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Thread: Air Con at home

  1. #1
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    Air Con at home



    Hi

    I wonder if someone can advise.

    I live on the top floor (5th floor) of an apartment in the UK with access to the attic.

    In recent months it has been extremely hot here, and I would like to install some sort of air conditioning unit for next year, which can feed around 6 rooms.

    I would ideally like the vents to be hidden in the ceiling, much like

    https://sc01.alicdn.com/kf/HT1oqRWFU...aXXagOFbXZ.jpg

    Is there a way in which an air con unit can be installed in the attic, with multiple flexible tubes coming out of it to feed each air vent?

    If this sort of thing is possible, can temp be controlled from a switch in each room?

    Thanks



  2. #2
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    Re: Air Con at home

    This would be something you could install.
    You would have to probably get permission, as maybe you do not own roof space, also where to mount outdoor unit.




    https://www.fujitsugeneral.com.au/re...e/cool-finance

  3. #3
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    Re: Air Con at home

    I'm sure there is other options as well but the only one I know, and that works well, is the Samsung Duct S. That model has been designed just for installations like yours.
    As Ranger pointed out, your biggest problem will be the outdoor unit. All AC systems will have an indoor unit providing cold air but it will only work when it is connected to an outdoor unit blowing out hot air.

    Your best route forward is to find a reputable installer that can guide you and size up the best system for your premises.


  4. #4
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    Re: Air Con at home

    Thanks for the replies.

    Silly question, but does the unit have to be mounted outside? Or can it simply have a decent air supply coming from an external outlet?

  5. #5
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    Re: Air Con at home

    Needs good supply of fresh ambient outside air for it to work correctly.
    If you were serious about it, get someone to check it out.

  6. #6
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    Re: Air Con at home

    The trouble with the ducted type systems is balancing the air flow and satisfying the room temperature, especially in smaller rooms where the ceiling grills may end up being too close together and no motorised dampers for zoning.

    You could consider installing 2 x multi split systems having a capability of supplying 4 x indoor wall or ceiling units each staggered/hopscotched in each room, so if one of the outdoor units ever goes down. At least every alternate room or space will have a a cool or warm air supply, helping to maintain an overall temperature, instead of half the home being too hot and the other half being cool.

    I have priced for a similar systems in the past couple of years where the outdoor units were proposed to be installed in the loft space that were being converted into a loft conversion used as a play room, with the aid of a joiner and roofer. The outdoor units were proposed to be raised off the ceiling joists and new floor onto brackets to reduce vibration and noise from the units, then enclosed into an insulated studded small room.

    The roof was to be modified to accept 2 high velocity mushroom cowl terminals, one at the front and one at the back, and a ducting system connected between them and the condenser room, one at low and the air off at high level. A insulated partition placed between the front and back of the units to maintain an optimum air on and air off temperature with a more than adequate air flow. Even though it was a warm loft, I was nervous about the build up of condensation and frost on the inside and outside of the ducting and causing it to drip onto the sub floor and damage it. So I decided to allow for cladding both air in and air out ducts, and install a drain pan where they enter the small room that connects to the common drain.

    A 1 1/2" gravity drain pipe were to pass through the eaves into the top water stack to drain away the condensate from outdoor units when they're defrosting, the air supply ducting and some of the indoor units where they were proposed to be mounted on indoor walls or on the ceilings. The line sets were proposed to run between the space between the ceiling joists and the sub floor, and for the downstairs units were to be boxed in and run in the new void between the old ceiling and the new lowered studded ceiling.

    I informed them that it would't be a typical £1000.00 plus split install in a conservatory or small shop, the overall cost of supplying and installing the system was in excess of £15000.00. But as their conversion budget is in excess of £60000.00 in addition to the costs of other works involving the refurb, the customer were happy to add it on to their budget for it doing. I also looked at installing a ground source system, but they weren't too keen on having trenches or bore holes in their back garden despite the lower running costs. I also considered a central type ducted system for them, but the customer doesn't want grills in their walls or doors. And I couldn't get the wholesaler to verify how many ceiling grills would be required for each room for a balanced air flow.

    Rightly so, they wouldn't commit themselves without umpteen other variables such as occupancy, floor layout, furniture, window sizes, envelope U value, wall orientation and solar data etc. So I decided to allow for installing two multi splits because I was nervous about insufficient air flow and room temperatures. I had also considered mounting both condensers outside at the back of the house, but they are planning on an exstention and don't want to move the units again. And they considered the units an eyesore to the rest of the house, so mounting on the walls wassn't an option.

    The customer were also considering patio doors almost the width of the walls on all three of the downstairs rooms, but are undecided as yet. So I decided to just use an overall total volume space with a U value for a 2" cavity brick wall, standard double glazed windows and room occupancy and sized it accordingley.

    It probably was an oversized system but there was no one else quoting for it and the varying component controls will compensate for any over cooling or heating. The other companies who did come to look were either large commercial companies that would only recommend an installed packaged ducted system, probaly more ideal but was in excess of the region of £30000.00. Or smaller companies like me, who were also nervous about installing the condenser unit inside the loft due to air supply, until I proposed the roof was to be modified as the home was being refurbished and almost a blank canvass to work with.

    I was paid for my time for quoting for the job, but they decided not to bother having it done due to the amount of days of cooling they would get from it over the year. And they were informed by their plumber and central heating engineer who they had used for years, that heat pumps were a con and use a lot of electricity and weren't as reliable as central heating.

    I was happy to look at the job and it was a good exercise, and would have been a good experience of applying a commercial method of supply air on a smaller installation. But I was annoyed that a heating engineer chose to lie about something they didn't know much about just so they could to add a few more radiators and an extra boiler. Probably cheaper than my costs but with the cost of gas adding extra to their anual household fuel budget.
    Training may be finished but experience is never complete.

  7. #7
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    Re: Air Con at home

    Quote Originally Posted by chilliwilly View Post
    The trouble with the ducted type systems is balancing the air flow and satisfying the room temperature, especially in smaller rooms where the ceiling grills may end up being too close together and no motorised dampers for zoning.
    I might have mentioned this before...
    With Samsung Duct S you can get zone control, individual dampers and variable airflows.

    But then again, I am biased.


  8. #8
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    Re: Air Con at home

    Just found this if it is of any help, just another option for this type of market

    http://www.coolyoudirect.co.uk/solut...-conditioning/

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