Air Conditioning Types

https://www.puravent.co.uk/blog/air-conditioning/air-conditioning-types/

The task of buying an air conditioning system for the first time can be baffling. To
help, the following is a brief guide to the different air conditioning types that use
refrigerant to move heat energy from inside to outside. There are other types
generically called chillers, which use water for the same purpose, however we will
not cover chillers on this guide.
Air Conditioning Types – Typical Capacity Ranges
Like many types of equipment, air conditioning is often split into groups which
described by suitability to different users for instance residential, domestic,
commercial, office and industrial. These groupings generally indicate the units size,
capability and robustness, rather than how the air conditioner functions. As a
rough guide the following table indicates the typical capacity ranges to these generic
groups.
Air
Cooling Capacity in Cooling Capacity in
conditioner – User
BTU kw
type

Residential /
6000 – 20000 1.76 – 5.8
domestic,

commercial / office 12000 – 50000 3.5 – 14.65

Industrial 30000 – 8.79 –

Air Conditioning Types – The Main Groups

Air conditioners fall into one of three major groups; they are either monoblock, i.e
units consisting of one block (window, portable, etc.) or they are split-systems which
have an element for inside and a separate but linked element for outside the
building, or they are multi-split where for a single outdoor element there are 2 or
more linked internal elements.
Monoblock Air Conditioners
The operation of an air conditioner basically revolves round the flow of refrigerant
from one set of coils where it collects heat to a second set of coils where it disperses
heat. In monoblock air conditioners the two sets of coils are combined in the same
body shell. The units are designed to be located inside the building, however they
always have an air pipe to link to outside so that the heated air can be dispersed to
outside.

PORTABLE OR MOBILE AIR CONDITIONERS

Perhaps the most familiar air conditioner to most consumers, these
units do not require special mounting but do come with a flexible air
pipe which is routed through a window or hole in the wall. Generally
the diameter of the air pipe is about 5″ and the pipes are about 2 – 3
m long. The air conditioner discharges hot through this pipe when in
use. Because the compressor is located inside the unit rather than in
the case of split units, in an external element, the mobile monoblock
air conditioners have the disadvantage of being quite noisy and
limited in capacity. On the other hand they do not require installation
and are these days relatively cheap to buy. Although there are
Mobile monoblock air numerous mobile air conditioners on the market, the vast majority
conditioning are small units either 9000 or 12000 btu, we only sell mobile units
larger than 10000 btu, simply because for the vast majority of
applications 9000 btu models are just too small.

FLOOR MOUNTED AIR CONDITIONERS

Floor mounted monoblock air conditioners are installed against the
wall in the same way a storage heater is and they are typically of a
similar appearance and size to storage heaters. These type of air
conditioners usually have a heat pump facility, thus providing very
cost-effective heating in colder months. These air conditioners
Floor mounted typically have 2 air pipes which lead directly from the rear of the
monoblock air unit, through the wall, where the ends are usually capped with
conditioner small louvres

WALL MOUNTED AIR CONDITIONERS

Some times called high wall air conditioners, wall mounted
monoblock air conditioning is a neat solution to older buildings
where planning does not permit the installation of an external
condenser unit. The wall mounted monoblock air
Wall mounted conditioner attaches high on the wall and two air pipes are routed
monoblock air from the back directly through the wall. The disadvantage of these
conditioning air conditioners is that they are slightly larger in-depth compared to
split wall mounted unit as the condenser is contained inside the wall
 mount unit. They usually feature a heat pump so that air can be
heated in winter as well as cooled in summer.

SPOT COOLERS (INDUSTRIAL MOBILES)

Spot cooling can be provided by these large mobile monoblock air
conditioners. They are heavily build, powerful and designed to be
wheeled to ships, boats and aircraft to provide temporary cooling to
the internal air. Spot coolers can also be used to provide cool air to
industrial processes. Unlike small portable air conditioners, spot
coolers are designed to be located in the warm outside air and to
Industrial mobile aka provide cool air into areas that they themselves do not occupy. Most
‘spot cooler’ have capacity to deliver cold air via a number of ducts to exactly
where the air is required. The snout pipes that are typically fitted
to the front of these units are rigid but adjustable, enabling the flow
of cold air to be directed to a preset spot.

WINDOW AIR CONDITIONERS

Window air conditioners or window rattlers as they are referred to by
the trade, used to be the most widespread configuration of air
conditioner. They are almost standard in apartments, houses, offices
and cabins in Mediterranean countries and the Middle East. The
basic ones can only chill the air, the more expensive have a heat
pump mode and a remote-control. Main disadvantages of window
air-conditioners are increased noise and necessity of mounting into
the window opening or more usually through a narrow wall. On the
plus side they are reasonably priced and easy to fit. Window air
conditioners are sometimes known as ‘thro the wall air conditioners’,
although they generally can not be mounted in a wall any thicker
Window air conditioner than 9″ because then the additional depth of wall impinges and
blocks the air flow from the side vents of the units on the
outside. Several of our customers find it much cheaper long-term to
run and replace window air conditioners, that to install and maintain
split systems.
New European efficiency regulations that took effect in 2013, mean
that many manufacturers have stopped manufacturing this type of
air conditioner, and stocks of units made before the regulations took
effect are now gone. The market was almost free of window air
conditioners for about 2 years and now there are some machines on
the market which are compliant with the new ErP regulations.

