How Ductless AC Works
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Ductless Basics
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Ductless AC is an alternative to central air units. In most respects, ductless air conditioning works in the same way as other systems, and it can be set up to cool one or several rooms. The main difference is that a ductless system does not use ducts to circulate air throughout the house, but instead cools indoor air within the individual rooms. This makes it potentially cheaper to install, easy to control and very efficient for small spaces.
Air Conditioner Universals
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A ductless air conditioner, like window and central air units, is powered by a pump called a compressor, which transports heat out of the house by moving a liquid called refrigerant. The compressor pumps the refrigerant into the condenser, an external chamber where it is pressurized. The high pressure raises the temperature of the refrigerant, and the heat radiates out of the condenser into the air outside the house, gradually cooling the refrigerant back to near air temperature. The refrigerant than flows into the low-pressure evaporator, where it rapidly expands and cools. It is the evaporator that provides the cooling in AC systems. After the refrigerant passes through the evaporator, it is pumped back into the condenser to begin the cycle again.
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Ductless Differences
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In a central air conditioner, there is one large evaporator. A big fan blows air past the evaporator, cooling the air and circulating it through the house. A ductless system, however, may have several small evaporators, one in each air-conditioned room. A small fan blows air from the room onto the evaporator, which cools the air. In ducted systems, air can leak out, and heat can leak into the ducts, but ductless systems are generally very efficient. Ductless systems also have controls for each rooms, which allows the user to control them individually. This system, called zone cooling, allows a ductless AC to cool the rooms being used and not cool the others, saving energy.
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