Split System vs. Packaged System

Everyone has heard the terms “split system” or “package system”, but do you know the difference between the two? There is a big difference between the two types – as usual, education is power!

SPLIT SYSTEMS have 3 main components:

• It has an outdoor metal cabinet that contains the condenser & compressor.

• It has an indoor cabinet that contains the evaporator coil.

• An indoor air handler, that in most cases is part of the furnace or heat pump, that sends    the cool or warm air through the duct system.

PACKAGE SYSTEMS

• Units have the air handler & furnace (if applicable), evaporator coil, condenser and compressor all located in one cabinet, which is typically placed on a concrete slab next to the home. Air supply and ducts come from inside through the home’s exterior wall to connect w/ the outdoor packaged unit.

Labor tends to be a little more with the split system because you are installing a unit outside of the house and also in the attic or crawlspace, depending on the type of air handler. Package systems normally come pre-charged from the factory, whereas split systems cannot be charged until they have been set in place and refrigerant lines have been brazed together. A leak check and a proper vacuum has to be put on the lineset in order to achieve proper charge.