While there is a lot of beautiful weather in southern California, there are many days when you need either a heater or an air conditioner to stay comfortable. Using a split system in your home can be a smart move, as it can be used for both heating and cooling as long as you have a split system pump. Split systems have may benefits, and the installation process is fairly straightforward. This is a common type of unit to have in this region.
How Split Systems Work
A split system has two main components. One of those components is placed on the outside of your home, and the other goes on the inside of your house. In the summer, warm air from inside your residence is blown over cold evaporator coils that have refrigerant in them. The refrigerant is able to absorb the heat and send it to the outside of your home. Basically, instead of cold air being blown into your house, the unit is really taking the heat out of your home. In the winter, the opposite happens. Heat from the external air is absorbed by the refrigerant in the coils. That heat is then transferred to the air that the split system is able to blow into your residence. This can happen even when external temperatures drop significantly.
Other Components
A thermostat is used to control when the unit will start to cool or heat your home. The thermostat tells the unit when to stop blowing cool or warm air into your house as well. Some people have opted to put in smart thermostats that they can control from their mobile devices. This may make sense if you’re trying to cut down on inefficiencies.
A split system will have an indoor air quality component, such as a filter or humidity control product. In addition, the ductwork is a key part of a split system, as it allows the air to move from the equipment to the various rooms in a home.
With any of these components, regular maintenance ensures that every part is doing its job effectively. If you live in the Northridge, CA, area and would like to have a professional maintain or repair your split system, we’re here for you at Kahn Air Conditioning.
How Many Units Can a Split System Have?
Some split systems just have one outdoor component and one indoor unit. This would be suitable for smaller properties. There are also multi-split systems that can have several indoor units. You could have two or three units placed in various parts of your home, or if you have a large house, you could even have up to six or seven units attached to your single outdoor unit. The advantage of having multiple indoor units is that you can more accurately control the climate of individual zones in your home. Maybe you want to keep the upstairs and downstairs sections of your house at different temperatures, depending on whether it’s day or night, or perhaps you have a certain room that you only want to heat or cool when you’re in that space.
Ductless Mini-Split Systems
You may have heard about ductless mini-split systems. These come with a few advantages if you want to be able to control the climate in an area that doesn’t have existing ductwork. Let’s say you’re adding on to your home, but the costs of extended ductwork seems prohibitive. A ductless mini-split system can be the right choice, and this system can also heat and cool. Ductless mini-split systems have been shown to be quite efficient, given the fact that there’s very little energy loss. In ducted systems, a percentage of energy is lost as the warm or cool air is moved through the ductwork.
A Local Resource
If you’d like more information about split systems, we’d be happy to help at Kahn Air Conditioning. We were founded back in 1961 by Julian Kahn. Now, his son, David Kahn, proudly leads our team. We have NATE-certified technicians and are a member of several local chambers of commerce organizations. We can assist you with installation, maintenance, or repairs related to heating units, cooling systems, generators, indoor air purifiers, and smart home products. Contact us today if you’d like to learn more about our services and to schedule an appointment in Southern California.
