Written on: July 17, 2023
As summer has arrived in Central Maine, you may be trying to find ways to ensure your home remains cool and comfortable in the heat.
If your home has a boiler for heating, adding central air conditioning may require costly installation of ductwork, which could increase the overall cost by several thousand dollars. Before, homeowners without existing ductwork had to choose between spending a significant amount on installing the ductwork for central air conditioning or settling for window AC units, which may seem like a cheaper option but come with several drawbacks.
AFC offers ductless mini-split installation and servicing, which is a better alternative to those two options. You’ll have peace of mind that your ductless AC will run well with our Comfort Plans and the AFC Comfort Guarantee.
The ductless mini-split consists of two main components: the outdoor compressor unit and indoor air handler, which is also known as the evaporator. The two parts are connected by tubing that contains power lines, communication lines, and condensate drain lines.
The compressor’s job is to compress the refrigerant vapor so that it can move more easily into the condenser. Once at the condenser, the gas releases heat into the surrounding air, converting back into liquid form. From there, the liquid passes through the expansion valve, causing a significant drop in pressure and entering the evaporator coil. In the evaporator coil, the refrigerant absorbs heat from low-pressure coolants while indoor air passes over the coils. This cools the air, which exits the supply registers, ultimately cooling your home.
Ductless mini-splits can be a cost-effective cooling option for your home due to not requiring ductwork installation. Here are some other advantages you can enjoy.
Fast installation – Typically, it takes less than a day to install ductless mini-splits, while installing a central A/C system along with ductwork can take several days, or even a week or longer.
Zoned cooling – Have you heard about using zoned cooling with ductless mini-splits to save on energy costs while staying comfortable? With mini-splits, you can cool only the zones you need instead of cooling your entire house even when you’re only using certain areas.
Add cooled spaces – A ductless AC can cool areas that are not part of the main living spaces of your home, such as workshops, garages, guest houses, pool houses, gardening sheds, over-the-garage apartments, she-sheds, and other accessory dwelling units.
Supplement your central A/C – Have you added any new spaces to your home, such as a finished attic or home addition, after installing your central air conditioning system? If so, it may be a good idea to install a ductless mini-split to cool these spaces and reduce the burden on the central A/C.
A great return on your investment – Regular maintenance can extend the lifespan of mini-split systems to over 20 years. Investing in ductless mini-splits now gives you cool comfort and energy savings for decades to come!
Homeowners who have window air conditioning units must decide whether to leave them installed during winter or remove and store them. Leaving them installed could result in heat loss, while removing them could be a hassle and potentially dangerous for upper-level windows. Professional removal services can also be costly on an annual basis.
There are many drawbacks to using window A/C units such as their inefficiency and unsuitability for cooling larger spaces. They can also be noisy, obstruct light, and allow bugs, pollen, dust, and dirt to enter your home. Furthermore, when installed on the ground floor, they can become an easy point of entry for burglars. However, you can avoid all these issues and expenses by installing ductless mini-splits.
Enjoy summer at home with ductless AC installation and service from AFC! Get a FREE estimate today.
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