The duct split or split channel is a suitable solution for providing cooling and heating for residential, office, and commercial spaces with high efficiency and minimal energy consumption.

The duct split consists of an internal section called the air handler and an external section called the condensing unit.

These two parts are connected by copper pipes and electrical cables.

The air handler in duct splits is installed as a ceiling-mounted unit and is hidden from the observer's view, which is an important feature for adapting it to any type of interior decoration.

Various air outlet vents can be installed for duct split devices according to the architectural style of the building.

The control unit in this system is a wall-mounted thermostat that is responsible for regulating the temperature in cooling and heating modes and provides features such as fan speed adjustment and programmable timer for the user.

The cooling system of duct splits is based on a compression refrigeration cycle, and its heating is provided by a heat pump or water coil.

The duct split is an air conditioning system that has the ability to produce cool and warm air (via a hot water coil or heat pump). The duct split is also known as a split channel due to the use of ducts made of galvanized, flexible, or polyurethane material for air transfer to the environment. The duct split is somewhat similar to air conditioners, with the difference being that instead of a split or panel installed on the wall and exposed, it uses a built-in internal unit for air conditioning in this system, and the produced air reaches the environment through the air discharge vent.

How to choose the appropriate duct split

When purchasing a duct split with the appropriate capacity and model, many factors, including the following, should be considered:

Geographical area

Space usage (residential, office, or commercial)

Number of heat-generating appliances in the environment (even computers generate heat and should be considered in the design calculations in large numbers)

Location and orientation of the building (south-facing or north-facing)

Type of construction, including villa or apartment building

Dimensions and number of windows

Number of people in the unit

Example for optimal duct split selection

Typically, to select the appropriate capacity of the duct split for cooling the building, the area of the building and the number of rooms should be considered, and attention should also be paid to the location of the building unit, whether it is on the middle floor or close to the roof of the building.

Usually, for every 35 to 40 square meters of building area, a capacity of one ton of cooling is considered. Therefore, it is better to consider two duct split devices for units with an area greater than 120 square meters. For example, a 135 square meter unit can be divided into two zones, and in each zone, a device suitable for the area is considered; for instance, this 3-bedroom unit has an area of about 45 square meters, for which a 24000 device is installed, and for the remaining 90 square meters, a 30000 device is installed, which saves electricity consumption and also makes the space independent.

Keep in mind that every 12000 (BTU/hr) is equivalent to one ton of cooling.

For units with an area of up to 150 square meters, a single-phase duct split with 32 amps can be used, while if the area of the unit exceeds 150 square meters, a single-phase 50 amps can be used. Typically, before the electrical wiring of the building, these capacities should be considered, and suitable miniature fuses for the device should be taken into account. As previously mentioned, if two devices are selected for 150 square meter units, usually all brands are of lower capacity single-phase. However, if we want to install one device for 150, we should consider that devices over 3.5 tons of cooling, that is, 42000, are usually three-phase in most brands.

One of the points to consider when selecting a duct split is its airflow volume, which is typically suitable for each ton of cooling with an airflow capacity of 400 CFM.