Category: Installed Air Conditioning Services

How Do Multi-Split Air Conditioning Systems Work?

Posted on by Climachill

 

When it comes to controlling airflow, temperature and quality across multiple rooms or areas inside a building, multi-split air conditioning units have become increasingly popular. Whether you’re after a domestic unit or a commercial air con unit for use in an office, hotel, restaurant, retail space or anywhere else, multi-split systems can offer you a wealth of benefits that portable air conditioning units simply cannot.

Understanding how these systems work can help you make an informed choice for your heating and cooling needs. At Climachill, we provide expert air conditioning products, installations, repairs and maintenance services across Sussex and the South East of the UK, ensuring that every customer gets the best air conditioning unit and system to suit their needs. We’re here to explain the advantages of multi-split air conditioning and why it might be worth your time and consideration.

What Are Multi-Split Air Conditioning Systems?

Multi-split air conditioning systems involve a single outdoor unit being connected to multiple indoor units installed in different locations. Unlike traditional single-split systems that pair one indoor unit with one outdoor unit, multi-split systems can connect more than two indoor units to a single outdoor condenser unit.

This design makes multi-split systems effective for office air conditioning applications, as well as hospitals, retail units, and others where different zones or areas require varied temperature control at different times of the day.

The outdoor condenser unit acts as the central hub that distributes cooling or heating capacity to each connected indoor unit, which can be controlled individually. Therefore, setting the indoor temperature and fan speed for one room doesn’t affect every other internal unit.

How Multi-Split Systems Operate

Multi-split air conditioning systems follow specific engineering principles that maximise efficiency and comfort.

The outdoor unit hosts:

  • The compressor
  • Condenser coil
  • Expansion valves

These circulate refrigerants through insulated copper pipework to each indoor unit. When you want it cooler indoors, the outdoor unit compresses the refrigerant before sending it through the pipes to each unit.

Each indoor unit contains:

  • An evaporator coil
  • A fan

These components absorb heat from the room air and return the warmed refrigerant to the outdoor unit.

When you want it warmer indoors, the process is reversed. The system extracts heat from the outside air and distributes it indoors.

Thanks to advanced inverter technology, the outdoor unit can modulate its output based on the combined demand from all indoor units, ensuring ideal energy efficiency and comfort in each room.

Key Components and Technology

Multi-split air conditioning systems incorporate several sophisticated components that work in harmony to deliver reliable climate control, including (but not limited to):

  • Adjustable compressors
  • Thermostats
  • Remote controls
  • Advanced filters
  • R32 refrigerant solutions
  • Insulated copper pipes

Collectively, when optimised, these systems can be individually and remotely controlled, remove dust, allergens and harmful particles from the air and keep indoor temperatures comfortable, all while reducing energy emissions.

Benefits for Commercial and Office Air Conditioning Applications

Multi-split systems offer several benefits for commercial applications, particularly in office environments where flexibility and efficiency matter greatly.

  • Businesses can control the energy efficiency of their whole system by turning off units in unused areas.
  • They can control individual rooms or zones for optimal comfort.
  • The space requirements are minimal when you consider the versatility and breadth of commercial premises.
  • Many multi-split systems are quiet and non-disruptive.
  • They can be installed easily and with minimal disruption to an average working day, with outdoor units able to be easily concealed.
  • Energy efficiency ratings of A+ are more achievable with modern multi-split systems, lowering everyday running costs.

Further Maintenance and Installation Considerations

Professional air conditioning installations are vital for multi-split systems, and it’s not recommended to attempt one yourself. An accredited expert air conditioning technician will ensure pipe runs are unobstructed, electrical connections are stable, and drainage can continue unencumbered, so multiple indoor units can run without issue.

At Climachill, our experienced air conditioning engineers assess each property’s specific requirements, recommending the ideal configuration of indoor units and outdoor unit capacity to match your space and budget. We ensure all installations comply with current regulations and manufacturer specifications, providing reliable operation for years to come.

We highly recommend taking out a regular air conditioning maintenance package to ensure your system remains efficient all year round, and so that costly breakdowns don’t break the bank.

Our comprehensive maintenance services include filter cleaning, refrigerant level checks, and component inspections across all indoor and outdoor units, ensuring you’re left with a reliable system that serves you well for years to come.

At Climachill, we provide best-in-class air conditioning installations, servicing, and maintenance across Sussex and the South East. Book a consultation with our team today to find out how much a multi-split system would cost you and, more importantly, how much it could save you in the long run.

Why Is My Air Conditioner Leaking water?

Posted on by Climachill

air conditioning services sussex

Air Conditioning Indoor units when operated in ‘cooling mode’ create water, this water is collected into an indoor unit drain pan and is then either gravity fed away or pumped away if your indoor unit is leaking water something has gone wrong.

Reason 1 – Bad Installation of Indoor Unit

Is your indoor unit level? If it isn’t then the water could be spilling out of the indoor drain pan before it can be drained away, we have been called out to clients who have leaking indoor units to find the units haven’t been installed correctly by their previous A/c contractor.

