Split air conditioning installation for a family home, London

The site and the brief

This residential split air conditioning installation in London was for a family home. One wall-mounted split system gives the main living area cooling in summer and heating in winter. Climate Flow Limited chose the unit and its position with the household, installed it, concealed the pipework and commissioned the system, which means checking it runs as designed in both cooling and heating modes. Climate Flow installs and services air conditioning for homes and businesses across London and surrounding areas.

The family wanted a comfortable living space all year round. They did not want the equipment or the pipework to spoil the look of the house.

What is a split air conditioning system?

A split system is one indoor unit connected to one outdoor unit. The indoor unit cools or heats the room, and the outdoor unit lets the heat out outside. Mitsubishi Electric's guidance on home air conditioning describes it this way. The same guidance says a single split system suits one room or an open-plan space. That matches this job: one indoor unit in the main living area.

Scope of work

1. Consultation. We assessed the property with the household to choose the unit and decide where the indoor and outdoor units would go.
2. Indoor unit. We mounted the wall-mounted indoor unit in the main living area.
3. Outdoor unit. We installed the outdoor condenser at ground level, on ground mounts. The condenser is the outside half of the system and lets out the heat.
4. Pipework. We concealed and secured the pipework between the two units, then routed and boxed it in.
5. Testing and commissioning. We tested and commissioned the whole system in both cooling and heating.

Equipment installed

The equipment is one wall-mounted split air conditioning system that cools and heats. It has a single indoor unit in the living area and its outdoor unit at ground level, joined by concealed pipework.

What were the challenges, and how were they handled?

The job had two constraints: space outside and appearance inside.

Little space for the outdoor unit

There was not much room for the outdoor unit. We set it on ground mounts in a position that keeps it accessible and leaves air free to flow around it.

Pipework that does not spoil the room

The household did not want visible pipework in the living area. We routed the pipework and boxed it in neatly so the interior design stays as it was.

The result

Climate Flow reports cooling in summer and heating in winter from the one system, and the property keeps the look it had before the installation.

Who can work on the refrigerant side?

A split system carries refrigerant, the fluid that moves heat between the indoor and outdoor units. That refrigerant is an F gas (a fluorinated gas). UK rules set out who may work on it. Under GOV.UK's guidance on F gas qualifications, technicians need an F gas qualification to install, service, leak-check or recover gas from stationary air conditioning systems. A company that services F gas equipment operated by others, sole traders included, must also be certified by an approved body. GOV.UK's guidance on company certification says this requires enough trained staff and a written procedure for handling F gases safely. Climate Flow is F-Gas certified.

More air conditioning projects

For another home job, see the outdoor unit installation with external trunking at a residential property in Northwood. For a split system in a business, see the split system installation for a newly refurbished retail unit in Hillingdon. Every case study is listed on Our Projects.

To discuss a residential split air conditioning installation in London for your own home, request a quote or call 020 3488 5452. Climate Flow works across London and surrounding areas.

This guide is general information, not a survey or a quote for your site; every system is different, so an engineer needs to see yours before any work is priced.