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As things start to get heat up, an air conditioner at home or in your room would probably be one of the best ideas. When choosing the right AC, you might want to take into consideration that appliance that will not only cool the areas in your house but also help you save on your monthly bill.
Before you start on choosing the best AC for you, you have to know about the basics of how AC works. First, there are two different parts of the AC: the condenser and the evaporator coil. The condenser is where the gas is compressed and then cooled thereafter. The product is then sent through its evaporator coil while the blower moves the cold air into the room or into the house.
Choosing the Best AC for your Home
There are a lot of AC options to choose from. All of them have the capacity to cool one part of your home, two rooms or an entire house. To start choosing the right one for your home, you have to pick the room that has an outside wall in it, from there you can start figuring out how much cooling power you’ll need for a specific room size.
Here are different types of air conditioner you might want to consider:
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Window Units
Window type units are one of the first ones offered in the market. There are window type AC units that are wider, which you might think that it won’t fit in to a standard-sized window. However, there are mini air conditioners that can be as small as 14 inches, while there are also AC units that are specifically made for casement windows. If you are to shop for a window type AC, it would be hard to look for the right one, but it’ll definitely be worth looking for one.
Advantages. This type of AC cases all of its important parts in one box. It is also the easiest to install and are very portable. The best window mounted ACs also provide one of the cheapest solutions to your cooling needs and definitely have a cooling power.
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Portable
If you want to move your cooling unit around the house, then a portable AC unit might just work for you. This type of unit is usually placed on the floor and near a window. It’s typically placed near an opening outside of the house because it comes in with a hose that carries air inside and out. The parts are placed in a single box and will require a connection to the outside for it to function.
There are two types of portable air conditioner unit: single and dual. A single AC unit makes use of one tube to get the hot air out from the inside. The downside for this type of portable unit is that it gives more room for the hot air to go inside the house through the windows, which requires the unit to work doubly hard to keep the interiors cool.
On the other hand, dual-hose units work efficiently. It keeps the hot air inside the house cool. It also has the ability to keep itself cool to prevent it from overheating. The downside, however is that the best portable air conditioner units with dual-hose can really be pricey.
Advantage. Portable AC units can be a good choice if you don’t want to do any modifications on your wall or your window. You can find some great budget friendly portable ACs as well.
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Ductless/Split Units
A ductless or mini split air conditioner consists of two parts: the indoor part wherein you can mount it on the wall and outdoor part where it may be placed outside. It doesn’t have complex connections but it will need hoses to run through from the inside to cool your room inside and outside to its condenser unit.
Advantages. Split type ACs may be hanged in any place you want that will add more beauty to your household. Installing it doesn’t require a lot of complex tasks to do. If your good or at least know about placing the right wires and hoses through walls, then it’ll be easy for you to have it installed. Ductless ACs is also of great choice if you are living in hot areas and would want to cool large spaces. Its cooling capacity is powerful as that of a central air without having to make modifications on your walls and ceilings.
Disadvantages. Ductless ACs are one of the expensive ones in the market. So, if you are on a tight budget a window type might just fit in. Another downside is that it can’t be moved one room to another as what you can do with a window type or portable unit. Also, if you want to cool separate rooms, you will have to have more units to cool them.
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Wall Type
The wall type air conditioner is perhaps one of the most complicated options to choose from among the ACs out there. It has a similar system as with the window type, except that making use out of an already existing hole you have to make one instead. This means that you have to consider the pipes, the stability of your home and the walls studs to keep the AC in place.
Advantages. This type of AC has almost the same price as with window type ACs. They have more cooling power as compared to portable ACs and are deemed to be more energy efficient as compared to window units because they come with tighter seal.
Disadvantages. If you are living in an apartment or a dorm, this type of AC may not just be the right one for you. Also, it may seem to be inexpensive because you save on its hardware costs but you get to spend more for its installation.
Whatever option you choose, you’ll definitely more time to pick the right air conditioner for your home. Your decision making will be affected by the layout of your house and the area where you want to place your AC and of course, your budget.