Ducted Air Conditioning: How It Works

Choosing ducted air conditioning for your home is an investment that more and more homeowners are making. While the upfront cost of the systems and installation may be higher, ducted air conditioning offers powerful temperature control, and the integrated components mean there’s no need for unsightly wall units.

Ducted systems work on familiar principles, and we’re going to take a look at how they function and what makes them a good choice for heating and cooling your home.

How Does Ducted Air Conditioning Work?

All air conditioning units work on the same principle – refrigerant is pumped around the system, absorbing heat inside your home and dissipating it outside. In residential ducted air conditioning, the two parts of the system that handle this job are the external condenser and the fan coil unit contained within the ductwork.

In the summer when you want to cool your home, warm internal air is drawn up into the ducts by the fan coil unit. There, it passes over pipes filled with cold refrigerant. The heat from the air is transferred into the refrigerant which is then pumped to the outdoor condenser unit. At the condenser, a fan blows cool air over the hot pipes, dissipating the heat. The refrigerant is then compressed, ready to begin its journey all over again.

What Makes Ducted Air Con Do Quiet?

One of the biggest draws to ducted options is how unobtrusive they are. Not only do you get to skip hanging large white boxes on your internal walls, but a single ducted system can also run with only one external condenser unit and one internal fan coil unit.

That means all the noisy parts of the system are concealed, either outside away from windows and doors, or in the ceiling where any noise produced is absorbed by the surrounding insulation. All you’re left with is the noise produced by air moving in and out of the vents.

Is Ducted Right for Me?

Around the home, ducted and split system air conditioners are the two most popular options. Ducted comes with plenty of benefits, making it a good option for many people:

• Cost. While ducted air conditioning will be more expensive than installing one or two split systems, if you need to cool an entire house, ducted will be more cost-effective. We always encourage customers to think of ducted systems as an investment. While the initial outlay may be higher, the lower maintenance and greater cooling capacity will more than make up for the expense.
• Larger cooling capacity. Not only can you cool many rooms at once, but ductwork and vents also make it easier to deliver cool air where it’s needed, even in large rooms that would need more than one split system unit.
• They look better. With only one external condenser needed, ducted systems undoubtedly have the edge in the looks department. Inside the home, all you have to contend with are small vents in the ceiling of each temperature zone.

But you should also weigh those against the disadvantages of ducted systems:

• Energy efficiency. Cooling your entire home is less energy efficient than cooling one or two rooms separately with split system air conditioners. Zoning and separate temperature zones can help conserve energy, but ducted systems that support zoning are slightly more expensive than base models that cool the entire building at once.
• Not suitable for every property. The vents and ducting involved in installation require a certain amount of ceiling space and not all homes are suitable for ducted installations. You will need to check with an air conditioning installer to find out whether your home is suitable for ductwork.

Considering Ducted Air Conditioning? Get In Touch with Technicool today!

Our expert team has all the know-how and advice you’ll need to get started with planning your ducted air conditioning system. Get in touch with us to learn more about the services we provide or if you would like to make an appointment to discuss air conditioning in your home!