How to properly install an air conditioner in an apartment and a room

When buying climatic equipment, in addition to calculating the appropriate power, it is necessary to consider where to place the air conditioner in the room / kitchen so that it functions smoothly, does not create discomfort for the inhabitants of the house with its work and does not cause neuralgia or regular colds.

For all types of living quarters (regardless of their area), there are seven basic rules for the location of an air conditioner in a room, which future owners and installers are simply obliged to observe.

Elimination of direct hit of air currents on a person

The installation of a split system or any other climatic equipment should be carried out taking into account the fact that the air leaving the distribution grid diverges by 2-3 meters. It is at this distance that the greatest concentration of cooled air masses occurs, after which they are scattered throughout the room. When thinking about where to install an air conditioner in a room, it should be remembered that the main places of rest or work of people should not fall into this risk zone: beds, sofas, computer and dining tables, and so on.

Lack of heating and steam generating devices near the air conditioner

All household appliances, which in one way or another can affect high temperatures on climatic equipment, should be as far away from it as possible. Do not mount the air conditioner above a stove, refrigerator, near heating radiators, boiler equipment and electric heaters.

Distance between ceiling and split system

When deciding how to properly position a wall-mounted air conditioner in an apartment, it is necessary to take into account the minimum distance between the indoor unit of the split system and the ceiling surface. It should be at least 10-15 cm. This is due to the fact that the indoor module draws air from the room with its upper part, therefore it is necessary to leave a gap for its unhindered passage.

Distance between air conditioner and furniture

For high-quality distribution of the treated air, it is necessary to remove all furniture and any other interior items that can serve as a barrier from the zone within a radius of 1-1.5 meters. Air currents will bounce off them and return back to the instrument, causing it to shut down as the temperature sensors are commanded to cool / heat sufficiently. Over time, this disables the climatic equipment.

To ensure proper placement in the room, it is advisable not to hang it over tall cabinets, elongated computer desks and various shelves. This also serves as a limitation for the normal dispersion of the circulating air flows.

The location of the outdoor and indoor units of the air conditioner relative to each other

The normal installation of an air conditioner in a room assumes a short length of the freon line between the units of the split system.On average, this value ranges from 5 to 10 meters.

Firstly, it is important from the point of view of interior aesthetics. The shorter the connecting line, the less it needs to be sewn into decorative boxes that look neat, but do not add beauty to the design.

Secondly, the price for installing the air conditioner is formed taking into account the length of the freon line. Each extra meter adds to the total cost from about 800 rubles. For devices with a higher capacity, a larger diameter of the pipeline will be required, and, therefore, the price will increase.

Cutting off heat from the window

This rule of placing an air conditioner in a room is especially true where the windows face the sunny side - to the south, southeast or southwest. The blown out cooled streams should go perpendicularly to the sunlight and warm air entering the room. This will ensure the earliest possible achievement of the set temperatures.

Corner mounting of the air conditioner

You can install the air conditioner in the corner of the room where another method is simply impossible due to architectural features or the size of the room. Some manufacturers have corner models of split systems with a very attractive design and compact dimensions. But this is the least desirable location of the air conditioner in the kitchen or room, since in any case the uniformity of distribution will suffer and the formation of different-temperature zones cannot be avoided.

At the same time, sometimes the question arises of where to place the air conditioner in the room, if there is an opening between the window frame and the wall with a width of 70 cm and more, and there is no other place to be found. In this case, corner mounting is justified. When the landlord chooses this option, then the location of the doorway should be taken into account - you cannot hang the device in front of it, since the air will go into another room.

In addition to the general provisions listed, there are many more options for installing an air conditioner in a room, including depending on the number of rooms in the apartment.

Air conditioners in a one-room apartment

Many buyers are often mistaken about the possibility of high-quality cooling / heating both a room and a kitchen with one indoor unit. Even if the appliance is placed in a hallway, which is equidistant from the rest of the rooms, the coolness or heat will not flow there enough. When the stove or oven is on, the coolness will instantly go away, and in the hallway, on the contrary, it will always be very cold.

An air conditioner with increased power is also not an option, since it will often work in stop-start mode, and this makes the main part of the system - the compressor - unusable.

Then how to install an air conditioner in an apartment with one room and which type should you give preference to? There are three options here:

• installation of two split systems separately in the kitchen and the room;
• installation of a multi-split system with one external and two internal blocks;
• installation of a duct air conditioner (in odnushka a low-pressure model is sufficient).

The only disadvantage of the first option is the presence of two external modules on the facade of the building. Installing a ducted air conditioning system is acceptable, but it will cost a lot more. In addition, you will have to pull the air ducts, mount them in a fake mezzanine or wall, and most importantly, this can only be done in apartments with high ceilings.

With a duct air conditioner, such a nuisance can arise as the spread of kitchen aromas throughout the apartment, because the air duct system supplied to all rooms will mix the air taken from them, and then distribute it also to all zones. This air conditioner is ideal for several rooms in an apartment.

