A high-quality air conditioning system is very important for your own comfort, and also for protecting your home. Excessive heat and humidity in a house can warp timber floors and the home's wood framing, damage its drywall and other such building materials, and also encourage mould growth. To ensure you choose the right residential air conditioner for your home, for both comfort and safety, note a few questions you might have about the various types of systems available.
What is a reverse cycle air conditioner?
A reverse cycle air conditioner works by pulling warm air out of the home while circulating cool air. In the wintertime, this unit does the opposite; it pulls the cool air from the home while circulating warm air.
A reverse cycle air conditioner is good for anyone who may be bothered by having lots of warm air pushed through the home's ductwork in the wintertime, as pulling cold air from a space means that less of that warmer air needs to be sent from the furnace. These systems are also good for more moderate climates, where you may not need as much cooled and warmed air sent to the home's interior spaces to keep the temperature comfortable.
Is one type of air conditioner more likely to make you sick?
Reports of legionnaire's disease from commercial cooling systems, or illnesses from cooling towers, are not typically a concern for residential homeowners. Many sicknesses such as these come from standing water that collects bacteria and other harmful contaminants, and which is cycled through the air conditioner itself. However, a residential air conditioner doesn't create so much condensation that it would hold enough bacteria to be harmful, even if it's a large unit meant for a large home. Choose an air conditioner properly sized for your needs, and keep the home's ductwork cleaned as needed, and you shouldn't need to worry about sicknesses from that system.
Is a zone air conditioner the same as a split system?
A split system air conditioner doesn't push air through the home's ductworks, but through a front panel, similar to a window air conditioner. A zone air conditioner refers to an air conditioner that will push air through the ductworks of certain areas or zones of the home, rather than through all the home's ducts. A split system unit can be installed in different areas of the home so they cool those different zones, but don't confuse the two systems, as one works through ducts and one works through that singular panel.
For more information about systems, such as ducted reverse cycle air conditioning, contact a local professional.