What is a Split Air Conditioner System?

If you have ever walked into homes where you didn’t see an air conditioner in each room, you saw a central one outside. At the same time, you were informed that the other part of the system was in an obscure place like an attic or a closet; you have seen a split air conditioner.

Split air conditioners are exactly what their name implies – they are divided into two parts. The first part (the central part of the air conditioner) lies outside, while the second part is somewhere inside the house (where you can’t readily see it!)

Unlike is the case with their older and more centralized counterparts, split air conditioners tend to last longer mainly because they are constructed from more flexible and durable materials. The outdoor part houses the compressor and condenser parts (these are the main parts of the air conditioner responsible for keeping your premises more relaxed during the warmer and more humid summer months!)

The indoor part consists of the filter and distribution system. The reason why it’s inside is because it helps circulate air all around the interior of your house. They mainly consist of flexible copper tubing. It’s the tubing that connects the two parts. The tubing also makes it easy to connect the AC unit to fans and other apparatuses that cool your house. The split air conditioning unit can control these apparatuses.

You can buy many different types of split air conditioning systems. 

The outdoor part contains the pressurized air refrigerant. It cools your house down by processing this refrigerant. The process produces colder air which it pumps to the inner unit through the flexible copper tubing. The indoor part also has an evaporator. It cools the air in your house even further by using the evaporator to extract heat and moisture from the air indoors! 

 Note that some split air conditioner systems currently on the market have a built-in heat pump. This extracts heat from the outside air and redirects it to your house. It will distribute the cooler air throughout your house’s rooms. 

Why Invest in a Split Air Conditioner System?

Ah yes, it’s time for the million-dollar question, “Should you buy a split air conditioner system?” The answer is, “It depends on the type of home you have!” While it ranks among the marvels that inform the entire gamut of creature comforts invented during the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the split air conditioner system is not ideal for all houses!

 For example, you are better off buying a centralized AC unit if you don’t have a basement or attic, and many newer places don’t. However, you should invest in a split air conditioning system in an older house with a loft, basement, or crawlspace.

 The one great advantage of split air conditioning systems is that you can install them in any sized house you want. 

Benefits of a Split Air Conditioning System

You’ll save money

Now, who wouldn’t love to hear that jingle? Yes, because there is no ductwork in split air conditioning systems and they have a built-in air distribution system, they distribute air more efficiently throughout your house. They use up less energy while doing so. So, you’ll smile when you notice that your energy and electricity bills are much lower at the end of each month!

 Split air conditioning systems, unlike their older counterparts, also turn off when the inside air temperature and moisture levels in your house drop to a certain level. They turn on again when both levels rise back to a certain level. That means they will use up much less energy than older air conditioners which constantly run even when they don’t need to!

They are Pin Drop Silent

You may have noticed something if you have been in a house that had a centralized air conditioning unit. Those types of units are notoriously and annoyingly noisy. The split air conditioning system is just the opposite – pin-drop silent. That means you can go about your day without worrying about hearing the notorious and annoying hum that traditional air conditioning units tend to produce! It will be helpful if you work remotely and ever have to do conference calls!

You Can Install Them Anywhere

The reason? Split Air Conditioning Systems are flexible! The different parts of the system “talk to each other,” so a small unit is excellent. It will accommodate your cooling needs, even if you expand upon your house over the years. 

They are Easy to Install

While you shouldn’t install a split air conditioning system alone, you will be pleased to learn that a handyperson can install your AC unit in just a few hours! 

You Can Use Your Air Conditioner to Heat Your House during the wintertime!

Isn’t that amazing, or what? Yes. A split air conditioning system will do an excellent job of heating your house thoroughly when the barometer outside plunges. You can hear your entire home or just a few rooms. This is possible only with a heating and cooling split air conditioner.

You’ll Love it if you Have Asthma

While I can’t guarantee that you will be able to get rid of your inhaler if you use a split air conditioner system and you have significant asthma, what I can say is that you will time breathing. All split air conditioning systems have filters that remove particles, toxins, dust, and other dust materials from the air you can’t see. Your lungs and body will thank you when you breathe cleaner and purer air.

The plus side is that you won’t have the issue of constantly replacing the filter as you do with traditional air conditioning systems since it’s easy to wash the filter.

Is a Split Air Conditioning System Right for You?

I have a few questions to ask you before I delve into that topic further:

1. Is your home heated with oil, propane, or an electric baseboard?
2. Is your current heater or AC unit at least 20? Do you have some rooms in which other such more traffic than in other rooms?
3. Do you currently use an indoor air conditioner?
4. Have you remodeled or added to your home?

If you answered any of these questions, you would need a split air conditioning system. 

What to Consider When Buying a Split Air Conditioner System

1. How big is your room, and how is it shaped? – Yes, these factors are essential since the more rooms your house has and the bigger they are, the bigger a split air conditioner system you’ll need. I’m going to use an analogy to explain that logic to you. You only need a mini fan to cool your bathroom if it’s small. But it would help if you had a ceiling fan to cool a room in your house. The same logic applies to split air conditioner systems. Make sure you take zones and BTUs into consideration when making your calculations. BTU refers to British Thermal Units. That’s the total units of energy needed to cool your house down, ultimately.

2. How many zones does your house have? In air conditioning jargon, a zone is the entire space that your AC unit is supposed to heat. A room can have one, partial, or many zones, depending on where it’s located and how big it is. Some rooms are attached, and so is part of one zone. 

3. Remember that single-zone split air conditioning systems have one outdoor and one indoor component that cools one room. Multi-zone systems have more than one outdoor and indoor component since they’re designed to cool more than one room.

4. British thermal unit – It’s an old term. A BTU measures the energy needed to heat a pound of water one degree Fahrenheit higher. The more rooms your house has and the bigger they are, the more BTUs it will take to cool them. So, you’ll need to buy an AC Unit with a more significant cooling capacity and more robust. 
5. Sunlight – as a general rule of thumb, rooms with lots of sunlight entering them through windows need an extra 10 BTUs to cool correctly. Rooms that rarely get sunlight need ten fewer BTUs to cool appropriately.

6. How Many people live in your house – here’s a rule of thumb – you need to add 600 BTUs to your total BTU count for every person who calls your house home.

7. Your home’s age – older houses tend to have poorer insulation. Increasing the BTUs needed to cool them by about 30% would be best. 

8. Room function – some rooms, like your kitchen, will generate much more heat because of the nature of activities that take place there. You need to add 4000 BTUs to these rooms. 

9. Where you will place your AC unit – wall-mounted systems are smaller because they use fewer BTUs. 

10. What Your AC Unit will do – you need a split air conditioning system if you want your AC unit to act like an air conditioner and heater.

11. Do you want an efficient AC Unit – most people do want an energy-efficient AC unit, so you need to look for systems with the following certifications:

1. Energy star ratings – these systems can lower your energy bills by up to 30%
2. Energy Efficiency Ratio and Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio – the first measures of how well your AC Unit uses energy when operating. The second measures how efficiently it does during various seasons. AC units with both ratings will result in much lower energy bills faster.
3. Voltage – you can cause an electric surge that can result in a fire if you don’t get an AC unit with the correct voltage.

Frequently Asked Questions

You Have Options

Old is not necessarily gold. That’s especially true with air conditioning systems. As you have seen, split air conditioning systems, which are newer, are better for your house since they’re versatile, they can fit into any space, they do a better job of cooling your home, and they use much less energy to do so!