How to buy a split system and not regret it

Recommendation points

• How expensive splits differ from cheap ones
• Three split systems of middle and elite classes – let’s compare them
• At the end

In this article: the different characteristics of expensive and cheap split systems; possibilities of air filters, which are equipped with air conditioners of middle and upper class; comparison of three inverter air conditioners to determine the best.

For homeowners of our time, the words “air conditioning” and “split system” are synonymous. We are convinced that only splits are used in the residential sector of Europe and the USA, and other types of air conditioning systems either do not exist at all, or they are suitable only for industrial and administrative complexes of an impressive area. In reality, split systems are not particularly popular with European homeowners, since city halls prohibit their installation – external units of air conditioners disfigure the architectural appearance of buildings. In Russia, splits are established everywhere, local authorities do not create special obstacles to this. We will look for a split system that is most beneficial for the home, we will analyze the nuances associated with this choice.

How expensive splits differ from cheap ones

The need for air conditioning arises with the onset of summer, when the atmosphere in the apartment more and more resembles a sauna. The salvation from the heat is seen in the acquisition and installation of an air conditioning system capable of supplying the house with cold air – but do we really need cold? Not at all, the cold is needed for Santa Claus, who sits out the summer heat, according to satirical writers, in the refrigerator, but households need comfortable conditions in an apartment, which not any air conditioner can provide.

Price ranges, brands of split systems and some of their manufacturers are outlined in this article. The cost of a split is influenced by its power, functionality, performance, brand (trade mark) and reliability of the company that owns it.

The efficiency of its operation in a room of a certain area depends on the cooling power of the air conditioner. Prices for a split system designed for premises up to 20 m² will be about half that of a device designed to work in a room with 2.5 times the area. It should be noted that the choice of the power of the air conditioning system is determined not only by the size of the room – see the choice of the air conditioner performance.

A standard set of functions available to owners of the cheapest models of economy-class split-systems is cooling, air humidity reduction, elimination of suspended dust particles. Budget models are controlled, as, indeed, all splits, by a remote control, equipped with a ventilation unit set to 3-4 speed modes, the guides for cooled air switch to 2-3 vertical positions, the horizontal adjustment of the guides is done manually.

The capabilities of the models of the upper price range from the middle class and belonging to the elite class are outwardly similar to budget split systems, however, these devices react to the slightest changes in the characteristics of the air in the served room much faster and with greater efficiency. The climate they create perfectly matches the needs of the owner, even without his participation. Expensive split-systems surpass budget counterparts in the following ways:

• compliance with the specified temperature regime with an accuracy of 0.5 ° С (in the case of cheap air conditioners – up to 3 ° С), maintaining the humidity level in the room at a level not exceeding 75%;
• the noise level in the night mode of operation is 22–23 dB; this mode is practically silent (the minimum noise level of budget models is 27 dB);
• fine air purification from most of the impurities contained in it, such as dust, pollen, tobacco smoke, as well as odors. The air filtration system of the “elite” class split systems is the most complex, it consists of several stages of cleaning. Models of expensive air conditioners are equipped with equipment that produces ozonation, ionization, aromatization and ultraviolet neutralization of the atmosphere in the serviced premises;
• heating rooms at a lower outside temperature (up to -24 ° С) than in inexpensive splits (up to -5 ° С);
• have a greater number of automatic modes of operation, such as “sleep”, “high human activity” (for indoor sports), “quick cooling”, etc. The fast cooling mode is also available for budget models, called “turbo” – when activated, the room is blown through with a powerful flow of cold air perceived by a person comfortably only for the first two to three minutes, after which the cold draft causes a shock state. Expensive air conditioners in turbo mode distribute the air flow in several directions at the same time, while households are not blown out;
• Splits of the upper price range are equipped with sensor systems that independently calculate the volume and direction of cooled air supply, based on the number of people in the room, the location of each and the degree of physical activity;
• independent diagnostics of the state of the system – measuring the voltage in the mains, the amount of refrigerant, the state of the air filters, etc. If a malfunction is detected, the split-system informs about it by flashing indicators located on the control panel, if the indication is ignored, it turns off the air conditioner to prevent critical wear of the indoor units;
• Equipped with an inverter compressor, the luxury split-systems use energy efficiently through rational energy consumption;
• the service life of such air conditioners is at least twice as long as that of economy class models.

Let us consider separately the air filters that are used in luxury split systems. We investigate the capabilities of five types of filters – catechin, titanium-apatite, apple-catechin, nanoplatinum and ionic.

The mesh filter is a fine-mesh two or three-row mesh that traps dust particles – this is the standard method of air purification used in almost all models of split systems. As a result of treatment with catechins, it acquires antioxidant properties, i.e. able to destroy microorganisms on its surface.

