Ducted Air Conditioners: Powerful Whole-Home Cooling

Ducted air conditioning systems are a great way to efficiently cool your entire home from one centralized unit. Also known as ducted split systems or central air conditioners, these systems utilize a network of supply and return air ducts to distribute cooled air throughout your home.

How Do Ducted Air Conditioners Work?

A ducted air conditioner consists of an outdoor condenser containing the compressor and condenser coil, plus an indoor evaporator coil and blower unit. The evaporator and blower are connected to ductwork that runs to vents in different rooms.

The system takes warm air from the home via the return ducts, cools it at the evaporator coil, and pumps it back out through supply ducts and vents. This circulation of conditioned air cools your whole house from a single location.

Tonnage Capacities

Ducted air conditioners come in a range of tonnages from small 1.5-ton units up to large 5-ton commercial units.

The higher the tonnage, the greater the cooling capabilities to handle larger spaces.
Ducted AC units typically range from 2-ton to 5-ton capacity for residential applications. Light commercial may use 10 to 20-ton units.
2-ton units can generally handle cooling for spaces around 1000 - 1500 sq ft.
3-ton units are suitable for cooling 1500 - 2000 sq ft homes.
4-ton units can cool spaces 2000 - 3000 sq ft depending on climate, insulation etc.
5-ton units are capable of cooling homes 3000 - 4000+ sq ft. in size.
Oversized tonnage wastes energy. Undersized cannot sufficiently cool on hot days.
Consider factors like your climate region, layout, window area, and insulation when selecting capacity.
Work with qualified HVAC pros to analyze your home and choose properly sized ducted AC tonnage.

Proper sizing based on home size and layout is key to getting optimal performance. An HVAC pro can determine the ideal unit.