If funds are very limited, then you can install one wall split system, but so as to cover all the premises as much as possible.In an apartment with zones as shown, usually the best way to install the air conditioner is above the doorway in the room. The air will be reflected from the opposite wall and enter the corridor and kitchen in 30% of the amount of the total air masses circulating through the apartment.

As an option - installation of the block opposite the opening. But in this case, only 30-40% of the cooled / heated air will remain in the room, and 60-70% will disperse to the rest of the zones. This arrangement of the air conditioner is more suitable for a small room, where the temperature change is felt much faster, and the divergence of flows is better.

You should not buy a window air conditioner for a small room. Even modern models make a noticeable noise, which is unacceptable for the sleeping area. It is better to choose an air conditioner for a small room of lower power. Devices up to 2-2.5 kW are hung in a room with an area of ​​up to 15 m².

A monoblock window can replace a split system in the kitchen. It works properly in areas up to 15-18 m². But you will have to find a special place to collect the splashing condensate, because under the window there may be a pedestrian path or a recreation area.

If, nevertheless, the owner decides to install a wall split in the kitchen, then it is undesirable to hang it in front of the stove, as there will be a constant blowing of the burner flame. Of course, this does not apply to kitchen areas equipped with electric stoves.

Sometimes the question arises of the correct placement of the air conditioner in a room with an adjoining balcony. There are no deviations from the rules in the installation of the indoor unit. It is recommended to hang the outdoor module on the facade or to the side of the balcony / loggia. The mounting option inside is possible, but only if there is no glazing. An elongated track is laid between the blocks, which passes through the balcony to the street with a slope.

Air conditioners for apartments with two or more rooms

In the selection and installation of air conditioners for two or three rooms, there are no special differences from the previous recommendations.

Khrushchev buildings and their conditioning

A standard two-room Khrushchev can do with one split into two adjacent rooms. The indoor unit is mounted above the doorway between the rooms in the walk-through hall. Air will be repelled from the opposite wall and flow into the bedroom. Usually its dimensions are from 8 to 11 m². It is pointless to purchase an air conditioner for such a small room. A device with a power of 3.5-4.5 kW can easily cope with cooling and heating of two adjacent rooms.

Owners of a three-ruble note in Khrushchev with two adjacent rooms and one separate can solve the air conditioning problem without spending money on air conditioners for several rooms as follows:

• Adjacent (walk-through) rooms are designed in the same way as described in the option for a two-room apartment;
• The problem of air conditioning the kitchen and the remaining small bedroom is solved by installing a more powerful unit next to the front door in the corridor. The downside is a long freon line through the whole room or kitchen.

Rulers and their conditioning

If the apartment has a layout called "ruler", then there is absolutely no need to buy an air conditioner for two rooms with a limited budget, since the premises are located here in one row. It turns out that the hallway is equidistant from them. This means that an inverter can be hung in it, which will provide all zones with cold and heat. This is acceptable if the residents are ready to endure the arctic cold in the corridor, because in order to lower the temperature in the rooms and kitchen to 24 ° C, 18 ° C will need to be set here.

Do the landlords not want to freeze in the hallway? Then the following recommendations regarding apartments with separate rooms will help.

Undershirts and their conditioning

It is better to equip apartments with separate rooms with multi-split or duct installations with air ducts laying between rooms.This will save space both outside the building and inside the rooms and kitchens themselves.

The disadvantage of such systems is the inability to establish autonomous temperature parameters in different zones of the apartment. Cooling a kitchen with appliances running will require lower values ​​than cooling a bedroom or nursery. 

One of the advantages of a ducted air conditioner is the possibility of mixing in outside air.

Two separate inverter air conditioners can be installed in two small separate rooms. They will efficiently process air and will not entail high costs for electricity. The same can be done in a three-room apartment. But this is justified only if all the rules mentioned at the beginning of the article are observed.

If you try to place separate splits in three rooms, it will do little to the design of the apartment itself, as well as to the exterior of the house. It is much wiser to buy an air conditioner for three or more rooms, that is, a multi-split system or a duct. In most cases, they have an inverter type of compressor regulation, due to which the operation of devices in the mode of frequent start-stop is excluded.

Some air conditioners for three rooms can be combined with different types of indoor modules. The most powerful wall-mounted apparatus is hung in the living room, and a wall-mounted apparatus with a lower performance is hung in the bedroom.

In the nursery, it is advisable to install a console unit in the ceiling mount version, since it has the softest and most comfortable distribution of air flows along the ceiling throughout the room. Particularly relevant is a console air conditioner with an elongated (rectangular) shape for a nursery.

Many three-room air conditioners do not need to be assembled in-house. There are ready-made multi-splits on sale, ideally matched in terms of parameters relative to each other, which can be hung up quickly and easily.

Professional installers will help you to choose the exact options for installing the air conditioner in the room and its suitable type.