Upgrade Your Air Conditioning System in Your New York Home

Types of Air Conditioners

You may already be familiar with portable air conditioners - the concept that one unit basically cools one room. Larger units may give some relief to adjacent rooms, especially if you install a ceiling fan to help circulate the air from room to room. However, if you want the convenience of whole-house AC, or at least AC in multiple rooms, you have three choices: central air conditioning, ductless mini-split air conditioning, or a high-efficiency heat pump that can run in reverse. Our experts are experienced in all types of HVAC installation and will work with you to determine the best heating and cooling system for your home.

• Central air conditioning systems

  Our systems are designed and capable of distributing cool air throughout the entire home. They do so by circulating cool air through ducts in floors, walls, or ceilings. The cool conditioned air enters each room through registers that may be located in the wall or ceiling of the room, where the room air is then moved back to the central unit with return registers and ducts. The air ducts are often the same ones used by the home’s forced-air heating system.

  There are two types of central air conditioners, the split system and the single package system. In the former, the evaporator coil is located inside the home, either in a module attached to the furnace or in an air handler that is typically located in the attic. The condenser, compressor coil, and a large cooling fan are stationed outside in a metal cabinet. Insulated copper tubing carries the refrigerant between the outdoor and indoor components.

• Split systems

  Offer homeowners an economical and convenient solution for air conditioning a home, especially for homes that already have a forced-air heating system installed. Split air conditioning systems may also be used to cool homes with hydronic heating systems. In such cases, an air handler distributes cool air to newly installed ducts. There are a variety of ducting systems available, including flexible ducts that are dropped to various rooms from the attic and high-velocity mini ducts may be installed in walls, floors or ceilings.

  With a packaged central air conditioner, all components are located outside the house - typically on the roof or mounted to a concrete slab next to the foundation. Cool air is moved via insulated ducts into the home and is then circulated to rooms in the home via additional ductwork.

• Ductless mini-split air conditioners

  Have become a popular retrofit system for households that have non-ducted heating systems in place, such as hydronic (hot water) and radiant systems - where installing new ducts would be expensive or not feasible. Like central air systems, noisy components are outside of the living space and your windows remain accessible and unobstructed. Unlike central systems, however, mini-splits are limited to cooling only 3 or 4 rooms.

  With a ductless system, the compressor/condenser components sit outside. Indoor units house an evaporative coil and blower, which are typically mounted or installed on interior walls near the ceiling.  They can also be ceiling-mounted or flush-mounted above a drop ceiling. A conduit that includes a power cable, refrigerant tubing, suction tubing and a condensate drain connect the air handlers to the outside unit - which can be up to 50-ft. long and requires a 3-in. hole to pass through to an exterior wall.

  Flexibility in where you can put the components is a real advantage, allowing you to locate the outdoor unit in an unobtrusive (preferably shady) spot. Indoor units may be placed in the rooms and locations of your choice, typically near the ceiling. Some mini-splits can provide heating as well as cooling. Throw in the fact that their quiet and can be remotely controlled, you're well on your way to easy living! For more information, click here.

• Heat pumps

  Are used in households to provide cooling as well as heating. New high-efficiency units can be used in cold climates. Like air conditioners, heat pumps have compressors and coils that can evaporate and condense refrigerant. Unlike air conditioners, they are designed so you can reverse the cooling cycle, and move heat from the outside of your home to the interior. Heat pumps are available in a wide range of sizes, from the mini-splits mentioned above, to large central units that can also include a hot water heater. Some hybrid systems team a heat pump with a gas furnace. Such units can be used in colder climates.

  Heat pumps can utilize air or water to cool the condenser coil. When water is used, it may be circulated from a well, a pond, or through underground tubing. Unlike air-source heat pumps, these geothermal heat pumps are efficient even on cold winter nights and hot summer days.