If you live in Orlando, you’ve probably noticed air conditioners on the roof and on the ground. When you are faced with the dilemma on which location will be better for your home, you should first identify the differences between the options. Here is a number of aesthetic and practical factors to consider.
Location
It’s pretty clear that the key difference is the placement – it can be either roof or ground. But another crucial point originating here is that the ground-mounted AC unit is designed as a split system, while the roof-mounted AC unit comes as a single unit containing condenser and evaporator coils. So, the split system has its condenser coil placed outside on a flat surface, while its evaporator coil is located inside the home.
Room
One of the basic reasons why most of us choose a roof-mounted AC unit is the amount of space it room. This can be an excellent solution for those who are living in residential areas and most likely don’t have much both indoor and outdoor space for their air conditioning system. A ground-mounted AC unit is not going to be a problem if you have a yard large enough to allow plenty of clearance for you and your air conditioning system.
Maintenance
Being constantly out of sight, roof-mounted systems require more protection and maintenance, compared to ground-mounted systems that can be easily hidden from external risks. Consequently, this limited access to roof-mounted AC units causes more challenges for homeowners on the way to proper maintenance. Thus, a roof-mounted system will make you invest more physical resources into the maintenance process. At the same time, a ground-mounted unit has higher chances to be invaded by weeds and pests.
Security
No one wants to fall victim to thieves, especially when it comes to valuable pieces of home equipment such as an air conditioning system. Not all thieves and vandals take courage to climb onto your roof to damage your AC unit, but they surely take the advantage of grabbing your air conditioner placed on the ground.
Aesthetics
Being placed on the roof of your house, your roof-mounted AC unit can be harder to camouflage. With a ground-mounted AC unit, the situation looks more promising as you can camouflage the equipment by hiding it in bushes or other plants.
Practicality
If you are searching for an air conditioner, there is a limited choice of roof-mounted and split systems. Even though any air conditioner can be adjusted to the needs of your home HVAC system, you should consider the money such adjustments would take you, for example, if you need to do the overhaul to your ductwork or plumbing system, etc.
