Perhaps it is difficult to imagine an apartment in Cyprus without an air conditioner. This device allows you to maintain a comfortable temperature in the room, as well as purify the air and generally create a favorable atmosphere in the house. Therefore, you should be especially careful when buying it. Remember that first of all it is about the health of the whole family.
We will talk not only about what kind of air conditioner is better to choose in the store, but also how to operate it.
Choosing the type of conditioner
The most popular option for residential premises is a split-system: ordinary or multi. It assumes presence of internal and external blocks. Multisystem is one external unit for several internal ones connected to each other. The split system allows not only cooling, but also heating the air. Modern devices work quietly, do not harm the environment and are very economical in energy consumption.
You can also consider mobile air conditioners - these are small monoblocks that are not attached anywhere and therefore can be used in different rooms. Their effect is much less, they are more often used as a backup or additional option. For example, a mobile air conditioner can be left in a guest room or a study - a room where people are not always present.
In general, stationary split-system remains the most convenient and effective for large living rooms. That is why we will talk in the article mainly about it.
Why inverter air conditioner is important in Cyprus
Inverters allow not only cooling, but also heating the air. And this says it all. There is no centralized heating in Cyprus, which means that the heating of the premises completely falls on the shoulders of homeowners. And the use of split-system is often the best option. It allows you to quickly heat the air in the room, as well as maintain a comfortable temperature. Modern air conditioners consume as much (or even less) electricity as heaters (oil, infrared), so their use is becoming more and more favorable in Cyprus realities.
In addition, an inverter air conditioner has many other advantages: it is quieter and can be more precisely tuned. The minus is that it is more difficult to install and its repair is more expensive. Therefore, you should choose both the device itself and the installation masters more carefully.
Choose the power depending on the size of the room
There is a rather complex formula for the exact calculation of power per cubic meter of the room. We will not cite it, because it is needed, strictly speaking, only for specialists. Ordinary people can independently, even without the help of a consultant, pick up the power of the device.
There are two important indicators that should be taken into account: power consumption of the air conditioner (measured in watts) and cooling capacity - directly "power" of cooling (measured in BTU, i.e. British Thermal Unit).
Here is the classic ratio of cooling capacity to the area of the room (assuming a ceiling height of no more than 3 meters):
- 5000 BTU (1.5 kW) - for 10-14 m2;
- 7000 BTU (2 kW) - for 15-18 m2;
- 9,000 BTU (2.5 kW) - for 20-25 m2;
- 12,000 BTU (3.5 kW) - for 26-33 m2;
- 18,000 BTU (5 kW) - for 36-60 m2;
- 24,000 - 28,000 BTU (7-8.5 kW) - for 70-80 m2;
- 32,000 - 36,000 BTU (9.5-10.5 kW) - for 90 m2 or more.
If the area of the room, for which you are looking for a conditioner, is on the borderline value (for example, 19-20 m2) - it is better to choose the power in a bigger direction, "with reserve". But it makes no sense to buy a split-system for 24 thousand BTU in a small room of 15 m2, even if you reduce the "revolutions" and the device will work half-strong, the electricity consumption will be the same as at the conditioner with less power.
If the ceiling height is more than three meters, it is worth to proportionally increase the power. For example, you have a living room of 50 m2, and the ceiling is 3.5 meters, that is 15% higher than 3 meters. Fifteen percent of 50 m2 is 7.5, add it up and you get 57.5 m2 - this is the area you should choose a conditioner for.
And what about heating? It is interesting, but to heat the room, it requires less power to cool it. Therefore, you will definitely not make a mistake with the choice and will be able to use the device effectively both in summer and in winter.
Determine the noise level
Inverter models in principle make little noise - within 25 dB. This is a comfortable level for a busy room, such as a living room or workshop. In the bedroom, it is better to choose a quieter device: where the noise level is at about 18 dB.
Also pay attention to the noise characteristics of the external unit. As a rule, the outdoor unit is noisier than the indoor unit. In an apartment building, this can create some problems.
Air purification, dehumidification and ionization
Familiar models of air conditioners, as we know, do not supply fresh air inside the premises. They only contribute to circulation of streams and their cooling or heating. Of course, this is far from having a positive effect on freshness and certainly does not create a healthy atmosphere - carbon dioxide accumulates in it. Hence headaches in the household, loss of energy, lack of sleep and other unpleasant consequences.
More modern models already have a solution to this problem. They take a part of air from outside and conduct it into the room without increasing the overall temperature. Of course, such conditioners are more expensive, but they are definitely not harmful to health as their "predecessors" without such a useful function.
The next point worth paying attention to is filters. Absolutely all devices are equipped with a primary filter, which protects the mechanism itself from dust and fine dirt. In addition to him, manufacturers can offer a variety of membranes that clean the air from bacteria and viruses, as well as smaller particles.
Here it is necessary to understand that for residential premises, this function is not too significant. Contrary to popular belief, super-filters are not as effective as marketers say about them. Timely cleaning of the air conditioner is the most reliable measure that will protect from bacteria accumulation.