Split Air Conditioning

There are a number of air conditioning types that can be described as ‘split’. Split air
conditioners consist of an outer and inner components which are connected by an
electric cable and two copper pipes along which the refrigerant flows to and from the
internal and external components. The noisiest and bulkiest part of the air
conditioner which contains the compressor is outside whilst the internal component
is much lighter and quieter and can be placed (depending in the design), in almost
any part of the inside air space.
Modern split air conditioning systems are equipped with remote control, and usually
are equipped with a heat pump facility for heating in the winter months. The
combination of sophisticated controls and a heat pump means that the internal air
spaces can effectively be ‘climate controlled’ by modern split air conditioning
systems keeping the room temperature to within 1-2 degrees of the temperature
setting. Most split air conditioning systems now have a number of control modes and
timers so that the operation of the unit can be pre programmed in considerable
detail. Even the direction and swing operation of the discharge louvers can usually
be set. On the indoor component there is always a coarse air filter to protect the coils
from large particles and often there are also fine filters and air purification
equipment built in to remove fine dust, tobacco smoke, plant pollen, odours and
chemical pollutants, etc.

WALL MOUNTED AIR CONDITIONER – ENGINEER FIT

Wall mounted split air conditioners come a variety of styles, capacities
and levels of functionality. The units are engineer fit where there is no
interconnecting quick connection pipes supplied with the air
conditioner, which means that the installation of the wall unit and
outside condenser is bespoke to building. Although the installation of
these air conditioners is quite expensive, the benefit is that the
installation is neat and exact to the building which inevitably raises the
building’s resale value.
Wall mounted split air There is a far greater variety of engineer fit wall mounted air conditioners on the market
conditioner compared to ‘easy fit’ types, therefore a wider choice of capacities, functionality and
aesthetics. Wall mounted air conditioners are typically mounted at a high level (above head
height) and can come with several operating modes, including heat pump, timer functionality,
remote control and air purification features. Although we sell this type of air conditioner
system we don’t list them on our website. Phone us for help 0845 688 0112

WALL MOUNTED AIR CONDITIONER – EASY FIT

‘Easy fit’ split air
conditioner. Regulations
now require that these air
conditioning types are fitted
by a refrigeration engineer.
In contrast to the engineer fit air conditioners the ‘easy fit’ ones are
supplied with the interconnecting pipework and cable in a plastic
sheath or ‘umbilical cord’ which has a quick connect end. The system
including the pipe is pre-charged with refrigerant and is designed so
that the unit can be installed be an electrician or even by someone
competent in DIY.
However, recent changes in regulations require that these now require
fitting by a qualified refrigeration engineer. This change has meant
that the choice of this type of split air conditioner has diminished,
basically because if it has to be fitted by a refrigeration engineer, then
they actually work out more expensive than an engineer fit machine of
the type described above. This type of machine will probably
disappear altogether from the market in the next year or so.
All easy fit split air conditioners have a common drawback in that the
‘umbilical cord’ is a fixed length. This means that either it is too long
and the excess length has to be ‘lost’ in the routing of the piping or
that it is too short for the particular application intended. Before buying
 one of these type of air conditioners, ensure that the specified pipe
length will be suitable for your application.

CEILING CASSETTE AIR CONDITIONER

Commonplace in offices with suspended ceilings, the ceiling cassette air
conditioner, sometimes known as a cartridge air conditioner, is usually
designed to be fitted within a one or two ceiling tile spaces. The bulk of the
unit is unseen as it is above the ceiling line and the only visible part is the
decorative lower facing with its central inlet grille and 4 edge outlet louvers.
The main advantage of these units is aesthetics, but also that a centrally
mounted unit can deliver an increased cooling (or heating) capacity across
Ceiling cassette a wide area because of the air being distributed in 4 directions. Typically, a
air conditioner single ceiling cassette air conditioner can do the same job as 3 or 4 wall
mounted units.
There is another type of ceiling air conditioner, which is
an under ceiling air conditionerThese are used where there is no
suspended ceiling to install a cassette and where there is sufficient ceiling
height to suspend an under ceiling unit. As these are designed to be
Ceiling entirely within a room, they are made to be reasonably aesthetic, however,
suspended air the under ceiling air conditioners do inevitably look like overly cumbersome
conditioner items to hang from a ceiling. Generally they are designed to lift air vertically
into the unit and discharge treated air horizontally along the ceiling avoiding
direct discharge directly onto occupants, and some allow air discharge from
four sides.
Although we sell this type of air conditioner system we don’t list them on our
website. Phone us for help 0845 688 0112

