Central air conditioning maintains a comfortable microclimate on residential, public, and industrial premises. This utility network cools or heats the room air, cleans it from dust, and regulates humidity. All services are offered by KAN-Service, the leading provider of HVAC in Los Angeles, California.
A central air conditioning system is convenient and profitable.
Unlike traditional air conditioners, a central air conditioning system has a modular air preparation unit distributed throughout the premises through air ducts.
Features of climate refrigeration equipment:
- Low energy costs. Equipment with centralized air cooling and heating requires less electricity than 4-6 air conditioners required for a cottage. Heat recuperators heat incoming flows using the heat of outgoing ones to make the equipment economical.
- Comfortable microclimate. Separate temperature and flow speed regulation allows you to make your own settings for the air conditioner in each room. Temperature sensors regulate the intensity of cooling or heating, considering the weather.
- Simple control. Modular equipment for central air conditioning of a private house heats rooms, cools the air, filters it, and regulates humidity. The owner configures the devices using remote panels or automatically according to specified algorithms.
- Air purification. Fresh air supplied from the street is cleaned of dust, allergens, and other pollutants. The recirculation mode reduces the amount of flying particles in the room, making the premises safe for children and allergy sufferers.
- Versatility. Central air conditioning systems are installed in cottages made of stone, foam blocks, and wood, with swimming pools, saunas, garages, and technical rooms.
Such climate control equipment is also suitable for public buildings. The difference lies in the power of fans and heat exchangers, the length of pipelines and additional modules.
Pros
Installation of central climate systems has several advantages and provides:
- high reliability and ease of maintenance;
- temperature control throughout the building as a whole and in individual rooms (offices);
- operation in ventilation, dehumidification, or air purification mode;
- forced air supply and removal using fans;
- minimum noise level due to the placement of devices in a remote unit;
Such devices are easier to automate and connect to a “smart home” to control the microclimate without human intervention.
Cons
The disadvantages of central air conditioning systems include:
- complexity of designing and installing equipment;
- high cost of devices and services for installing climate control equipment;
- large dimensions and weight of external units mounted on the roof or next to the building.
Subsequent savings on utility bills recoup the costs of implementing such a project. Laying pipelines and air ducts requires complex construction work, so it is carried out only at the stage of construction or major repairs of the building.
What is a central air conditioning system?
Central air conditioning involves installing air preparation units, distributed throughout the building through ventilation ducts. Engineers design a modular structure in which each unit is responsible for performing a specific function – heating, cooling, cleaning, drying.
A classic split system consists of an external and internal unit (air conditioner). It is designed to cool one room.
General characteristics
Equipment parameters are selected for each facility depending on its characteristics. Engineers can choose different sources of heat and cold, the type of refrigerant (heat carrier), and other parameters.
Due to the complexity of the climate network, it is advisable to build it to service a house with many rooms or large-area facilities.
Extensive functionality
Central air conditioning systems for a private or apartment building perform the following tasks:
- moving air flows through ventilation ducts;
- heating and cooling air masses;
- humidity control;
- dust cleaning;
- ventilation and removal of unpleasant odors.
- To reduce heating costs, recuperation modules are used. They partially heat the incoming air due to the outgoing flows.
Application areas
Climate control in private and apartment buildings is one of the functions of these devices. But the central air conditioning system is also used to cool such premises as:
- factory and plant workshops;
- warehouses and logistics centers;
- shopping and entertainment facilities;
- cafes and restaurants, hotels and motels;
- indoor sports facilities and other public and cultural premises;
- swimming pools and spa centers;
- medical institutions;
- educational facilities;
- data centers (office premises);
- public and government buildings.
With their help, the owner or tenant of the building creates comfortable conditions for people and suitable for the operation of production mechanisms. At the same time, they reduce the cost of maintaining the structure.
Types of central air conditioning systems
Climate equipment is divided into several groups depending on the distribution criteria.
By airflow type:
– Straight-through — supply air from outside to the premises;
– With recirculation — clean and cool the existing volume without taking air from outside;
– With partial recirculation — the air inside the rooms is processed with fresh air from outside.
By supply method:
– With one channel;
– With two channels, air can be supplied in different compositions.
By season:
– Seasonal — used only in summer;
– Year-round — can cool and heat the air, operates regardless of the outside temperature, and is equipped with recuperators.
By the number of rooms:
For one zone — all incoming air has a set temperature and humidity;
For multiple zones, the parameters are adjusted separately.
Placement type
The versatility of central air conditioning units is that engineers can select external and internal modules based on the characteristics of the house.
Layout options:
- horizontal or vertical;
- two-story and parallel;
- combined.
If necessary, a special layout scheme is developed taking into account the features of the roof of the house or utility room.
Features of designing a central air conditioning system
When preparing design documentation, our specialists (design engineers) rely on the following data:
- area and volume of the building (rooms in it);
- number and type of rooms, floors, corridor configuration;
- number of people living or working;
- aeration of premises;
- amount of heat loss through enclosing structures;
- types and number of heat-emitting devices;
- estimated air flow rates;
- sanitary and vibration requirements;
- air flow calculation.
Software and precise measuring instruments are used to design air conditioning. This approach allows you to make a system that will heat and cool the house without overspending energy. Lay down high-quality equipment even before the construction stage.
The process of installing a central air conditioning system
Installation of climate control equipment includes the following stages:
- Installation of climate control system modules. Craftsmen install air valves, mixing and filtration sections, heat exchange, damping, regeneration, and humidity regulation.
- Connecting a transport module. It is necessary to correctly lay out utility lines to ensure the tightness of pipelines and air ducts.
- Installation of heat exchangers. Builders drain condensate to avoid water accumulation on the roof.
- Electricity connection. Manufactured in compliance with the Electrical Installation Code. Electricity powers fans and heating elements. Requires fairly powerful electrical networks.
The work involves qualified fitters with experience in installing industrial microclimate control systems.
Automation of central air conditioning systems in a private home – control options
Electronic control units are used to synchronize the operation of all devices and configure them. They are installed inside compact cases and combined with remote controls that can be used by residents of the house.
With the help of automation, you can adjust the following parameters:
- Temperature – cooling or heating depending on the weather;
- ventilation – fresh purified air from the street is supplied through air ducts without changing the temperature, and polluted and smoky air is removed outside;
- humidity – drying or humidification depending on the current state;
- supply speed – manual adjustment of fan operation;
- work schedule – a timer is set for on and off, or algorithms are configured for days of the week and time of day.
- The microprocessor turns all other functions on and off automatically. For example, it closes valves, starts recuperators, and signals the need to replace filters. The ability to choose an individual operating scheme is a big plus.
Commissioning the system – testing and adjusting the work
When ordering the service of installing a central air conditioning system, specialists complete the work by starting the equipment and setting it up. If problems are detected, adjustments and corrections are made to the scheme.
Recommendations from experts of the engineering KAN-Service company
It is impossible to select a universal option for any structure. The modularity of the systems allows you to configure the equipment to the requirements of a specific situation. When choosing, you need to consider:
- the volume of all rooms in the house or workshop for each separately;
- the location of windows and doors, the thermal characteristics of the walls;
- the energy efficiency of the cooling and heating modules;
- productivity and noise during operation;
- the number of people simultaneously present in the room (office, shopping center, or production).
To select, you need to contact our engineers who will examine your facility and design an engineering network taking into account the requirements of current regulations.