Ducted air conditioning Vs Evaporative cooling

Evaporative and Ducted Air conditioning have been fighting the age old discussion of which is better? What should I pick for my home? There are a few factors you need to consider before just picking any which random cooling system for your home. 

Evaporative cooling systems do have a lot of positives when installing and running them in your home, although you do need to take into consideration where you are living or building and whether you need a heating system too. 

Ducted on the other hand have equal amounts of positives but they do need to have space for an outside unit against a wall for the refrigeration system to work. 

How often do they need to be serviced?

Evaporative cooling systems need to be serviced every year or at least every 2-3 years. Dirty pads and creased water pipes greatly affect the efficiency of the unit and must be kept clean. Dirty pads can lead to having the unit blowing warmer air than intended simply because the pads are blocked by dirt and debris and the water cannot evaporate naturally to cool the home. Many times the general homeowner can do a quick overlook of their system to see if it needs a clean, although it is alway best to leave it to the professionals when it comes to the comfort of your home. 

Ducted cooling systems need to be serviced every 12 months to ensure an optimum running system. If your ducted cooling system is not cleaned regularly you can be causing yourself and your family harm since a ducted system only uses the air within the house to cool the home. Filters in the unit in the home and the outside unit need to be cleaned often to ensure there are no blockages or built up debris stopping the unit from running efficiently. 

How do they work?

Ducted cooling systems need to have all doors, windows and any seal or cracks to be closed and filled in. Any air escaping the home makes it harder for the ducted unit to work. Everytime you open a door that pocket of air the air conditioner just cooled will escape outside and it will have to cool all the hot air that came inside, making it work harder than it should be. This then can lead to higher costs because you will have your unit running longer than it needs to be because you don’t feel like the room is cooling down. 

Evaporative air conditioning units are much simpler to run and more family friendly. The most efficient way for an evaporative system to run is to allow for a few doors and/or windows open in the house to allow for old air to pass out and new air to floor in through the evaporative pads on the roof. The doors and/or windows that you have open must be as far from the vents as possible to allow for a good flow of air in the house. 

Cost

Evaporative systems are much cheaper to run since they use the natural process of evaporation to keep the home cool. Using water on the pad and blowing air through them allow for cool air to flow through your house. 

Ducted systems are much more expensive because removing the hot air from the home and replacing it with cold air. They can also be more expensive because they can give each member the choice of controlling the temperatures in their own room making the system work harder if a door is open from the room being cooled. 

Whether you are building your new home or looking to upgrade your cooling system in your home, make sure you reach out to a professional heating and cooling specialist to ensure you get the right system for your home and lifestyle.