Fitted Air conditioning

[h0b0]

That makes sense. To minimise the impact of ducting, my ground floor is fed by a system in the basement and my upstairs is fed from a unit in the attic. I can see how this would still be a challenge in an older house.

[DaveCWK]

Has anyone fitted a ducted system on the first floor only?

I was planning on getting a few of the cheaper split DIY fit precharged units at some point, one for main bedroom, one for downstairs, but was wondering if you could get a 'centralised' upstairs one fitted in an attic, & simply run ducting in the loft space from this to a ceiling vent in each bedroom.

[GT89]

This thread has really got me looking now, especially at the pre charged easy fit kits from electriq.

Living in a bungalow makes it seem substantially more easy, only issue I'm seeing is the piping kit only goes up to 10m from what I can see

[guindilias]

DaveCWK said:

Has anyone fitted a ducted system on the first floor only?

I was planning on getting a few of the cheaper split DIY fit precharged units at some point, one for main bedroom, one for downstairs, but was wondering if you could get a 'centralised' upstairs one fitted in an attic, & simply run ducting in the loft space from this to a ceiling vent in each bedroom.

You can, something like this - https://www.aircon247.com/p/8672084/fujitsu-aryg24...

But you then have considerable extra cost in ductwork (to a supply and a return grille in each room), dampers (to control the amount of air going to each room), commissionng, and then you have no individual room temperature control.
A multisplit is a much better solution in most cases.

[J.R.B.]

JerryDXB said:

We’ve just had a couple of the Daikin units mentioned by Robertos88 installed at our place. One condenser on a flat roof and then 2 units inside, 1 for the master bedroom and 1 for the hallway. Having lived in the Middle East for the last 15 years (where cheap Chinese crap gets bolted directly to the concrete roof) I was very concerned about noise and vibration from something mounted to the roof just above our bedroom. The installer took our concerns into account and moved the external unit to the other side of the house above the family bathroom. They also mounted the unit on a rubber base made from recycled tyres. They probably didn’t need to move it as it cannot be heard inside. The internal units are super quiet and have made a huge difference. I’d highly recommend, some pics ...

I’ve been in your house (pretty certain it was the original show home). My uncle works for Heritage and lives just round the corner from you.

[JerryDXB]

J.R.B. said:

I’ve been in your house (pretty certain it was the original show home). My uncle works for Heritage and lives just round the corner from you.

That’s a good spot, it was indeed the show home but we are not the first owners. There must have been thousands of people inside during the time it was the show home ... you are not the first (and unlikely to be the last) to say you’ve been inside but you are the first to have identified it from a few photos on the internet .

[kambites]

h0b0 said:

Is there a reason the US approach of having one big unit in a closet and forcing it to all the rooms? Is it because people in the UK want more control?

A ducted system only really makes sense if you want to cool the whole house, and the house really needs to be designed from the initial build with it in mind so there is space for the ducting. Off the shelf per-room split systems are also very cheap and very easy to install.

[4Q]

I have a ceiling cassette in our bedroom, I had to modify the ceiling joists to fit it but I didn’t want a wall mount as the adjacent outside walls are Victorian stone on the front & side of the house and I didn’t want pipework running down them so the outdoor unit is on the back.

I never even notice it’s there now as it’s less obtrusive than it looks in the picture

[Harry Flashman]

I was genuinely thinking of a very big one of those at the very top of our house to throw a torrent of cold air down the stairs and into the hallways. I then realised that the electricity bill engendered by this idiotic plan to cool passageways would be ruinous, and stopped being a fool.

But should we do an extension, a cassette will be fitted to that large open plan space.

[Harry Flashman]

PS - I like your wall colour: what is it?

[4Q]

Harry Flashman said:

PS - I like your wall colour: what is it?

Thanks. I don’t know off the top of my head and I’m working away until the weekend but I’ll check when I get home.

[EJH]

Can anyone advise how one finds a decent AC installer? I ask as a few of our neighbours have had it installed and some of the prices I have heard are quite remarkable (staggering rip-off territory).

I was also wondering if it would make more sense to fit one large outside unit or multiple outside units? The best place for a unit would be at the front of my house we have stairs down to our cellar which a unit could go under (which would lead to more complex pipe runs though the house - we have pipe ducts I think AC pipes could run through) or we could have one unit there and the other in the back garden (but then we'd have to look at that one...and it's hardly a big garden).

[fastbikes76]

guindilias said:

Through the wall behind the indoor unit is best, but if that's not an option due to the placement of the outside unit then they can be run through the loft, pretty much anywhere you want.

Guindilias, May I ask a few more questions please.

I am intending on fitting a 3 way split unit now for the upstairs bedrooms . The external unit will be wall mounted on side of the house above the garage but quite heigh up at almost loft height. Pipes will then run through loft and drop down into each respective bedroom. Is the space for the refrigerant pipes to enter the indoor unit from above as they drop down from the ceiling or is it definitely chasing into walls and come through from behind ?

