When searching for an air conditioner, it’s easy to get confused by new terms such as split air conditioner, portable air conditioner, or evaporative air cooler. Just what are all these terms? What makes an air conditioner split? What makes a portable air conditioner? This article focuses on split air conditioning systems and what makes them different from conventional air conditioners. We will also talk about the pros and cons of the split air conditioner.
A split air conditioner is split when the compressor and evaporator are located in separate units. This is the configuration used in most industrial air conditioners, but due to improvements in thermal engineering and control systems of air conditioners, the price of smaller units for home use have become increasingly economical. Portable split air conditioning systems indicate that the refrigerant pipes connecting the units are detachable, as opposed to being permanently affixed by a plumber.
The condenser of a split air conditioner system - photo by Bill Hutchison
The advantage of using a split air conditioner is that the evaporator (the unit inside the house) can be much smaller, mounted for optimal air flow, and can be much quieter since they have no compressor. The compressor of a split air conditioner (located outside the house) can be much more powerful than original wall or window mounted air conditions that contain both an evaporator and compressor in a single unit.
Some web sites list a disadvantage of split air conditioning systems to be the fact that they cycle internal air only instead of cycling the external air into the house like a window mounted system. On the contrary, I have found this to be an advantage of the split air conditioner. Houses with pets, children, or a concern for air quality will typically run an air purification system to maintain the air quality of the house. In this case a split air conditioner is exactly the type of unit you want to use because it doesn’t cycle external air.
Although a bit advertisement heavy, this is a great YouTube video on the advantages of the split air conditioner and how it works:
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