DUCTED SYSTEMS
Ananya, Christopher, Khushi, Priya, Sansar
Ducted Systems
As the name suggests, ducted air conditioning provides heating or cooling through a system of ducts
spread out all over your home or commercial space. A central unit, consisting of a condenser,
compressor, and an air handling unit, is usually located in the basement, attic, or garage. It provides
cool or hot air, which is then distributed throughout the building through a series of ducts and vents,
providing the appropriate climate control.
TYPES OF DUCTED
SYSTEMS
SPLIT CENTRAL AIR CONDITIONING
SYSTEMS
A central split system air conditioner circulates cool air through the supply and
return duct systems in your home.
The supply and return ducts are openings in your walls, floors, or ceilings covered by
grills. After the supply ducts push out cool air, it circulates through your home. Once it
warms up in the process, it flows back to the AC unit through the return ducts and
registers to be cooled once again.
SPLIT CENTRAL AIR CONDITIONING
SYSTEMS
A central AC has many complex parts that enable it to do its job of keeping you cool,
including:
● A thermostat: This control system allows you to set the desired temperature for your
home.
● An indoor unit: The indoor unit is inside your home and contains the evaporator coil,
which holds refrigerant, a chemical compound that absorbs heat.
● An outdoor unit: Your outdoor AC contains a condenser coil and the compressor,
which pumps refrigerant throughout the system.
● A system of air ducts: These ducts carry the cooled air to the different rooms in
your home.
● Refrigerant lines: These lines connect the inside and outside AC units.
SPLIT CENTRAL AIR CONDITIONING
SYSTEMS
● INDOOR AIR HANDLER LOCATION
Unlike the package unit, half of your AC in a split system lives inside your house. The
mild indoor conditions mean that your evaporator coils and your fan have a longer life
because they don’t deal with weather.
● ENERGY SAVINGS
Because some of the components are indoors, split systems offer higher energy
efficiency than package units.
● COMPLEX INSTALLATION
Split systems are definitely more complicated to install. Both a packaged AC and a
split AC connect with your ducts, and if your ducts are incorrectly installed, then you’ll
lose efficiency and air quality. But a split system needs to have correct installation in
two places instead of just one, creating double the amount of chances for something
to be incorrect.
PACKAGED CENTRAL AIR CONDITIONING
A packaged central air conditioner includes the condenser, compressor, and evaporator, in
one single unit.
You can either have these installed on a concrete slab next to your house or the roof. This
system is best suited for commercial buildings, or already built homes.
PACKAGED CENTRAL AIR CONDITIONING
Benefits of Packaged Unit
● Efficiency - Packaged units are assembled in factories, which typically means they are more
efficient than split systems.
● Easy Installation - As packaged units are only one single unit, they are easier and more versatile
to install. This also results in less expensive installation costs and a smaller footprint on your
property.
● Less Invasive - Because the package system is in one all-inclusive unit, there is no need for
additional refrigerant lines.
● Quiet - As the entire system is located outside, you experience no noise inside your home.
Types of Ducts for Ducted Heating or Cooling
1. Flexible Ducting
These AC ducts are tube-like structures with a large
diameter. They consist of a metal framework surrounded by
flexible plastic and insulation. This type of ducting is often
cheaper and easier to install. It is best suited for confined
spaces, where rigid structures can often be hard to install.
It’s also useful for connecting rigid ductwork to the air
outlet. An important point to remember while installing
flexible ducting is ensuring that there are no kinks or bends,
which might hamper airflow.
2. Rigid Ducting
As the name suggests, these central air
ducts are fixed structures that distribute
air across an internal space. They are
usually made of metal, making them
sturdier and more durable than flexible
ducts, but at the same time, harder to
install. They are also much noisier since
metal ducts can carry the racket of a
blower much better than plastic ones.
PROS AND CONS OF
DUCTED SYSTEMS
PROS:
Coverage: With a ducted temperature system, the entire house is cooled or heated
(temperature controlled). This means no more running around to each room each
time one wants to turn on or off the air conditioning unit. Modern homes opt for
ducted air conditioning due to its convenience and simplicity of operation.
