A Guide to Monoblock Air Conditioning Solutions
The general, working definition of most air conditioning units is a machine that uses the flow of refrigerant from one set of coils, where heat is collected, to another set of coils, where heat is dispersed. Within this, there are a variety of categories to describe certain units. The main examples of these are ‘monoblock’, ‘split systems’, and ‘multi-split systems’.
Here at Charles Wilson Engineers Ltd, we stock a range of monoblock air conditioning solutions, so we have decided to guide you through some of the types of units within this category to help you understand whether they accommodate your requirements.
Monoblock Air Conditioning Solutions
For an overview of monoblock units in general, they have both sets of coils inside of a single housing: hence, ‘monoblock’. These machines are usually designed to be located inside of the building/room that is to be cooled, with there being air pipes attached that direct heated air outside.
Portable/Mobile Unit
Perhaps the most familiar units to a domestic audience, portable or mobile air conditioning units are simple and user-friendly. There is no mounting required, and they are convenient and cheap. These units, however, are only suited for domestic settings as their capacity is usually quite low (rarely above 12,000 BTU, or British Thermal Units).
They, much like most monoblock units, are designed to be placed inside and will usually have a reasonably long air pipe that can be used to direct heated air outside.
Floor Mounted
A floor mounted air conditioning unit is somewhat similar to a traditional radiator in the way it fits into your home, but is generally used for cooling a room. They are mounted on the floor directly next to an outside wall, which means they aren’t mobile and cannot be transported as easily as the aforementioned portable/mobile units. This mounting is to allow for air pipes that direct the heated air straight outside.
Floor mounted units are usually good value for money as they can be used all year round by being able to provide cold and warm air as part of their functionality. They are often similar in their capacity to portable/mobile units, rarely exceeding 12,000 BTU, so are best suited to domestic applications.
Wall Mounted (High-Wall Units)
When a larger BTU capacity is required for an air conditioning solution, there are more alterations that need to be carried out to the buildings to accommodate more substantial equipment. However, with older buildings (for examples), this isn’t always possible as planning permissions can often restrict the amount of work that can be done. This is where wall mounted units come in, which work in a similar way to floor mounted AC, but provide a larger capacity and are just mounted on the wall.
These can be larger in profile than split-wall mounts (which are more industrial versions of a wall mounted unit), but require less work to be carried out on the structure of the building itself and so are therefore more convenient for construction. They also benefit from having heat pumps, which means they can cool and heat rooms, making them more useful and cost-effective in countries/regions that experience a varied climate.
Spot Coolers/Industrial Mobiles
In certain situations, you require the convenience of a portable/mobile unit but a larger capacity. A spot cooler is a great option for this. A spot cooler works in a slightly different way, however, as they need to be placed in the warm air and direct the cool air elsewhere. This is carried out by ‘snout pipes’, which are usually placed on the front of the unit and are used to direct the air itself. These can also usually be pointed in different directions, which allows for optimal functionality.
Window Air Conditioners (aka ‘Window Rattlers’)
Window-mounted air conditioning units are another one of the most common and familiar to us. These units are almost standard in a lot of homes in Mediterranean and Middle East, but new European efficiency regulations from 2011 mean that manufacturing has ramped down drastically. This is set to begin to increase again, however, as manufacturers work to improve the operating efficiency of these machines.
The advantages of these window-mounted units is that they are easy to fit and can be cheap, although they can get drastically more expensive as they become remote-controlled and heat pumps. The capacity of this type of air conditioners system is also suited to domestic use.
Convenience
In essence, monoblock units are those that are the most convenient and the most common air conditioning solutions in domestic settings, especially those that don’t experience the need for AC all year round (which is where portable machines come in most handy).
There are a lot of different combinations of these units that might best benefit your requirements, and monoblock air conditioning units are arguably the most convenient of all as they all come in one, easy to manage housing and there is often little need for construction work to facilitate them.
Charles Wilson Engineers Ltd
Here at Charles Wilson Engineers Ltd, we stock a range of monoblock air conditioning solutions, which you can view on our air conditioning page. If you would like to enquire further about these products, or discuss anything else we stock, please reach out to us by calling 01582 763 122 or filling out our simple contact form.