How to install air conditioning in the apartment
The purchase of an air conditioner, once made in the name of creating and maintaining comfortable climatic conditions in a room, can become absolutely useless … Indeed, if most of us tend to listen to the opinion of qualified specialists when choosing air conditioning systems (we’re not buying “at random”, but considering the volume of the room, wall materials, the number of door and window openings, we are looking for available information about the products of the selected brand), then many refuse the help of a qualified installation team, preferring to install air conditioning in the apartment on their own. But the prospect of “ruining” expensive equipment is much more real than the probability of the perfect operation of a high-quality device installed by inept hands. A comparative analysis of household air conditioners and identification of the main features of each type is the topic of a separate article. Today we will consider the features of installing a split system – the most popular type of air conditioner designed to maintain a comfortable microclimate in the apartment.
Content
- The principle of operation of the split system
- Preparatory stage
- Features and installation rules of the external unit
- All about installing the indoor unit
The principle of operation of the split system
The split system consists of interconnected copper tubes and electric wires of the external and internal blocks. To avoid heat loss, the connecting pipes must be thermally insulated. In each unit there is a heat exchanger, a closed system is absolutely tight, it is filled with refrigerant (most often freon). A compressor installed in the outdoor unit compresses the freon, turning it into a liquid state. In this case, the external heat exchanger (condenser) is heated, transferring heat to the air on the street.
Air conditioning system consisting of indoor and outdoor units
For effective cooling, a fan is installed in the outdoor unit. The cooled liquid fraction enters through the copper tube into the indoor unit (evaporator), where the conversion of the liquid fraction into gaseous is structurally provided. The transition of freon from a liquid state to a gaseous state (evaporation) is accompanied by strong cooling in the indoor unit. The air taken from the room is driven by the fan through the heat exchanger, cooled and returned. This process is accompanied by the formation of condensate, which is discharged out using a special plastic drainage, ideally connected to the sewer pipe, in practice it is often simply taken out into the street.
Preparatory stage
Installation of air conditioners in the apartment begins with the choice of the location of the external and internal units. It is necessary to arrange the blocks in such a way that they can function efficiently, not interfere with others, be accessible for maintenance and are located as close to each other as possible.
Features and installation rules of the external unit
Air conditioning is best installed during repairs. At the first stage of installation (during rough works), you can install an outdoor unit, pave the walls and lay in them communications from the outdoor unit to the place of future installation of the indoor unit, as well as conduct wiring. The air conditioner consumes quite a lot of electricity to protect the main electrical circuit from overloads, a separate wiring line and a circuit breaker are required.
Installation of the outdoor unit on the wall of the building should be carried out very carefully and with the use of safety cables
When choosing a mounting location for the outdoor unit of the air conditioner, also consider the need for periodic maintenance. The air conditioner must be reliably protected against water ingress during rain and snowmelt. To protect the outdoor unit, a visor can be installed. The bracket for mounting the air conditioner must meet the required load. If possible, it is highly advisable to choose the smallest distance between the outdoor and indoor units. Connection and installation of such a system will be less expensive, in addition, during operation there will be less energy loss. High-altitude work should be carried out only by qualified specialists using special equipment.
All about installing the indoor unit
The next installation stage is carried out after completion of all draft work, it includes the installation of the indoor unit, connection to the external one using tubes, filling the system with freon, connecting the power supply and commissioning.
If the air conditioner is installed after the repair, then cutting the gate is inappropriate, in this case, communications must be hidden in a decorative box
When choosing the location of the indoor unit of the split system, be guided by the need to ensure unhindered air circulation (do not install the wall unit at a distance of less than 10 cm from the ceiling, as well as above tall cabinet furniture). Consider the direction of the flow of chilled air: the flow should not be directed to places of frequent residence of people (bed, workplace, dining table). In the place chosen for the installation of the indoor unit, it should be possible to conveniently lay cables and pipelines. Remember the need for periodic maintenance, it is imperative that the unit is located in a free access area.
Communications laid in the wall to the mounting location of the indoor unit in advance, during repair
Most often, firms selling air conditioners offer a range of services: they are obliged to supply air conditioning to the apartment and provide after-sales service. It is much more profitable to take advantage of such an offer than to buy an aggregate and only after that look for a qualified team. In the first case, you save money on installation and in the event of a breakdown in the air conditioner, you can count on warranty repairs. In the second case, the eternal question “who is to blame?” will remain unanswered: the company that sold you the air conditioner cannot be responsible for the possible consequences of “poor-quality installation”, and the installation specialists cannot guarantee the quality of work of the “initially defective device”.
As you can see, the installation of an air conditioning system is quite complicated and requires the use of expensive highly specialized equipment. In addition to tools, the necessary knowledge and skills are important, because the installation of an air conditioner is not only a reliable fastening of nodes, but also the correct connection of connecting pipelines, electrical wiring, as well as skillful system setup. The effective operation of the device depends on many factors, in particular, it is important to calculate the power of the device and choose correctly where in the apartment to install air conditioning.
