How Do Ductless Air Conditioners Work

 Ductless air conditioners, often referred to as mini-splits, are becoming more and more popular in homes. Despite their popularity, many homeowners don’t understand how mini splits work or if they’re the right choice for an upgrade or new building project.
 

How Does a Standard A/C System Work?

• In a standard air conditioning system, the indoor unit is typically located in your attic or in a closet. Ducts push and pull air to this central location, cooling and delivering it to rooms in your home through the vent system. Older homes may not have the space for installing new or additional ductwork that a traditional air conditioner needs.
  Plus, installing new ductwork can involve cutting through ceilings, walls and floors, making it an expensive and lengthy job.

How Does a Mini Split Work?

• In a mini split system, you have individual indoor units located in each room
  or “zone.” Instead of pushing and pulling air to a central indoor unit, each room will handle its own cooling needs through an individual fan and evaporator unit. The fan and evaporator unit is connected to an outdoor compressor unit
  via refrigerant lines. The air is cooled on its way to the compressor and then returned to the indoor unit that circulates it in the room.

No ducts are needed for ductless mini-splits to work. The refrigerant lines are easier to install than new ducts. They only need holes that are approximately 3 inches in diameter and have no structural impact on your home.

Some homeowners worry they won’t be able to properly power mini splits to cool their home. While the individual indoor units may seem small, it’s important to remember they must only cool a single room, not your whole home. This makes the cooling much easier.
 

Mini splits are best for multi-zone cooling and heating, which is a way of home climate control that divides your home into
zones of different temperatures.
This method keeps frequently used rooms comfortable and saves money by not overly heating or cooling unused rooms.

Multiple mini splits can be connected to a single condenser. You can cool several rooms without paying for multiple systems. The mini splits can be adjusted independently of one another, so you can change the temperature in each room or zone.