Also does each of the indoor units have a condensate pipe to deal with ? If so what would you recommend for 3 indoor units condensate which will ideally need to go back into loft before terminating outside into a gutter or down pipe ?

The rest is pretty easy and self explanatory from what I’ve looked up so far. Ps if you are in Kent and want another installation let me know

Thanks

[thebraketester]

EJH said:

Can anyone advise how one finds a decent AC installer? I ask as a few of our neighbours have had it installed and some of the prices I have heard are quite remarkable (staggering rip-off territory).

I was also wondering if it would make more sense to fit one large outside unit or multiple outside units? The best place for a unit would be at the front of my house we have stairs down to our cellar which a unit could go under (which would lead to more complex pipe runs though the house - we have pipe ducts I think AC pipes could run through) or we could have one unit there and the other in the back garden (but then we'd have to look at that one...and it's hardly a big garden).

See my previous post on this thread.

[irocfan]

thebraketester said:

irocfan said:

Now I just need at find a reputable A/C specialist close to me!

Google Temcon Air Conditioning.... Daniel did ours and it was very good price-wise and he did a great job.

have to have a serious think about this - once the heat is over

[s1962a]

What are split aircon units like in terms of power usage? For example if it's a 18000 BTU unit, how many KW will it use on full pelt? For a house with a 100amp fuse, and normal household items running i'm wondering if 3-4 units would cause any issues with the supply.

[emperorburger]

fastbikes76 said:

Guindilias, May I ask a few more questions please.

I am intending on fitting a 3 way split unit now for the upstairs bedrooms . The external unit will be wall mounted on side of the house above the garage but quite heigh up at almost loft height. Pipes will then run through loft and drop down into each respective bedroom. Is the space for the refrigerant pipes to enter the indoor unit from above as they drop down from the ceiling or is it definitely chasing into walls and come through from behind ?

Also does each of the indoor units have a condensate pipe to deal with ? If so what would you recommend for 3 indoor units condensate which will ideally need to go back into loft before terminating outside into a gutter or down pipe ?

The rest is pretty easy and self explanatory from what I’ve looked up so far. Ps if you are in Kent and want another installation let me know

Thanks

All indoor units require a condensate pipe and the indoor units should also have a knock out on each side to run the flow and return and drainage externally from the wall.

Edited by emperorburger on Tuesday 11th August 11:11

[emperorburger]

s1962a said:

What are split aircon units like in terms of power usage? For example if it's a 18000 BTU unit, how many KW will it use on full pelt? For a house with a 100amp fuse, and normal household items running i'm wondering if 3-4 units would cause any issues with the supply.

I'm running a 4x1 multi split, albeit with only 3 indoor units currently connected (1x 12,000 BTU, 2 x 9,000 BTU). The outdoor unit is on an isolated supply with a 16A breaker and the inbound supply has a 100A fuse. No issues.

[fastbikes76]

emperorburger said:

All indoor units require a condensate pipe and the indoor units should also have a knock out on each side to run the flow and return and drainage externally from the wall.

Edited by emperorburger on Tuesday 11th August 11:11

Ah damn, as expected.

What’s the best way to run drainage when units are not on external walls in the house. All 3 units will end up in internal walls in the middle of the house .

Regards

[Piersman2]

I bought and fitted the TCL "Easy Fit" split wall unit setup in my lounge last year. I'm sitting in the lounge right now, with the unit set to 22C and the patios doors at the other end of the room open. Very pleasant as the unit keeps the air in the room cool, and just as importantly, dry! Lovely and fresh as you move back in to the room from outside.

As to fitting and cost. I paid about £450 or so for the kit. I had to buy a vacuum pump and big core drill piece as well. Total cost came to about £600.

Fitted, wired and commisioned it last year. Noise inside, like a gently blowing child in the corner of the lounge, instantly ignorable. The outside unit is silent as far as I can tell. Fitting difficulty, DIY-er medium, you'll need a few tools and be confident with a drill and wiring the unit into a socket. Read and follow the instructions carefully, twice, then again and again!

Cost to run - don't care, it's worth every bloody penny on days like this. Great if you're doing stuff to leave the lounge doors closed, and then use the fridge-like lounge as a cooling pit-stop when you get too hot outside. Or like now, I'm WFH in my lounge, so I have it going constantly and it keeps things fresh around me.

Another advantage is in the winter as it can be used to top up the temperature when it's freezing cold outside and the lounge needs a little boost.

To be honest, having had one for over a year now I'd be happy to pay £1200 or so to get one fitted. If you're capable of fitting that kit yourself, at £500-600 quid it's an absolute no-brainer and I'll never not have one again!