How Does Ductless Air Conditioning Work?

Ductless air conditioning (also referred to as the ductless mini split in either heat pump or A/C form) is one of the most practical innovations to hit the air-conditioning world since A/C was invented by Willis Carrier in 1902. Perhaps you already know that high-efficiency ductless air conditioning tops any conventional air conditioner, heat pump or wall/window unit for cooling efficiency (SEER); that it’s designed for multi-zone cooling; and that ductless systems provide cooling solutions where other systems fall short. If you did not know these benefits of ductless cooling, perhaps you’re wondering, “How does ductless air conditioning work?”

Ductless air conditioning

Ductless air conditioning picks up the slack for a multitude of situations where a forced-air system can’t meet the cooling demand, or it’s more practical to install a ductless system to meet specific cooling criteria. These are some of the conditions and circumstances where ductless air conditioning makes sense:

• Cooling room additions when extending ductwork isn’t possible due to space or budget restraints
• Cooling areas in a home that are consistently difficult to keep comfortable (hot/cold spots)
• Provide cooling for family rooms, rec rooms, home offices, sun rooms and bonus rooms

How does ductless air conditioning work?

A ductless air conditioner is a re-designed split-system air conditioner that utilizes smaller cooling coils installed directly inside the rooms and areas that need to be cooled. By providing cooled air in the immediate zone, there’s no heat-energy loss through duct walls or leaks, which, for the typical household, quickly adds up to a substantial amount of wasted energy dollars.

One or more indoor air handlers/evaporator coils generally are mounted high on walls or ceilings in each room or area that needs cooling, and connect to the outside unit by a thin, flexible conduit. The conduit contains all the necessary refrigerant tubing, drainage and electrical power that make ductless air conditioning possible. The conduit traverses inside walls, crawl spaces and/or other inconspicuous areas, and only needs a small hole through the home’s outer wall to connect to the outside compressor/condenser unit.

If you have any other questions, such as, “How does ductless air conditioning work to lower my cooling bill,” please contact us at Davis Air Conditioning & Heating today. We’ve served homeowners in Houston, Galveston and other communities in the region since 1971.