You’ve heard of air coolers, central air conditioning systems, or even portable air conditioners. But when it comes to average apartments or suburban homes, you might need to know a little bit more about wall air conditioners—they’re the best option in keeping your home comfortably cool during the sweltering summer months. Today, wall air conditioners are arguably the most popular air conditioning units in many homes with their sizable dimension and cooling capacity. Simply put, they’re not too big like central air conditioning systems, nor too small like the portable types. And from among the general category of wall air conditioners come the three major types: wall mount air conditioners, window-wall air conditioners, and through-wall air conditioners.
With its larger size and higher cooling capacity, a wall mount air conditioner works well for a larger area in your home such as the garage or the living room. Just like split air conditioning units, a typical wall-mounted type has two separate units: one that holds the compressor and condenser, and the other one that holds the internal fan system. But unlike the wall mount air conditioner, each split air conditioning unit supports multiple air handlers at the same time.
A through-wall air conditioner, on the other hand, is a smaller, compact type that is usually enclosed in a single box-shaped metal casing where the fan system, compressor, and condenser are all enclosed. Installation of this type may require some metal brackets to support its entire weight.
Just like through wall air conditioners, window-wall air conditioners have a compact body as well, but are smaller in size with built-in metal jackets, which provide the possibility of the unit being mounted directly through the window.
Now, that you’ve learned the basics of window air conditioners, you can arm yourself with this information to help you choose the type of air conditioner that works best for your home.