The titanium apatite photocatalytic filter is capable of not only retaining dust and destroying pathogens, but also eliminating household odors – aromatic molecules are destroyed by the flow of electrons generated by the filter material. Particularly interesting is the fact that the photocatalytic filter does not wear out during the operation of the air conditioner, it is enough just to periodically clean its cells with a vacuum cleaner or a jet of water, then place it in the sun until it dries completely – solar energy gives it a small electric charge necessary to destroy odors.

The apple origin of the catechin filter is only partially true. Apples contain a polyphenol that kills bacteria – they are impregnated with a catechin filter, which traps dust and kills microorganisms collected with dust particles, more effectively than a mesh filter treated with catechins only.

The nano-platinum filter, first used in its products by Mitsubishi Electric, looks like a regular mesh filter, but the cells in it are smaller, and the fibers that form them contain nanoparticles of ceramic with platinum. The efficiency of the nanoplatinum filter is higher than that of the catechin filter, including due to the volumetric structure of the mesh, which is capable of better filtering air and destroying microorganisms.

An ionic filter is more complex than others; it requires a negative ion generator, an electric wire to carry charges, and positively charged fibers that form a mesh structure of the filter. Negatively charged ions are attracted to dust particles, viruses, mold spores and bacteria, imparting a negative charge to them, after which they are attracted by the positively charged filter element. Air filtration with an ionic filter element is extraordinarily efficient – 99%. It is only necessary to clean the filter from the accumulated dirt during the time..

Three split systems of middle and elite classes – let’s compare them

The review includes randomly selected A / C models from Fujitsu, Daikin and Mitsubishi Electric.

(*) and (**) – here are given, respectively, the maximum length and height of the pipeline rise, during the construction of which there will be enough refrigerant pumped into the system at the manufacturer’s enterprise. Building a longer line and bringing it to a greater height will require pumping refrigerant in the required volume, otherwise the system will not work.

ASYG09LT / AOYG09LT, Slide Evo series, Fujitsu

Before proceeding with the analysis of data on split systems, I would like to note that the characteristics of a Fujitsu luxury air conditioner are provided intentionally, in order to give a clear idea of ​​the difference between residential air conditioning systems of the middle and upper price ranges. In addition, this move allows us to understand which model of the middle class split is the closest in terms of characteristics to the luxury class. Now let’s move on to the comparative analysis:

• all considered models of split systems are equipped with an inverter compressor and are charged with R410A refrigerant. However, the compressor with which the Fujitsu air conditioner is equipped has a higher performance with less energy consumption;
• the lowest noise level when switching to the “night” mode accompanies the operation of the Fujitsu split, a slightly noisier Daikin model, the Mitsubishi Electric air conditioner makes the greatest noise;
• in terms of equipping with filters in the standard configuration of the climatic device, again, the Fujitsu model is in the lead, followed by the Daikin device, after which – the Mitsubishi Electric split. That is, the air conditioners of the first two models of this order have a double filter, the last model has a single filter (three-layer mesh treated with catechins);
• the number of speeds of the ventilation unit for Daikin and Fujitsu models is five, for the Mitsubishi Electric model under consideration there are four of them;
• Daikin air conditioner will cool the room up to a maximum external temperature of +46 ° С, while Fujitsu and Mitsubishi Electric models will only cool down to +43 ° С;
• heating a room using a Fujitsu split system is possible at a minimum outdoor temperature of -24 ° C, Daikin split at a temperature not lower than -18 ° C, a Mitsubishi Electric climatic device is again lagging behind – heating only up to -11 ° C;
• judging by the lack of data on the amount of condensed moisture removed from the serviced premises, all three models of split systems are equally good at maintaining the optimal humidity level – in any case, the manufacturers have no doubts about this;
• the warranty periods for the air conditioners participating in the review are the same, the average service life is also the same (in fact, they will be higher);
• the highest average cost for the luxury model from Fujitsu, the lowest price for the mid-range split system Daikin.

FTXN25K / RXN25K, Econom Invertor series, Daikin

Conclusion: having considered the technical and functional characteristics of the split-systems models ASYG09LT / AOYG09LT (Fujitsu), FTXN25K / RXN25K (Daikin) and MSZ-HC25VA / MUZ-HC25VA (Mitsubishi Electric), the most profitable acquisition will be the climatic device FTXN25K / Da RXN25K, … This split has characteristics and capabilities close to luxury devices, while it will cost the buyer cheaper than other air conditioners from among the participants in this review..

MSZ-HC25VA / MUZ-HC25VA, Classic Inverter Series, Mitsubishi Electric

At the end

Split systems of the middle and higher price range are made of really high-quality materials, equipped with high-performance and energy-efficient units – the plastic of the case does not turn yellow over the years, and the fastenings of its elements do not weaken, the inverter compressor and low-noise ventilation units do not fail at times of particularly high temperatures on the street. Cheap and expensive split systems are similar to each other in terms of the task being performed and appearance, but upon close study they differ, and they are serious.

The next article from the series “climatic devices” will be devoted to multi-split air conditioning systems.