Considered an icon of luxury a few decades back, Air Conditioners (abbreviated to AC) are now a basic necessity of almost every household. The growing use of ACs can be primarily attributed to the rise in global warming on earth. Technically put, air conditioner is an electronic appliance to control the temperature by dropping the humidity. The functioning of an AC is very similar to that of a refrigerator. It pulls out the heat from an area using a refrigeration cycle to keep the environment cool and fresh.

Most of the air conditioners work almost in the same way irrespective of their shape and size. The most popular among the air conditioners available in the market is referred to as a split system air conditioner. In this kind of air conditioners the compressor is installed inside the home where as the condenser remains outside and they are connected by means of refrigerant pipes. The noise produced in case of split air conditioners is very less as compared to its other competitor. The wall mounted split air conditioner has a rotary compressor, which forces cold air into the room.

Facts you should know about split ACs:

The tonnage of the air conditioner determines its cooling capacity. It depends on the size or area of the room you need to use it in. Spilt ACs are available in 0.50 ton, 0.75 ton, 1 ton, 1.5 ton and 2 tons. If you go for a lower tonnage AC to reduce its cost, then it troubles you with more power consumption that is not favorable in the long run.

BTU or British thermal unit per hour is the unit for standard measurement of the cooling capacity of an air conditioner. Hence, the strength of the AC largely depends on the cooling capacity. As a matter of fact, the cooling capacity of an AC of one ton can be 12000 BTU per hour.

There are some home truths about Split Air Conditioners that buyers must be aware of:

Size Does Matter - It is easy go get confused regarding the various sizes of split air conditioners that is dependent on the size of your room. For instance, a 35 sq. ft. area will need 0.75-ton air conditioner whereas a 2-ton AC will suit well for a room having an area of 250 sq. ft. if you want to cool a large hall, you can divide it into small rooms to calculate the accurate tonnage it will need.

Hole in The Wall - For installing a split AC in your room, like or not, you might need to make a hole on you wall. The depth of the hole depends on the unit you have decided to buy. Usually, it is 3 inches in diameter.

Tubing - A split AC requires an additional component such as Tubing to function properly. So you need to purchase it additionally from the market. It usually acts as a connecter between indoor and outdoor units. Generally, the size of the tubing depends on the distance between the indoor unit and the outdoor unit.

Dual Zone and Triple Zone- If you think simply buying a split AC will solve all your purpose, think again. If you live in a house that consists of multiple rooms, then you must go for Dual Zone or Triple Zone depending on the number of rooms in your house. Basically, it means the number of air handles required to cool a room. If your house is like an open area that has multiple rooms in it, then you may need to go for one air handler; however, you need to ensure that BTUs are adequate to cover the area of all rooms.

Installation Cost -When you consider installing a split AC in your house, make it a point to include the cost of installation as well. Installing a mini AC or split air conditioner is considered more complex than installing a window AC. As a result, you will need the help of a professional who is familiar with the installation process of the split AC.

Selecting a split air conditioner can be extremely taxing given the number of brands available in the market. Starting from LG, Voltas, Whirlpool, Samsung to Cruise, there area wide range of brands with different models and features can be found in many online stores. However, there is something that you should always remember as a prudent buyer of a split AC, if you stick to a less known brand just to save a few bucks, it might cost you more in the long run in terms of poor quality and durability.

On the top of it, some cheap split air conditioners tend to consume more electricity resulting higher electricity bills. Hence, it makes perfect sense to go for a well-know brand over their cheaper alternatives.