Types of air conditioning

[PommiePattons]

Hi all,

 

can anyone please explain the different types of air conditioning. Looking at houses and there seems to be several versions.

i get the ducted, but then there is all the other bits.

Would welcome feedback on what is best as well please

thanks

anthony

[Guest Claire-n-tel]

Hi Anthony!

 

have a read of this......http://www.homeimprovementpages.com.au/find/air_conditioning

[Tamara (Homes Down Under)]

Hi,

The big aircon boxes that you see on the roofs are the evaporative type. They are essentially a large fan that forces air into your home after the air has been drawn in through the side filters which are wet. They can only cool and not heat a house.

Doors or windows have to be open to let the pressurised air out. They are much cheaper to run than reverse cycle aircons but not as effective at cooling.

 

The reverse cycle aircons may have a large outside unit on the base or attached to a wall. They can also force cooled air into the house through ducting just like an evap system (above) or they may have a unit on the inside wall as well. They are effective at cooling and heating and the temperature can be controlled. The inverter type are cheaper than the older units to run but they cost more to run than the evaporative type. Doors and windows have to be closed.

 

I'm sure that other people will have a more technical explanation!

 

Tamara

[John Browning]

the big advantage of a reverse cycle unit, is that you can use it to warm the house (with "free" heat) in winter.

ther are also fewer problems with condensation, etc.

 

Its worth looking for units that have Inverter compressors -these work far more efficiently.

 

Also, don't forget that all aircons work much better with ceiling fans.

 

John B

[jimmyskinner]

the big advantage of a reverse cycle unit, is that you can use it to warm the house (with "free" heat) in winter.

ther are also fewer problems with condensation, etc.

 

Its worth looking for units that have Inverter compressors -these work far more efficiently.

 

Also, don't forget that all aircons work much better with ceiling fans.

 

John B

How is it free heat?

[Guest sithewindows]

Great minds think alike!

Perhaps there will be an answer on the next page though.

How is it free heat?

[sidestep]

In the case of reverse cycle then the heat is free as it's all around us, even in winter. You just pay for the unit to collect it and transfer it to where you want.

[Guest Guest12727]

In the case of reverse cycle then the heat is free as it's all around us, even in winter. You just pay for the unit to collect it and transfer it to where you want.

 

That would have to be the most expensive 'free' product I have ever paid for then!

[adelaidenow]

If you take money out of the equation reverse cycle is better. It does also have the advantage of working far better in extreme heat.

[sueoc]

That would have to be the most expensive 'free' product I have ever paid for then!

The word 'free' is used a lot here in Australia,as a sales pitch.It never ceases to amaze me how it is assumed we are all dumb dumbs to fall for this mealy mouthed Bull!!!In fact it's quite insulting,like the 'free' barbeque you get if you buy an overpriced fridge freezer,or the 'free' tin of Tuna you get if you buy 5 others!!:shocked:The word free here,in the retail world,has a different meaning!!Sorry to go off topic,but i needed that grouch!!

[Guest Guest75]

The word 'free' is used a lot here in Australia,as a sales pitch.It never ceases to amaze me how it is assumed we are all dumb dumbs to fall for this mealy mouthed Bull!!!In fact it's quite insulting,like the 'free' barbeque you get if you buy an overpriced fridge freezer,or the 'free' tin of Tuna you get if you buy 5 others!!:shocked:The word free here,in the retail world,has a different meaning!!Sorry to go off topic,but i needed that grouch!!

 

Getting ready for Christmas are we Mrs Grinch??????

 

 

I'm with you on this "free" malarky!!

 

 

Nowt is.

[sueoc]

Getting ready for Christmas are we Mrs Grinch??????

 

 

I'm with you on this "free" malarky!!

 

 

Nowt is.

Hahaha!Love that Russell!!:biglaugh:I'm sure your Mum and Dad told you the same as mine did when you were a kid,'You get 'Nowt for Nowt'

[sidestep]

That would have to be the most expensive 'free' product I have ever paid for then!

It's also worth bearing in mind that heat is in fact a waste product and co-efficient of many processes. It's funny therefore how we spend so much money manufacturing heat where we want it however let vast amounts escape elsewhere.

[Guest Guest75]

Hahaha!Love that Russell!!:biglaugh:I'm sure your Mum and Dad told you the same as mine did when you were a kid,'You get 'Nowt for Nowt'

 

Sure did................ "Buy one,get one free" is Buy one,pay for t'other "in my mind.............

 

Sorry for the wander Original poster............

[adelaidenow]

Getting ready for Christmas are we Mrs Grinch??????

 

 

I'm with you on this "free" malarky!!

 

 

Nowt is.

 

I am not sure why someone said it was in this country, the UK has had buy 2 get one free for many years. So any implication the free offers are an Australian thing is just wrong.

[jimmyskinner]

Must have been a good salesmen to make someone believe the heat is free.

