Air conditioning components explained

Most of the times users and professional use slang words to describe air conditioning system components. If you want to understand what they are trying to say, you should learn these words.

Constant – this refers to an outlet that is always on.

This assures that the air from the system has some place to go in case someone turns all the other zones off. It can be located in a hallway or in the kitchen.

Swampy – this is the name of an evaporative cooler or evaporative air conditioning system. It can also be called a swamp cooler or water cooler. This is a big square box placed on the roof. It is used to cool the air passing over a sheet of water. It uses evaporation to do this.

Ducted/Ductless – A ducted system is equipped with tubes that deliver the air from the air conditioner. If an air conditioner is ductless, that means it doesn’t use any ducting to deliver the air.

Single phase/ three phase power – this indicated the type of electricity your house is powered. A single phase power means that your system only has one cable and you can power only certain air conditioning units. Three phase power uses 3 cables meaning you can use a larger air conditioner.

Compressor – this is the outdoor unit. This is the unit that compresses and expands the gasses to cause the cooling and heating effect.

Fan coil – this is the unit that blows the air around your house. It’s actually a box with a fan inside. It can be situated on your roof if you have ducted reverse cycle air conditioning system.

Inverter – this components runs like a throttle of a car. It slows down when less air flow is required and speeds up when more capacity is needed. These units are a little more expensive to buy, but they will run smoother and quieter.