Zoning for Flexibility: Zoning allows for isolation of the ducted air conditioning unit so
you can enjoy the cool air in the rooms you are living in and don’t waste the air in
rooms that are not being used. For example, if bedrooms are not being used during
the daytime and you want to run the air conditioning, simply turn off these zones on
the central control and only send air conditioning to the rooms you are using.
Easy to control: Ducted air conditioning systems are controlled via a simple to
operate push button keypad that is conveniently located in a high traffic area of the
property. Simply press a button, and all zones are flushed with cool air or press again,
and the entire system is turned off as needed. One can even set timers for the air
conditioning unit to blast the property with cool air at certain times or to turn off
after a set period.
PROS:
Aesthetics: Split system units can stand in a room's corner, hang from outside
windows, or hang from the wall. They often ruin the aesthetic because they can
be noisy and intrusive.
While the core unit of ducted system is outside and may be easily covered with
some basic landscaping, the network of ducts it uses are all safely concealed out
of sight in the roof space. The home's interior design is unaltered, and the only
indication that a ducted system is present are a few strategically positioned
vents, along with the cooler air.
Less Noise: Ducted air conditioning is whisper quiet and allows for a comfortable
night sleep without the sounds of a compressor close by. The master compressor
system is situated in a position outside the property that is usually away from
bedrooms making the system quiet and without the standard humming and noise
that emits from traditional split system air conditioning units.
PROS:
Lоw еlесtrісіtу соѕtѕ:
Іf уоur hоuѕе hаѕ mоrе thаn 3 rооmѕ thаt уоu wаnt tо bе аіr-соndіtіоnеd еffісіеntlу, thе duсt tуре аіr
соndіtіоnеr wіll рrоvіdе lоwеr еlесtrісіtу bіllѕ соmраrеd tо thе uѕе оf dіffеrеnt аіr соndіtіоnеrѕ іn еасh
rооm.
Моѕt duсt tуре аіr соndіtіоnеrѕ hаvе аn іntеllіgеnt ѕуѕtеm thаt hеlрѕ аdјuѕt роwеr ассоrdіng tо rооm
tеmреrаturе. Whеn ѕеttіng а сеrtаіn tеmреrаturе, уоu саn bе ѕurе thаt thе duсt tуре аіr соndіtіоnеr
wіll rеасh аnd mаіntаіn thе tеmреrаturе, whіlе rеduсіng еnеrgу соnѕumрtіоn.
Increase in property value:
Getting a ducted Air Conditioning system increases the resale value of a property as well.
CONS:
Installation Cost: The one time cost to install a ducted system is extremely high.
Repair and Replacement: A ducted system, if faulty, needs the whole system to be replaced which is very costly
and also requires the whole house to stay without temperature control till replacement is done.
Not suitable for every house: Nоt еvеrу hоuѕе саn hаvе а duсt tуре аіr соndіtіоnеr. Іt dереndѕ оn thе tуре
оf соnѕtruсtіоn, whеthеr thе сеіlіng аllоwѕ fоr іt аnd whеthеr уоu hаvе еnоugh ѕрасе fоr thе оutеr unіt.
Labour: This system is more complex than other air conditioning systems and requires special service.
WHERE ARE DUCTED
SYSTEMS PREFERRED?
(APPLICATIONS)
Whеn іѕ thе duсt tуре аіr соndіtіоnеr thе rіght сhоісе?
❖ Yоu wаnt tо hаvе full соntrоl оvеr thе tеmреrаturе аnd аіr соndіtіоnіng аrеа оf еасh rооm.
❖ Yоu hаvе rооmѕ whеrе thе humіdіtу іѕ hіgh.
❖ Yоu wаnt tо hаvе еvеn аіr dіѕtrіbutіоn іn уоur hоmе оr оffісе.
❖ Yоu wаnt tо hаvе аn еnеrgу-еffісіеnt сооlіng/hеаtіng/tеmреrаturе ѕуѕtеm thrоughоut thе hоmе оr
оffісе.
❖ Кеер thе аіr соndіtіоnіng ѕуѕtеm runnіng аѕ quіеtlу аѕ роѕѕіblе.
❖ Yоu аrе іn thе рrосеѕѕ оf оvеrhаulіng оr buіldіng а nеw hоmе.
