Everything you need to know about installing an air conditioner in a basket

Today there is no air conditioning. If earlier it was considered something unusual, now they simply cannot imagine their life without it. And this is clearly seen by the number of external blocks on the facades of multi-storey buildings. There are many, many of them.

Climate control equipment is also installed at other facilities. For offices, shops, restaurants and cafes, multi-split systems are chosen, for factories and manufacturing enterprises — industrial air conditioners. And in these cases, the facade of the building also suffers. And here the problem is more relevant, since the same offices or shops can be located in buildings of historical or cultural value.

At least partially solving it helps to install the air conditioner in the basket. What’s this? How is the installation carried out? Why is it needed at all? Vencon online store experts will answer these and other questions in this article.

Why is an air conditioner installed in an external basket?

Over the past decade, hundreds of modern high-rise buildings have been erected in every city. And to this day, their construction continues at an active pace. But management companies have new rules — in particular, to the appearance of facades.

From now on, the chaotic installation of air conditioners is prohibited. The location of the outdoor units is determined by the developer himself. And he prepares everything necessary for this even at the stage of building construction.

Why is this needed? First of all, the installation of the air conditioner in the outer basket preserves the integrity of the facade. And this is required today by all management companies.

In addition, the outer basket:

• closes the air conditioner from the sides and front (which protects it from mechanical damage and extends its service life);
• performs an anti-vandal function (which protects against throwing stones, bottles, as well as attempts to dismantle and steal);
• prevents leaves and other debris from getting inside the outdoor unit (which reduces the frequency of air conditioner service).

It also helps maintain aesthetics. Within the framework of one object, baskets of the same type are usually used — the same shape, color, etc. They are selected so that they look harmoniously with the facade of the building. As a result, even with a large number of external blocks, everything will look nice and neat. And regardless of what size they are, or from which manufacturer (after all, this will not be visible).

Ways to install the air conditioner in the basket

Modern developers offer 2 ways to install external units on the facade of the building. And both are fundamentally different from each other.

The first option involves the allocation of space, which is fenced with a grid. It turns out a solid vertical line from the first to the last floor. Such «risers» are placed along the entire length of the house at a certain distance from each other. Their location is chosen in such a way that the owner of each apartment has free access, and he can safely install the outdoor unit.

The second option is considered more common, since it is more affordable for the developer. In this case, the basket is fixed in front of each apartment in a separate order. The location is chosen by the builder. As a result, baskets can be installed vertically, zigzag, etc.

It all looks pretty nice: no randomness, all outdoor units are arranged in a certain order and masked by a beautiful decorative grille. Yes, and freon pipelines are also not visible.

But if for the developer this option is considered attractive, then for apartment owners it is not always. Yes, you do not need to think about where to mount the outdoor unit, because the place has already been selected in advance. This, of course, is a plus. But usually only owners of one-room apartments are satisfied. And in the case of 2- or 3-room apartments, problems already arise.

The matter is that on one apartment one basket is provided. And it doesn’t matter if it’s a one-room apartment or a three-room apartment. But what if the owner wants to put air conditioning in every room? The only option is to take a multi-split system. After all, only in this way it is possible to put an indoor unit in each room, and bring one outdoor unit to the street. Naturally, such a solution costs an order of magnitude more expensive than a conventional household air conditioner, but there is no other way out.

Another problem is that each climate control equipment has a limitation on the length of the pipeline from the outdoor unit to the indoor unit. And since the basket has a fixed location, sometimes it happens that this length is simply not enough. In this case, you have to buy a more powerful air conditioner, which has a longer pipeline. Again, this is overpaying.

In addition, the dimensions of the outdoor unit directly depend on the performance of the climate control equipment. The more powerful it is, the larger its dimensions. It is assumed that the developer should provide for this nuance and install such baskets so that any model fits there. But in practice, it is often necessary to violate its design: bend the side walls, etc. (and such actions always need to be coordinated in advance with the relevant authorities).

As you can see, each method of installing the air conditioner in the basket has both pros and cons. You cannot choose it on your own — after all, this is decided by the developer at the stage of construction of the facility. Although you can specify this nuance in advance when buying a new apartment. And if you are not satisfied with the location of the baskets on the facade of the building, then look at other objects.

How to mount the air conditioner in the basket?

Everything is clear with new buildings: developers, knowing that today everyone uses air conditioners in large quantities, solve the issue of installing them in advance. But after all, in every city there are still old stalins, Khrushchevs and 9-story buildings erected 20 or more years ago. How do they do it in this case?

Very simple: order the installation of the air conditioner in the outer basket. Here, the work is no longer carried out by the developer, but by the specialists of the company that sells climate equipment along with its installation. Sometimes they entrust this task to industrial climbers, because the outer basket is installed only in this way and nothing else (except when the apartment is located on the lower floors).

But it is better to trust it to professionals. After all, here you first need to perform a competent design of the air conditioning system, choose a location, and only then proceed with the installation work. And who, if not them, is best to know how to mount the air conditioner in the basket.

Actually, the order of installation of the external unit is no different from the standard procedure. Everything is done in exactly the same way as with a standard installation. The only difference is that first the basket is mounted in the right place, and then the external unit is hidden in it. And this applies to any objects: residential, commercial, industrial.

The basket itself is extremely easy to install:

1. Masters, having previously determined the location of its location, punch holes in the right places with a puncher.
2. Then dowels and anchor bolts are hammered into them.
3. Next, they mount the structure and hide the external unit in it.

Types of baskets for mounting the air conditioner are used different. For example, designs from:

• a bar and a corner (simple, reliable, cheap and provide good ventilation, but do not hide the external unit and do not protect it well);
• sheet metal (they mask the air conditioner well and are protected from corrosion, but they disrupt air exchange, which leads to periodic overheating).

There are also prefabricated structures produced by different manufacturers. They differ in design, shape, dimensions, because in this case everything is done taking into account the requirements of the client. And in addition, powder paint of the desired color is applied to the prefabricated basket — so that the structure looks harmoniously with the facade of the building.

In fact, there are enough offers on the market. But usually, buyers of climate technology are very limited in choosing the design and color of the basket. First of all, this concerns objects of historical and cultural value. On such buildings, baskets of the same design, shape and color are mounted — so you will have to put the same one.

And with residential facilities — how lucky. If there are no baskets on the facade yet, you can negotiate with the relevant authorities, obtaining permission to install the structure that you like. The rest of the inhabitants of the same house will have to put the same.

And if the outer baskets are already “hanging” on the facade of the building, then you won’t have to choose anything. However, the design of the structure is not the main thing, because in addition to the decorative function, it also performs other equally important tasks, which were mentioned above.

Installing an air conditioner in an outdoor basket: a new technology for mounting an outdoor unit

As you can see, installing the air conditioner in a basket is just a new way of doing installation work. And it practically does not differ from the standard procedure that was performed earlier.

The only difference is that before installing the external unit, a basket is additionally mounted in which it will be disguised. This design itself is required to maintain the integrity of the facade, as well as the aesthetics and attractiveness of the entire building.

In addition, it performs other tasks: it protects against vandalism and debris, extends the service life and reduces the frequency of maintenance. So it is not surprising that on all new buildings they already immediately provide a place for the location of baskets, and on existing buildings they also hide external blocks in these structures.