THE NEW DUCTLESS AIR CONDITIONING/HEATING SYSTEM
In this project we are taking on a new install project for the house. The item in question is what is called a ductless air conditioning system. This is a system that comes in two parts. The outdoor unit contains the compressor/condenser and is charged with refrigerant and the indoor unit is the evaporator, which mounts on the wall of the room to be cooled/heated. Both units are liked up via two copper hoses to carry refrigerant between the two units, along with some wiring to link the two units together on the electrical side of its operation. We decided on installing one of these units after seeing one at a B&B we stayed at on a trip a few years ago. After researching these units I decided this would be the perfect thing to replace the window units that we have scattered through the house. The main living space has two AC units, one large 10k BTU unit and a smaller 5k BTU unit. This unit is a 12k BTU unit, which if it does a good job of cooling, or at least does a good enough job of keeping the immediate area where we sit cool, then this will allow us to remove the two window units and free up those windows. The other problem too is the idea that with the window units in place it allows rain water to enter through the windows because no matter what I do to seal the side panels with the window AC's, water still manages to find a way through. I need to be able to get those units out of those windows so I can stop this problem from persisting and rotting the wood and the drywall around these windows.
I ordered the unit online for a pretty good price, one of the lower end units but still supposed to use Toshiba components. Upon getting the kit, I found that the unit only had one main power hookup versus the two I thought existed since there were the two units, one going inside and the other outside. I did make sure to get a 110vac unit so it can be plugged up to a standard wall outlet. I did not want to have to go through the extra hassle of having to install and wire up a 220vac outlet box just for this unit, plus being 110vac it allows me to instantly plug this thing up to a generator during a power outage so we can still have cooling or heating.
And speaking of heating, I did take time to get a unit that doubles as a heat pump. This means that using the same principles of thermodynamics, it allows the machine to heat the living space in the same way that it cools it, using the thermodynamic physics surrounding how refrigerant operates. This isn't a science lesson so we're just going to focus on installing this system and what I had to go through in order to do so.
With the ductless AC system in place and confirmed working, we can pat ourselves on the back with another project completed and the ability to be able to supplement the wood stove during the winter months while not having to worry about filling a window with an AC unit. Its definitely nice to be able to open a window once again, which is always the disadvantage of window AC units. If things continue to work out good I may consider adding more of these things in the other rooms that have window AC ujits as these small units use about the same power as a window AC unit, being able to be plugged up to a standard 110vac outlet using less than 15 amps.