FLOOR MOUNTED AIR CONDITIONER

Floor mounted split air conditioners can really be subdivided in to two types.
Firstly column air conditioners which are large, high-capacity units (up to
around 45000 BTU) used where a large room is to be cooled and where
there may be building reasons why several smaller outlets cannot be used.
Typical applications include lobbies, reception and waiting areas. The high
output of these air conditioners means that they produce a strong flow
of cool air which does not allow occupants to be in close proximity to the
air conditioner.
Secondly, there are smaller cabinet style air conditioners which are far smaller,
more like the dimensions of a storage heater than a tall upright freezer dimensions
of a column air conditioner. Typically their rated capacities are up to
about 15000BTU, and they are ideal for providing high-efficiency climate control
to new extensions and conservatories. These both types of air conditioners are
Column air typically installed by refrigeration engineers as they do not usually have quick
connect pipes, therefore the pipe work and cabling between the inside and outside
conditioner
elements is installed bespoke to the building and then the system is charged with
refrigerant.
 Although we sell this type of air conditioner system we don’t list them on our
website. Phone us for help 0845 688 0112

Floor mounted
cabinet air
conditioner

DUCT MOUNTED AIR CONDITIONER

Where a building has a ducted air system, duct mounted air conditioning is
usually the preferred option. As the ducting is usually hidden in the ceiling
voids, then so to is the duct mounted air conditioning system. Sometimes
known as channel or central air-conditioners they also have the
advantage of being capable of delivering conditioned air to a number of
rooms, depending on the air duct layout. Because these air conditioners
work within duct systems, they usually have the facility of cooling fresh air
Duct mounted or a blend of fresh and recirculated air, depending on the layout and control
air conditioner of the air delivery system. This type of air conditioning is common in
applications where there are a number of different rooms or zones or even
separate premises to be cooled.
Although we sell this type of air conditioner system we don’t list them on our
website. Phone us for help 0845 688 0112

PORTABLE OR MOBILE AIR CONDITIONERS

Portable split air conditioners offer the possibility or higher cooling capacity
that similar sizemonoblocks and rated capacities for this type of air
conditioner can be as high as 16000 BTU. The design typically has a
plastic sheathed ‘umbilical cord’ containing the electrical line and the
Split mobile air refrigerant pipes, one end of which will typically have a quick connect
conditioner facility. This means that the connection between the two parts of the system
can be broken to allow easy installation so that a pipe end rather than the
complete external element can be passed through a window or hole in a
wall. Mobile split air conditioners have the obvious advantage that they are
easy to move and set up in a new room, although by putting the outside unit
on mounting brackets and the umbilical cord through a drilled hole in the
wall, these air conditioners can used for ”semi-permanent’ installation.
Larger portable splits are our speciality. Rather than have refrigerant lines the
connection between the inside part and the outside is flow and return water lines.
Water filled This means that although there is refrigerant in the outside bit, it is self-contained
split mobile air and factory sealed. The inside end is little more than a coil and fan in a box, with
conditioner controls. The largest capacity unit of this type is about 50000btu, 15kw. Larger
capacities are possible but the type of equipment goes on to modular chillers and
air handling units.

Multi Split Air Conditioning

 These air conditioning systems are essentially the same as the split systems except that there are a
number of indoor units linked to the same external unit. This type of air conditioning system invariably
requires a large more powerful condenser unit, however it does allow the same type of indoor unit
variants for the single split systems, and even allows for different types of indoor unit being run from
the same condenser, e.g. a floor mounted unit in one room, ceiling cassette in another and a wall
mount in yet another room.

Typically multi split systems can link between 2 and 4 internal units to a single
external block. The obvious limitation of this air conditioning configuration is that if
the outside block breaks down then all the internal blocks are rendered
inoperative. For this reason where external space allows, a number standard split
air conditioners are preferable to a multi split system. It is also the case that multi
split air conditioners are seldom much more cost-effective than an equivalent
configuration of standard splits. This is because the installation cost to the multi
multi split air split air conditioning system is typically double that of the single splits and typically
conditioner the maintenance costs are also higher. Although we sell this type of air conditioner
system we don’t list them on our website.Phone us for help 0845 688 0112

Which type to choose?

The process of choosing an air conditioner has three principal steps which in order
are;
1. Work out what cooling capacity of unit you require.
2. Select the type of unit you require
3. Balance the other factors, including physical size, function, noise, aesthetics and
cost before making your model selection.
The following brief pointers should help select the type of air conditioner that you
need;
 For domestic and small office type applications the ‘installed’ choice almost always

comes down to either window air conditioners or, wall or floor mounted split systems.

Faced with this choice, if you can afford a wall or floor mounted split system then it is the

type to choose from as usually they have more functionality and are invariably quieter

than window air conditioners.

 If you have planning restrictions that prevent the placement of an external condenser on

or near your building, then consider wall mounted or floor mounted monoblocks.

 If you are looking for a very efficient heating source as wall as cooling capacity then you

need an air conditioners with a heat pump. This generally means that your choice is

limited to split systems, although wall and floor mounted monoblocks also have heat

pumps.
 If you want to have a moveable asset, for instance if you rent your property then mobiles

or easy fit split air conditioners are preferable.

 For mobiles the choice is between monoblock and split units. Generally monoblocks air

conditioners are more popular with split air conditioners being requested where larger

capacity is required.

 For larger offices, shops, and other buildings, then the other types of air conditioning

then come into play.