But dehumidifying the air is an extremely useful feature that is very necessary in humid Cyprus. It not only saves the air from excessive moisture, but also protects the air conditioner itself. The thing is that fungus can form in it, and the built-in dehumidifier prevents it.
Tip: if possible, adjust the degree of air dehumidification. Air conditioners often "sin" by drying out the air, especially on heating, sometimes within minutes.
Finally, let's talk about built-in air ionizers. Of course, ionization is useful, but the fact is that most built-in ionizers do not cope with their task. This is easy to check with a special meter. Therefore, ionization can be considered a clever marketing move.
Control of split-system
Air conditioners of medium and high price segment offer quite accurate settings of the operating mode. It would seem that this is not quite a necessary thing, but in fact it allows you to adjust the device under yourself almost perfectly.
It is worth paying attention to the following characteristics that you will be able to adjust:
- Night mode. It allows you to sleep with the air conditioner on: it will make less noise and more smoothly raise or lower the temperature in the room.
- On-off function. Turns the unit on and off automatically, thus maintaining the same temperature. Slightly, but saves energy.
- Fan power. You can adjust the strength of the air flow.
- Direction of air flow. In modern models, it can be a smooth wiggling up and down, left and right, in a circle. You can stop the movement, leaving it in the desired position (for example, so that there was no blowing directly on the person).
- Degree of air dehumidification. Helps keep the air in the room from getting too dry.
- Smartphone connectivity. It can be either wi-fi or a whole app. The latter will allow you to remotely turn on the air conditioner and cool the air, for example, to your arrival.
Remote control is a good and habitual thing, but it is gradually becoming a thing of the past. It is replaced by a smartphone together with the latest technologies. A "smart" conditioner will not only perform the actions set by you, but will also notify you about what is happening and even send you "reminders".
Choice of energy efficiency
Energy efficiency is an indicator that characterizes the amount of electricity consumed. The appliance labeled A+++ "eats" the least, but you can take A++ or A+. Devices of B and C class can still be met, but for Cyprus, with its expensive and valuable electricity, they are not very well suited. As a matter of fact, A+++ conditioner is not much more expensive than its less energy-efficient "brothers", but during 5 years it will allow to save a considerable sum.
Choice of refrigerant
The most popular refrigerant for conditioners is R410a. It has a number of advantages - it is fire-safe, relatively inexpensive and is produced in various volumes. But by 2025 it is going to be banned in the European Union as insufficiently ecological.
Therefore, the best option remains R32 - it is more expensive, but at the same time has a coefficient of negative impact on the ozone layer of the earth almost half as much as R410a. So it is better to take care in advance to buy a conditioner on more ecological freon at once.
Correct and qualitative installation of split-systems
Installation of the air conditioner is a very important moment. It is necessary to make sure that the master installed, adjusted and started everything as accurately and correctly as possible. Otherwise, even a good and high-quality device will cause a lot of trouble.
According to the good Cypriot (and not only) tradition, it is better to choose masters with "live" reviews from friends and acquaintances. As a rule, among the Russian-speaking community of Cyprus you will find them without much difficulty.
Pay attention to the experience of the installers: it is important that they know how to work with the system you have purchased. If they do not specialize in inverter devices, and you bought it exactly - it is better to look for other installers.
How not to get sick from air conditioning
Air conditioner is truly surrounded by a huge number of myths. It is not difficult to guess where they came from, as there are some bits of truth in them after all. It's just that the surrounding circumstances are blown up to unbelievable proportions.
So, what not to believe:
- Filters accumulate huge amounts of bacteria. There can't be more or less bacteria - there are exactly as many bacteria as there are in the room. A clean room that is cleaned regularly has less bacteria, hence, it's not about the air conditioner. But for commercial spaces, this observation is more true: a large flow of people increases the risk of dangerous microorganisms growing and spreading.
- Cold air causes runny nose and sore throat. It's not cold air that causes upper respiratory tract diseases, but dry air. Therefore, it is important to monitor the level of humidity in the room where the air conditioner works.
- The air conditioner "eats" oxygen. If the device works on cooling and has no function of air intake from the street, it is not it that "eats" oxygen, but people. It becomes stuffy because of the lack of fresh air inflow.
And here is a rather fair remark: it can blow under the air conditioner. And it is not necessarily a cold. Often people who sit directly under the working air conditioner have neuralgia (nerve inflammation).
Important: a person, who is hot, can not immediately recognize strong cooling of both the room and himself. That is why it is recommended to set the air conditioner to the mode that decreases the temperature in the room as smoothly as possible.
It is necessary to be careful with switching on the device at night. According to some researches, the recommended temperature for comfortable sleep is 20 degrees Celsius. It means that you should sleep under a warm blanket at least. And if the air conditioner does not freshen the air, you should refuse to turn it on at all: lack of oxygen will cause fatigue, a feeling of sleep deprivation, headache and difficult awakening.
Hint: if the house is dusty or has a lot of animals, it is better to install a separate air purifier to "help".
It's also important to remember that an air conditioner needs to be cared for. At a minimum, clean it and refuel it. Cleaning of a home air conditioner should be carried out at least once every six months: you can do it yourself, but it is better to trust an experienced master.
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