Buying an air conditioner to create and maintain a comfortable environment in a room can be completely useless. It is no secret that choosing an air conditioning system, we tend to listen to the opinions and advice of qualified specialists. We do not buy such a complex device at random, without taking into account the volume of the room, the material of the walls, the number of window and door openings. We get acquainted with the available information about the models of the selected brand. But many refuse the help of qualified installers, believing that installing an air conditioner in an apartment on their own is not a difficult job.
Nevertheless, the real prospect of spoiling poor-quality installation of expensive equipment is obvious. In our article we will tell you how to install air conditioners in an apartment.
Types of air conditioners
The first device that maintains comfortable conditions in the apartment - temperature, humidity, cleanliness and speed of air movement - appeared in the first half of the 20th century, but in Russia air conditioners for residential buildings began to be used relatively recently.
Air conditioners can be divided into several independent groups:
- Mobile
- window;
- split systems;
- multi-split systems.
For a long time in our country, the most popular were window systems that are installed in a window or wall. This significantly reduces the level of illumination of the room. It consists of a single unit, so the installation of such a device is greatly simplified. Such models work quietly, quite durable, they do not have freon leaks, differ in maximum efficiency, but their price is high.
Mobile air conditioners remove air through a pipe led into the window. Condensate is collected in a drip tray. The advantage of such systems is their mobility - you can place it anywhere, but the disadvantages, no doubt, include a lot of noise.
There is another subspecies of mobile air conditioners. It does not have a duct, produces much less noise and consumes a bit of energy. Moisture, which evaporates during operation, enters the room in the form of steam, thereby increasing humidity.
Split systems are a more modern device that consists of two parts - an indoor and outdoor unit. They are divided by type:
- columned;
- cassette
- channel;
- Ceiling
- central
- wall mounted.
Installation of an air conditioner in an apartment involves the installation of a block outside the premises - on the facade, roof, balcony. It is connected by electric wires and a drain pipe.
Air conditioner selection
When choosing a particular device, its power is calculated. In this calculation, it is necessary to take into account the area of the rooms, the degree of natural lighting, the presence of heating devices. More powerful devices will fit in the kitchen, less noisy in the bedroom. And the installation of an air conditioner in an apartment, in particular in a children's room, will require the selection of the highest quality mechanism. Speaking from the point of view of aesthetics, it is better that the device was hidden. The split system is most suitable for this.
Duct air conditioners
This device belongs to semi-industrial type devices. It perfectly solves the problems of ventilation, air conditioning and temperature control in a fairly large room.
In this system, air passes through the ventilation ducts. They have an unusual air supply and distribution system. For this, a network of air ducts has been created.
Air from the street enters the outdoor unit, then it moves through copper pipes, in which it is cooled and sets the set temperature in the room. The air conditioning unit has filters for purifying the air.
Additional functions
Devices of this type, as a rule, are equipped with instructions, a control panel, a set of additional filters. In addition, the channel air conditioner has the function of antibacterial air treatment.
Benefits
Installing a ducted air conditioner in an apartment is justified if it is quite spacious (more than 120 square meters). Such systems are more suitable for manors, large private houses.
The channel air conditioner is very compact, it is almost invisible in the room, since its indoor unit is mounted in pantries, utility rooms, under false ceilings. This allows you to not disturb the interior.
Air enters the room from the street. The developed duct system allows the device to feed it into several rooms at the same time.
disadvantages
Duct air conditioners have their weaknesses:
- high level of noise;
- complexity of installation.
Installation of air conditioning in the apartment (duct) can only be done by experienced professionals. They must accurately calculate the rules for air conditioning and ventilation.
Do-it-yourself air conditioning installation in an apartment
After the model is selected, a suitable device is purchased, visually inspect the equipment. This is necessary in order to avoid any unpleasant surprises when installing it. All parts must be securely fixed, the air conditioner must not have mechanical damage.
After that, you should clearly determine the location of the external and internal modules of the device. In this case, certain rules for installing an air conditioner in an apartment should be observed - in the first place, it is necessary to take into account the aesthetic appearance of the device and ensure all its quality characteristics. To do this, consider the following:
- equipment is installed only on bases made of durable materials;
- all factors of the operation of the device that arise during operation - vibration, thermal energy, noise;
- technical characteristics of the installed device - its mass, differential allowed in height, length of the necessary connecting pipelines.
It is strictly forbidden to install equipment on the ground.
Indoor unit - location selection
- Install the equipment so that it is convenient to mount it. The device must be protected from direct sunlight.
- It is necessary to choose a solid wall so that the air conditioner is in the set position during operation.
- For air circulation to be of high quality, the installation location of the unit must be well ventilated - the distance of the module from the ceiling should be at least fifteen centimeters.
- Get rid of various obstacles in the path of the chilled stream - screens, partitions, etc.
Preparatory work
If you decide to install this device yourself, then you will certainly need a scheme for installing an air conditioner in an apartment. Usually it is attached to all models. If it does not suit you, then look at the special literature to find the best option for your room.
The most time-consuming task in the preparatory work is drilling a hole in the bearing wall and preparing shtrob - recesses in the wall, which should be of such a size that it is possible to place engineering communications in them.
If the strobing process is unfamiliar to you, you can place these elements in a special mounting box. For drilling, it is better to use professional equipment - a powerful hammer drill equipped with a break-through drill with a hard alloy tip.
In order for the holes to be made qualitatively, in accordance with the technical requirements, some recommendations should be followed:
- hole diameter should be equal to 45 mm;
- it is necessary to drill at a small angle (for timely removal of the drained condensate).
At the preparatory stage, the mounting of the outer bracket and mounting plate is installed.
When attaching the external brackets, follow the simple rules:
- the bracket is selected taking into account the dimensions of the external unit;
- fasteners are made with powerful screws, dowels, the diameter of which should be at least 12 mm.
Anchor bolts can be used.
Outdoor unit mount
Installation of air conditioners in the apartment must be performed in compliance with all technical standards.
To ensure that the outdoor unit is securely installed, carefully attach it to all available mounting holes. To reduce vibration, we recommend using rubber pads.
Engineering Communication
Installing an air conditioner in an apartment will require some technical knowledge.
After installing the external unit, you can proceed with the installation of utilities. You will need to measure the length of the route connecting the two blocks, and cut the pipeline to the desired size.
Then it is necessary to flare the connecting tubes. Now you need to connect the pipes of the indoor unit to the pipelines.
The final stage of work is the fastening of the indoor unit, the connection of its nozzles to the external unit and the connection of an electric cable.
At this stage, it is better to work together. One person lifts the trunk of the indoor unit, the second moves the counterpart of the route to the street through the prepared hole. Then the indoor unit is attached to the mounting plate.
On this, the installation of an air conditioner in the apartment (the photo you see in our article) is considered completed. In conclusion, I would like to say: if you are not sure that you can do this work yourself, entrust it to professionals.
Air conditioning on the balcony
As a rule, the installation of an outdoor air conditioning unit on the upper floors of multi-apartment buildings requires the participation of qualified installers who have permission to work at heights. Their services are not cheap. Therefore, the idea often arises of installing it on the balcony.
This decision has its own nuances. When installing an external unit inside a glazed balcony, it will overheat. In this case, it should be installed outside.
The operation of this device is accompanied by noise and vibration. You can get rid of this inconvenience with the help of mounts with shock absorbers. As you can see, the installation of air conditioning in the apartment causes certain difficulties on the upper floors of high-rise buildings. Permission to install the unit on the facade of the building, including the balcony, must be obtained from the architecture department of the city administration.