How to Use a Packaged Terminal Air Conditioner

How to Use a Packaged Terminal Air Conditioner

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

A packaged terminal air conditioner, or PTAC, provides heating and cooling functions in one unit. Using electricity, a PTAC compressor moves refrigerant through the unit and carries heat and moisture to the outdoors. PTACs are typically larger than through-the-wall air conditioners, and they can be installed in a large window or inside a hole that's cut into a wall.

Use packaged terminal air conditioners to control temperatures room by room. Unlike air-conditioning systems that require the installation of ductwork throughout a building, PTACs only cool or heat the areas where they are installed. Remove heat and moisture from a room by setting the packaged terminal air-conditioner's thermostat to the temperature you find comfortable, and the PTAC will then cool the room to that level.Heat a room by setting the PTAC's thermostat to your desired temperature and selecting the heat function on the unit.Keep the outdoor coils clean to get maximum efficiency from the unit and increase the life of the compressor. Boost efficiency further by making sure filters are kept clean.
Save energy by using the remote sensors that are included with some packaged terminal air conditioners, which enable such units to determine if a room is occupied. If it is, then normal preset heating or cooling routines are carried out. If a room is unoccupied, then the PTAC will adjust temperatures based on how the user has preset the unit, which can reduce energy consumption.
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