only uses one indoor unit, which contains a large coil and blower fan, and connects to the duct network to distribute the conditioned air. With a ductless AC, there are multiple smaller indoor units. These small air handlers are installed high up on exterior walls (often over a door or window) and connect to the outdoor unit through the wall with refrigerant, condensate, and power lines. Each air handler contains a refrigerant coil and blower fan, so when they come on they direct the conditioned air straight into the living spaces. There’s no need to have ducts to transport the air.

The standard ductless system has four indoor air handlers for each outdoor unit, although there are some more powerful models that can use eight air handlers. For more cooling power, installers can add additional outdoor units.

Do Ductless Mini Splits Make Sense for You?

You may not be sure if installing ductless air conditioning in Westfield, NJ is appropriate for your situation. Even with all the great advantages they offer, ductless systems aren’t good matches for homes that already have extensive ducts. But they’re great for older homes that have never been able to enjoy air conditioning except with inefficient (and ugly) window ACs. They’re also good matches for new home construction, remodeling, and add-on rooms.

To find out what your best cooling options are, work with our team of air conditioning and heating specialists. We install top brand ductless mini split heat pumps.

Talk to the AC professionals at Air Creations, Inc. “We Do It Right” Since 1987.

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Cooling Off Some Common Air Conditioning Myths

Monday, July 23rd, 2018

woman-with-glassesThe internet has made it easy for people to access information on just about any topic with only a few keyboard clicks. But it also makes it easy for people to access misinformation as well, and many myths have now spread far and wide because of the web.

Air conditioning systems aren’t immune to this: there are many myths about how AC systems operate that we still run into. But we’d like to use the power of the internet to dispel some of these myths. Below are a few of the more common misunderstandings about air conditioning systems that you may have read or heard.

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Looking into Air Conditioning Efficiency: SEER and EER

Monday, April 3rd, 2017

money-savings-houseSpring is a good season of the year to take stock of an air conditioning system in a house and ask a few tough questions, such as “Is this AC over the hill and ready to be replaced?” You don’t want to head into the summer heat of New Jersey with an air conditioner liable to stop working at the worst time. (They always pick the worst time, as anyone with a history working in AC repair can tell you.) When you think you have an air conditioner at a high risk of dying during the coming summer, have our technicians assist you with a new AC installation.

One of the many reasons you want professionals for this job is because they can help you navigate the many stats for an AC to find the right one for your needs. Among the most vital of air conditioner stats are the two efficiency ratings, EER and SEER. Let’s take a close look at these.

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How Does a Zone Control System Work?

Monday, February 6th, 2017

heating-cooling-zones-homesAre you concerned about how much energy your home uses each season? We hope you are, because when you take a close look at energy expenditure in your home, you can often pinpoint ways to lower costs. Or, you can work with professionals who will help improve your home to lower those costs.

A method for lowering home energy use that we recommend for houses that use a forced-air heating and cooling system (a furnace and standard air conditioner or a heat pump) is to outfit the HVAC system with a zone heating and cooling, i.e. a zone control system.

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