In case you’re not sure about the difference between ducted and split system air conditioners, split system units are ideal for cooling one room and for that reason they’re relatively easy and inexpensive to install. Ducted systems on the other hand, have an internal fan coil unit installed in the roof or outside the home that directs cool air to as many rooms as necessary via a series of concealed ducts also installed in the roof. Only the vents are visible. With a ducted system you have a thermostat that allows you to adjust the individual temperature for each room.When discussing the differences it comes down the area that needs to be cooled. If you have a larger home and lots of rooms to cool then a ducted system is going to make more sense than a number of split system units throughout the house.In this article we’re going to focus on ducted systems and what you need to do to have them functioning as efficiently and economically as possible over summer.

General maintenance tips

Because ducted systems are mostly concealed, many of the problems that can occur often occur out of sight. That’s why maintenance checks are so important.One of the issues can be condensation. There’s a special line that drains condensation. It’s known as a ‘safety condensate tray’. If this becomes blocked then it’s going to fill the tray and the overflow may drip into your roof and eventually cause some damage. Some dripping is to be expected, especially in high humidity, but be on the lookout for excessive dripping and as has already been mentioned, the best way to do that is to make sure that you have regular maintenance checks.And while your having a maintenance check, you should make sure that your filters are kept clean. That should be done at the beginning of each season. If your central unit is positioned outside your home, trim trees or anything else that might be in proximity to the unit and could potentially interrupt its function.

Appropriate temperature and thermostats

Ducted systems take some time too cool and heat as the case may be. Because they are operating from a confined space and if the temperature is particularly hot outside, they may take their time to cool properly. Don’t place unrealistic expectations on your ducted system. For example, if you set the temperature too low it is going to have to work that much harder and it will need to be on for a lot longer which is neither economical nor efficient. The best temperature for air conditioning in summer is between 22 and 25 degrees. Closer to 25 is a more realistic cooling set point.If you turn your system off don’t immediately turn it back on again. Give it a few minutes otherwise you could blow a fuse or damage the compressor and you could be facing a large aircon repair bill.The same applies to thermostats. If you adjust the temperature by more than 2 degrees while the system is on then it’s placing an unnecessary burden on your system to respond. Doing this could also blow a fuse and damage the compressor.

Economy    

In normal circumstances, when you’re at home, if you want to run your ducted system as economically as possible you should set it to operate on a climate setting with a low of 25 degrees and a high of 29 degrees. Basically that means that the system is at a comfortable level that’s not placing undue demands on your system and kicking in before the temperature becomes oppressive. You can keep it on standby for the rest of the time which means it will only come on when the high setting is reached.Programming your thermostat to kick in and operate at your desired temperature an hour or so before you get home can lead to hours of wasted energy. Forget the low temperature setting when you’re out. If you leave it to only come on at 29 degrees and do what you can by other means to keep the temperature down, then you could save plenty of money.Frozone Air is a family owned and operated business located in Belrose on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Our technicians have over 40 years combined industry experience. We provide air conditioning solutions including ducted air conditioning services in Sydney for homes and businesses across the Northern Beaches, North Shore, Inner West and Eastern Suburbs. Our services are backed by our 100% satisfaction guarantee. “If you aren’t happy with our service we will refund the service fee.” Call today on 1300 558 322 for a free no obligation quote.