You’ve probably noticed that many households are changing their evaporative air conditioning to reverse cycle air conditioners. People have been attracted to evaporative aircons as they are initially cheaper to install, but this outdated form of cooling has been replaced with far superior technology. Quite simply you can’t look past the benefits! If you are not completely decided on changing over, keep reading to discover the advantages and disadvantages of these systems.
What is evaporative air conditioning?
Put simply evaporative air conditioning, also known as a swamp cooler, takes the hot outside air, increases the humidity to cool it down and distributes this cooler air throughout the home. These units use pads that are socked in water to help cool the air, as a result they add lots of moisture to the air.
With this form of cooling you need to get rid of the hot air within the home, so it’s essential to leave doors and windows open. Initial installation is cheaper than reverse cycle and these units can work well in a dry climate, although in our opinion that’s about it for their benefits. Let’s take a look at some of the advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages:
- Can be cheaper to install.
- These systems can work well in dry climate.
Disadvantages:
- High maintenance costs, it’s recommended to service twice a year.
- These units use a lot of water, in fact it can use up to 20 litres of water per hour.
- Doesn’t work on humid or rainy days.
- Not suitable for year round comfort as only cools your home.
- Security issues may be problem as it’s essential to leave doors and windows open.
- Limited temperature control.
What is reverse cycle air conditioning?
Reverse cycle means the air conditioner can produce both hot and cold air, so you only need one unit to efficiently cool your home in summer and warm your home in winter. Put simply, these units use a refrigeration cycle to cool your home and then a reverse refrigeration cycle when warmth is needed. This type of heating and cooling is far more energy efficient and on top of that the units can filter and dehumidify the air, which means you can enjoy a cleaner, healthier home. What more could you want?
Let’s take a look at some of the advantages and disadvantages for this form of heating and cooling:
Advantages:
- Heating and cooling functions for year round comfort.
- Energy efficient, making it good for the environment and saves you money on energy bills.
- Purifies the air inside your home through in built filters. This is ideal for any allergy suffers.
- Zoning capabilities allows you to only heat and cool the rooms in use.
- Works efficiently in all weather climates.
- Removes humidity from the room.
Disadvantages:
- Initial installation can be more expensive.
- Doors & windows need to remain closed while .
- Some outdoor units can be noisy.
Change over to an efficient way of heating and cooling your home
So you have decided to change your evaporative system to a more efficient form of heating and cooling. The good news is, once you make the change, you will never look back. While evaporative units can be useful in some areas, with our climate in Australia, you can’t go past the benefits of installing a reverse cycle. Naturally, making the decision between these two solutions comes down to your individual household requirements. However now you can see all the benefits and why we only supply and install reverse cycle air conditioners.
Where to go from here? You may be concerned about the cost and process of changing over to a new ducted system, so it’s important to choose a company that has experience in change overs and can guide you through the process.
Evaporative systems are not designed the same way as reverse cycle, therefore when changing over to the new system the existing ducts cannot be used. The main reason for this is the sizing of the ducts differ, with reverse cycle you need smaller ducts than evaporative. Where possible, we can sometimes use the existing holes, this can be determined on inspection.
Our team will completely remove the old unit and take it to the dump, in preparation for your new system, at a cost of $500. Ducted aircons need to be designed to suit individual household requirements. You will need a fully qualified designer to ensure that you get a system that suits your needs. Our consultants in Adelaide can help you design the perfect heating and cooling solution for you home – why not get started and take a look at our ducted aircon pricing.
Get In Touch
For more information or advice on the changeover process, contact our team on 088345 0470 or send an online enquiry. We would love the opportunity to help you achieve year round comfort at an affordable cost. Get in touch with the air conditioning Adelaide experts today!
