Pros and cons of installing air conditioning in the winter

Most people only with the onset of the summer heat begin to think about purchasing an air conditioner for their homes. They begin to look for climate equipment in home appliances stores or online stores, to call in companies involved in installation. But those wishing to purchase and install the unit will have an unexpected surprise in the form of inflated prices not only for the equipment, but also for its installation. For those who want to save, there is quite a logical solution: install air conditioning in the winter. However, this option has not only advantages, but also some nuances.

When is it best to install air conditioning

The reason for the summer price increase for climate equipment is seasonal excitement. Manufacturers of this equipment and specialized outlets use increased demand with the maximum benefit for themselves, inflating prices. It is easy to guess that the schedule of work of installers in this period is extremely loaded. Having a large number of orders, sometimes, for several weeks in advance, experts install up to 5 split systems per day.

In addition, when there is a strong heat, warehouses with the climatic equipment become empty. Those who want to purchase equipment are in a difficult situation, since the opportunity to choose a suitable model of the unit is reduced by 2-3 times. And there is a shortage of not only air conditioners, but also installers.

Those who have bought a split system in the summer have to wait for the installation for another 10 days, or even more.

Of course, in this situation get discounts when buying an air conditioning system and to reduce the cost of its installation is not possible. Some buyers, on the contrary, in order to quickly get rid of the heat, are ready to overpay for installing the air conditioner out of turn.

You should know that all the new climate equipment appear at the relevant exhibitions in February-March.It was at this time that air conditioner manufacturers begin updating product catalogs and delivering it to dealerships in order to satisfy consumer demand. Starting in autumn, the spring and summer rush subsides, and dealers rush to get rid of the remaining goods, making substantial discounts and exposing air conditioning systems for sale at an affordable price. Installation crews also become less loaded and can make installation and repair of conditioners slowly, qualitatively and at any time convenient for you.

Indoor unit air conditioner

Nuances of installing air conditioning in the winter

As for the winter period, the installation of air conditioning equipment is quite possible, but with some nuances. The installation of the split system itself, that is, the fixing of the indoor unit, drilling the wall, hanging the outdoor unit, connecting the outdoor and indoor units with pipes, is no different from the same work done in the warm season. Difficulties begin at the stage of evacuating the system and refilling it if the ambient temperature is below -5 ° C.

The inclusion and operation of most split systems at low temperatures disables them.

Vacuuming at low temperatures

Under the vacuum means the removal of air from the circuit of the split system. This is done using a special vacuum pump. If this process is carried out at an ambient temperature below 0 ° C, then inevitably condensation from moisturelocated in the atmosphere that will settle in the contour. During the start-up of the refrigerant mixture with lubricating oils into the system, water will begin to interact with these components, as a result of which acids will be formed, from which the compressor parts will start to wear out quickly.

Air Conditioning Vacuum

Check the tightness of the system

The tightness of the circuit is checked by filling it with compressed nitrogen. If the compressed gas in the cylinder is warm, due to the fact that the tank is in a heated room, then the nitrogen passing through the external circuit will cool sharply in winter and the pressure in the pipeline will begin to decrease. This fact may be mistaken for presence of leakage.

Ideally, a leak test should be carried out when the outside temperature and the room temperature are about the same.. Of course, you can take the balloon outside so that it is well cooled, and then start checking, but it is better to do it in the warm season.

Air conditioner banding

Air conditioning refill in winter

The instructions for the air conditioner says that you can not turn it on when the temperature is below -5 ° C. But masters advise not to turn on the unit already at + 5 ° С. This prohibition is explained by the fact that lubricants — oils — are added to the refrigerant to lubricate the moving parts of the compressor. At negative temperatures, the lubricant begins to thicken and lose its properties. As a result, compressor parts are exposed rapid wearand the unit fails.

If you decide to install an air conditioner in the winter, it is better to limit itself only to the installation of the units, and the evacuation and charging of the system with refrigerant should be transferred to the spring.

Installation of indoor unit

Winter start device for split system

On sale are models of air conditioners designed to operate at low temperatures (in winter). As a rule, these are more expensive units than conventional split-systems, and they have a built-in winter start system.But for owners of conventional units it is also possible to improve their split-system, so that it can work at low temperatures. For this you need install winter start deviceconsisting of the following elements:

• heating unit for compressor crankcase;
• heating block for drainage tube;
• condensation pressure regulating unit.

All installation work must be performed by qualified specialists in order to avoid failures in the further operation of the system or failure of expensive equipment.

Summing up, you can see that there are more advantages in installing an air conditioner in winter. In particular, this applies to residents of the southern regions of the country, where the winter temperature fluctuates at a level of 0 ° C.