How to install a split system air conditioner?

If you're wondering how to install a split system air conditioner, remember the first rule of split system air conditioner installation: don't do it yourself. Some tasks are best left to professionals, like doing extensive repairs on complex appliances, building rocket ships, and washing windows on high-rise office buildings.

Even if you're a DIY enthusiast, air conditioner installation is not the time to try your freelancing skills. Doing so could get you injured or end up costing you a small fortune.

Air conditioners come with warranties, but you can instantly void any warranty if you attempt to install a unit by yourself. Unless you're a licensed contractor who has experience with electrical components, wiring, piping, switches, long cables, and complicated electronic component, call a professional. The DIY route might appear to save you a few bucks, but it's a mirage. You risk your personal safety and having to pay someone to re-do the job from the start.

Still, you probably landed on this page because you want to know the basic steps for installing a split system air conditioner in Melbourne or any other city.

Reasons People Opt for Split Systems

For licensed contractors, split system AC units are among the easiest to install, but there's still a lot of work. For consumers, split systems are highly efficient and less costly choices when it comes to cooling a single room.

A split system includes an outdoor unit and an indoor unit. They're connected by copper pipes that transport refrigerant and make the system work properly. The main reason the installation cost is lower is that there are no ducts. Plus, split units are much easier to install, both in terms of complexity and time.

A professional installer can usually put one in within a single work day. They can heat or cool any room you choose, but only one. And, no matter what your interior decor is, you can choose a wall-mounted unit that looks great and doesn't detract from the overall visual effect. For major maintenance issues, you need to call a contractor, but for simple things like filter changes and routine cleaning of the unit, homeowners can do that themselves.

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Installation Steps

The technical guidebooks for how to install a split system air conditioner run to hundreds of pages. Obviously, we only have a small amount of space here to get the job done, so we're going to give you the "executive summary," as they say in the world of corporate finance.

We'll leave out all the technical details and cut right to the chase. That's the best way to give you a quickie overview of split system air conditioner installation in all its amazing glory. We do this for a living at Hello Breeze, so our technicians have spent years learning all the fine points of the science behind the job.

But, for all you curious air conditioning enthusiasts, here's the cheat sheet. Installing a split system includes the following tasks. There could be more things on this check-sheet depending on several variables, but these are the core pieces of the job that a professional HVAC installer will attend to.

• If your house or apartment already had an old split system in it, the contractor will remove it, along with any of its components.
  
• Placing the outdoor unit in its best possible location to service the room it will be connected to. In many cases, it's necessary to put a pad made of concrete into the soil first and then place the unit on top of it.
  
• On the inside, the installer will place the wall unit portion of the system into its proper place. Sometimes this is in a window or a specially cut opening in the wall.
  
• There's a moderate amount of wiring for split system units and it will be connected after the outdoor and indoor units are in place. You'll also need to have a safety-switch, also known as a circuit-breaker, put in for this portion of the job.
  
• Now, the two units must be connected with special piping. These copper connectors carry refrigerant between the outdoor and indoor units. Only approved piping can be used.
  
• Because the copper pipes must be protected from the outside environment and kept as cool as possible at all times, the installing contractor covers each length of the copper piping with special insulation, carefully wraps it around all exposed areas of the pipes, and seals the wrapping with permanent adhesive.
  
• After all the main components are in place, the professional will clean up the area and remove any debris left over from the installation process. That includes unused pieces of copper pipe, odd lengths of insulation, unused adhesive, and anything else that wasn't there at the beginning of the job.
  
• The second-to-last step is a full-scale test of the split system air conditioning unit. The installer will run several technical tests to make sure that all the connections are good, the units are positioned correctly, there is no air leakage from the wall unit, the outdoor unit is level, the wiring is safely connected all around, the copper piping is correctly insulated and connected, and that the refrigerant does its job when the system is activated.
  
• Finally, the installation expert will show the owner how to operate the unit correctly, shut it off, restart it, remove the filters, replace them when necessary, and do routine cleaning of the exterior portions of the indoor and outdoor units as necessary.

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Getting Your Split System Air Conditioner Installed

When you decide it's time to make your living space more comfortable, give Hello Breeze a call at 1300 712 732. We have the experience technicians, the best equipment, and the reputation that makes us the ideal choice for anyone who wants a split system air conditioner in Melbourne, Brisbane and other parts of Australia. To find out more, check out our website and see how many options you have for creating a comfortable, energy efficient home. 

At Hello Breeze, we believe in making your indoor life a good one. That means giving you control over your personal climate, in every room of the house. Whether you need help with split system air conditioner installation or any other kind of cooling or heating challenges, we have the team and the knowledge to make it happen.