Duct or No Duct—Which Air Conditioning System Is Better For You?

Ductless systems have been used all across the U.S., Europe, and Asia for decades! Not only do they help you avoid tearing your walls down to install bulky ductwork but also help prevent air leakages. There are many benefits of a ductless air conditioning system, but before that, it’s important to understand how the two differ.

Here are some of the differences between the two options:

Basic differences

In a ducted air conditioning system, there are multiple air ducts embedded inside the walls or the ceilings of the home. These ducts are made up of sheet metal and work for both heating and cooling systems. They serve as a medium for the heated/cooled air; air leaves the heating/cooling unit and travels to their right destination i.e. the rooms via these ducts. The ducts then open up near the vents, through which the air spreads across the system.

The ductless air conditioning system is quite the opposite of this.

In this system, heated/cooled air is transmitted to the rooms via air handlers called blowers. These blowers are installed throughout the house and extract heat energy from each room separately.

Instead of ducts, these look like small holes or boxes installed either in the walls or the ceilings throughout the house. Ductless AC units are also known as ductless mini-splits.

Which one’s right for you?

You should ideally choose a ducted air conditioning system when and if:

1. The house that you’re moving into already has ducts installed. This way, you will be saving up on the installation costs and time. Instead of building the system from scratch, the AC contractor will just put up the unit.
2. You’re concerned about the air quality. The air handlers or the blowers in a ductless system can’t control humidity and moisture level the way a ducted system can. Ducted air conditioning systems also ensure better airflow.

On the other hand, air doesn’t really get to move around in a ductless system. Since the air pressure is stagnant, the airflow is also affected.

1. You have aesthetic concerns and you don’t want boxes of air handlers mounted on your walls.
2. You want to cut down on costs. Ducted air conditioning systems have fewer components and are cheaper to service and maintenance.

You should ideally choose a ductless air conditioning system when and if:

1. You’re adding an additional room to the house. Getting ductwork installed from scratch for an additional room may be quite expensive. It’s also possible that your existing system doesn’t have the capacity to support air ducts in an extra room.
2. You’re short on space and there’s not enough room in the walls to install any more ducts.
3. You’re tired of too much dust accumulating in the air blowers and it’s affecting your health.
4. You want to create multiple cooling zones. Since these are targeted at independent rooms, you can control the temperature as per your requirements.
5. You don’t want to make too many changes in your architectural structure of the house and don’t want to pay extra for heavy ducts.

Global Heating and Cooling is a top-of-the-line AC repair Service 60605.

Head over to our website to learn more about our services. Drop us a message to book an appointment with our HVAC contractor Chicago. You can also give us a call at (773) 801-3734.