What kind of air conditioning?

[cutchi]

This may seem a daft question but I have no knowledge of air conditioners - do they always have to have a big unit on the outside wall? I have a room about 10 sq. m. where I need aircon. It has an outside wall but backs onto a narrow path and an outside unit would obstruct it. If there is any type or make that would be suitable could someone let me know? I'd prefer cooling/heating if it did not need outside unit but cooling alone would do if that's not possible. Many thanks.

 

[ColJack]

depends on what you want indoors..

a split unit allows you to have a fairly small and stylish unit indoors and the big ugly bit outdoors..

you can get "thru wall" units, but these are fairly large and require no more than 2 x 140mm (or so) vents through the wall..

Thru wall air con currently half price at B&Q..

it's aproximately 1000mm W x 500mm H x 250mm D

 

[cutchi]

Thanks ColJack, will look at B&Q - sounds v. large tho. Anyone know of anything smaller?

 

[ColJack]

it's sbout the size of a storage heater or an average sized radiator ( just wider ), but has the advantage of cooling as well as heating..
plugs into a standard 13A socket too..

the outside units could be mounted above head height..

photo of the "narrow path" would give us ans idea what you have to work with..

 

[cutchi]

My problem is that the room is partially below ground level (1 metre) and the only available space because of window and furniture restrictions means that any unit would have to be wall mounted at above head height. This would mean that any outside box would be at shoulder/head height on the path - 3ft wide with a fence alongside. I can't have one that vents through the window as its sliding. See my problem? I've looked at your link - great price but maybe too large, I'll have to measure up and find out. Thanks for your help.

 

[mdbalson]

With a split A/C the outdoor unit can be placed at a suitable height on the wall outside, as all it means is a bit more pipe work would be required.

With splits it is better to get one which has to be fitted by a refrigeration enginer, as the so called diy splits which are aviable from the sheds have a tendently to get leaks on the connections between the outdoor unit and the pipes.

 

[Steve]

Yeah the outdoor unit can go as high as you want. I got a mounting bracket for mine, it came with expansion bolts, which provide a VERY strong fixing into brick. However, as has already been said, I wouldn't go for a DIY split again. They are prone to leaks, and aren't very powerful. I certainly wouldn't trust the quoted output after the first year.

The best you will get is a split unit from a local air con installer. But look at around £1000 for this. A very rough figure, maybe more, maybe less. Bear in mind, this would have an integral heater, which would use the refrigerant circuit in reverse - this is a very efficient way of heating a room. Up to 400% on a good system.

For occasional use, a branded stand alone unit with exhaust hose would be a good idea. But these dont always have a heat function - they are noisy anyway.

Does the outdoor unit have to go on the wall directly outside? Could the pipework be routed elsewhere, round the corner? (with a pro fit system, the pipework length can be a lot longer)