Split Air Conditioner Installation Guide
Split Air Conditioner
Mini split air conditioner is also known as split units. There are basically 2 casings that are mounted one at the indoor and the other at the outdoor. Compared to the window units, it is less noisy as the outdoor unit is mounted outside of the building or house with piping connecting the two units.
Split Air Conditioner Indoor Unit
The indoor unit is installed inside the room to be air conditioned. It can be mounted on the ceiling, Wall or on the floor. The other term which is used for the indoor unit is Fan Coil Unit or FCU. It consists of the following parts:
• Evaporator Coil is where the heat exchange is done with the room. It consists of fins and tubes.
• Control Panel is where user control the functions of the air conditioner. Displays at the panel may indicate the mode of operation, Timer, on/off status, fan speed and other special functions. Most newer units have remote control feature built into the systems.
• Air Filter is located in front of the evaporator coil to trap any dust or particles before going into the evaporator. This is usually washable and re-useable. Users are advised to clean it at least once a month or more regularly if the environment is dirty.
• Supply and return Air GrillsM are where the air enters and discharge from the indoor unit.
• Fan Blower together with its motor are used to control the fan speed of the unit. High, Medium, Low and ultra-Low Speeds are usually designed for users to select.
• Capillary Tube is used as an expansion device where the flow of the refrigerant depends on the tube internal diameter, shape and its length. This tube is usually used in smaller units. Larger units use thermostatic expansion valve which has a controlling valve to control in greater precision the flow of the refrigerant.
• There are many additional features such as Timer, Air direction/Swing, Sleep Mode, Turbo Mode
• Some indoor units get LED display on the panel where temperature & control panel is shown.
Split Air Conditioner Outdoor Unit
The outdoor unit is installed outside the building and consists of the following parts:
• Compressor is the main component of the system and is used to compress the refrigerant.
• 2 types of compressor fixed speed (Non Inverter) & variable frequency drive (Inverter Compressor)
• Condenser Coil is used to reject heat from the refrigerant to the outside air.
• Condenser fan is used in air-cooled condenser to help move the air molecules over the surface of the condensing coil, hence rejecting the heat from the indoor to the space outside the building.
• Condenser motor is located here. The motor usually has two to three speeds. Smaller unit may only have 1 speed of control and turns on/off simultaneously with the compressor.
Installation Guide
During Installation, it is always a good idea to keep the distance between the indoor and outdoor units as close as possible. Back to back installation is the best. As the distance increase, the pressure drop in the suction and liquid lines also increases resulting in the reduction of the unit capacity.
Compared to window air conditioner, this unit is quieter as the compressor is located at the outdoor unit. This is one of the main advantage of split air conditioner compared to window air conditioner. In the effort to make the unit even less noisy, some manufactures placed the capillary tube at the outdoor unit to reduce the hissing noise of the refrigerant at the outlet end of the capillary tube.