Reason 2 – Bad Installation of Gravity Drain Pipe

Does the gravity drain pipe actually have a gravity fall on it? Water won’t flow uphill so if the drain pipe has been installed with an uphill gradient it won’t drain and water will eventually drip out of the indoor unit.

Reason 3 – Blocked Drain Pan / Gravity Drain Pipe

An indoor unit draws air into it from the room, this is through indoor unit filters, filters cant trap 100% of the dust that is in the air & so dust/dirt can find its way into the indoor unit drain pan, if this collects & builds up over time the drain pan or drain pipe can become clogged, if it becomes clogged enough it can restrict water flowing through it enough that water backs up and eventually drips out of the indoor unit.

Reason 4 – Pump Failure

If your system couldn’t have a gravity drain pipe then your contractor would have chosen to install a condensate removal pump, these are specifically designed to pump the water to a suitable outlet, a pump has moving parts thus at some point it can fail, if the pump fails then water will back up and eventually drip out of the indoor unit.  Some pumps have filters which require cleaning every 6months (as per pump manufacturer recommendations), if the filter isn’t cleaned then water won’t flow through the filter to the pump mechanism and so can back up and drip out of the indoor unit.

Is Your Outdoor Unit Leaking Water?

It is normal for an outdoor unit to leak water if the indoor unit has been set to heating mode unless the water leaking from the outdoor unit could cause a slip hazard in the form of turning to the ice during the Winter months then this shouldn’t be a cause for worry.

The above tend to be the common reasons as to why an air conditioning indoor unit leaks water, regular servicing of your system in line with manufacturer recommendations will help prevent water leaking from your Air Conditioner, and during a service visit an engineer will use specific chemicals to clean an indoor unit which helps break down any blockages within the drain pipe, they will also check the pump operation to ensure that it is working correctly at the time of the service.

What Temperature Should I Set My Air Conditioning/Heater To?

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portable air conditioning
There are 2x modes which allow a temperature set point to be made, cooling mode and heating mode.

The answer to this question is that there is no answer – everyone is different and will therefore like a different temperature, from our experience the general norm setting in cooling & heating mode is around 22C.

Setting Air Conditioning Temperature

Setting your Air Conditioner lower than 21C in cooling mode is normally regarded as too cold and is generally a waste of electric in trying to cool the room this cold, likewise trying to heat a room to higher than 24C is generally a waste of electric – most people set their home thermostat to approx 22C so you should set your Air Conditioner to the same temperature.

You shouldn’t set the Air Conditioner to the lowest cooling setting (generally 18C) – this is far too cold for an office environment and likewise you shouldn’t set the temperature to 30C in heating mode, both of these simply waste electric.

Keep Cool in the Office

Temperature set points can cause arguments within an office environment; we have found that men generally like the temperature lower compared to women, we have one customer whom has a mixed office and on a service visit we found that the women had all moved to one end of the office whilst the men had all moved to the other end of the office, the office had 2x air conditioner units and they found this way the men & women each had their own system – a tad extreme but nonetheless solved the office bickering.

In summary we would recommend a temperature set point of approx 22C.

Air Conditioning In The Workplace

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The Dangers of Excessive Heat in the Workplace

air conditioning In the summer months, when the temperatures soar for a short while, there can be some very real consequences attributed to by excessive heat in the workplace. Over exposure to extended periods of hot weather can increase the risk of a sizeable amount of heat related illness. Workers who are employed in outdoor work are at risk of the elements for prolonged hours, as are those who work in hot environments, such as bakeries, miners and fire-fighters. In general, the younger and  fitter you are, the less at risk you are. This however, does not always apply and it is wrong to think that you can easily dodge the side effects of heat in your workplace.

One such illness is heat stress. This indicates the first signs of danger and can lead on to other more damaging effects, such as heat stroke. The initial signs of stress from heat can cause irritability, sweaty palms and forehead, headaches and dizzy spells. Without proper intervention, this can then lead on to heat rashes or cramps, which usually indicate a growing cause for concern. Once the worker experiences some of these symptoms, it is crucial they let somebody know and attempt to cool down. The worst case scenario for a worker in an overheated climate is to suffer from heat stroke, which is a more aggressive form of heat exhaustion. This can sometimes lead to black outs, and people die every year through not heeding the warning signs of onset heat stroke.

Overheated Office

Preventing the effects of heat in the workplace is an extremely important job of any employer. There are many ways of doing this, such as installing air conditioning, opening windows, introducing fans, letting workers take short breaks, allowing drinks to be consumed and letting the team know about the dangers. Alongside this, there should always be someone within the vicinity who has first aid training and who can assist in any emergencies, should they occur.

Excessive heat can result in the raising of your body temperature to dangerous levels and this can happen very quickly, if nothing is done to stop it. If you or someone else begins to feel chills, suffer from slurred speech or experience dizziness in hot weather, then try to act immediately and seek help. Wearing suitable, light clothes can offer some respite from the heat, but most important of all is to become aware of your own body’s signals when in danger.