[Guest Guest75]

I am not sure why someone said it was in this country, the UK has had buy 2 get one free for many years. So any implication the free offers are an Australian thing is just wrong.

 

 

Not implying it is just in this country, just sharing my general view chuck.

 

BOGOFF's appen' virtually globally.

[sidestep]

Must have been a good salesmen to make someone believe the heat is free.

But that's the point - with reverse cycle the heat is free. The cost is incurred in moving it to where you want. Ask yourself this question - where, in a reverse cycle air conditioning system, is the physical application of heat applied? No gas is burnt, outside air is not drawn through heated electric elements to warm it.

[John Browning]

Look again- I didn't say it was FREE

 

but it is "free heat".

 

Of course you pay for the compressor to extract the heat from the air outside and pump it into your room.

 

But this can be more efficient than transporting fossil fuels around and then setting fire to them.

 

jb

[adelaidenow]

You have all lost me, I am not very good with physics.

 

But in my simple terms.

 

• Reverse cycle is good for keeping you hot or cold
  
• It's the most expensive to install
  
• Its the most expensive to run.,
  

 

To me that makes the heat expensive.

The technicalities are not important when budgeting.

[John Browning]

Look again- I didn't say it was FREE

 

but it is "free heat". ....heat that is otherwise ciculating around without doing you some good

 

Of course you pay for the compressor to extract the heat from the air outside and pump it into your room.

 

But this can be more efficient than transporting fossil fuels around and then setting fire to them.

Edited December 19, 2013 by snifter

[minty]

Evaps are less efficient so may need to run longer to achieve the desired effect so may not be overall cheaper if running for longer periods. Will not get it down to a decent temp either on a day like today. Then you have to have a heat system installed along side aswell. Reverse ducted or splits are getting more efficient. If you go with these get an inverter unit. They heat and cool and are instant results. We put our upstairs unit on at 1900 for 15 minutes and it cools down the whole floor in that time. Another thing is if going reverse cycle do your heat loadings correctly and do not undersized the system. A system that is to big will be much more efficient then a system that is to small and struggles to get to the right temps.

[snifter]

I've tidied up this thread a little as it was getting personal.

 

Moving on now

[Guest Guest12727]

Evaps are less efficient so may need to run longer to achieve the desired effect so may not be overall cheaper if running for longer periods. Will not get it down to a decent temp either on a day like today. Then you have to have a heat system installed along side aswell. Reverse ducted or splits are getting more efficient. If you go with these get an inverter unit. They heat and cool and are instant results. We put our upstairs unit on at 1900 for 15 minutes and it cools down the whole floor in that time. Another thing is if going reverse cycle do your heat loadings correctly and do not undersized the system. A system that is to big will be much more efficient then a system that is to small and struggles to get to the right temps.

 

Split systems and reverse cycle do cool and heat well, but in my experience they are more expensive to run than an evaporative and say a gas space heater.

 

We have had both and in both instances have had an electricity monitor so we can see exactly what it costs. Running our evap, uses around 0.3 - 0.4 kW/h. I have had it running this afternoon (44 deg outside) and the house is lovely and cool. Based on our usage so far, we will use about 12kW for the day (yesterday we used 10) - total elec usage.

 

When we had the reverse cycle, we used a lot more than that, with our daily usage around 30 - 35kW on a hot day and even more when we were heating with the reverse cycle in winter. Ours was a large system with an inverter and was zoned so we only cooled / heated the rooms we were using. Our evaporative is a new system and it's cooling and efficiency have surprised me.

 

I agree you can cool the house to much colder with reverse cycle, but be careful to check the cost. Other factors also play a part, such as house design, insulation, window coverings, tree coverage etc. Perhaps there are some instances where reverse cycle is more efficient - this just hasn't been my experience.

[John Browning]

Given that this has become a bit academic (-too late to install a new system before this heat wave, and too early to worry about heating the house for next winter) here are few ideas for the meantime:

 

keep the windows, blinds, and outside shutters closed up during the heat of the day. Open them if you know it really will get cooler over night (sadly, sometimes it won't), and make use of the security doors if you want to sleep with the doors open.

 

take a short shower to get really clean, than put the cold water that you would have wasted trying to cool off, in the tub.

 

You can keep this fresh with a capful of Tea Tree Oil and lying in just six inches of cold water will cool down your core temperature more than a 10 to 15 minute cold shower.

 

We tend to get most power cuts when everyone gets home from work.

 

If you have an aircon that can be programmed, arrange for it to cool your living room down before you arrive home

 

 

As for aircons they all work better if:

 

a) you keep the filters clean

 

b) you use them in conjunction with fans

 

 

And no, you wouldn't be the first person to sit sweltering wondering what the problem is, if you have left the reverse cycle aircon and the reversible ceiling fans on the winter settings.

 

 

Good luck,

 

John B