What "split" means
A split system divides the equipment: an outdoor condensing unit (compressor and condenser coil) connects by refrigerant lines to an indoor air handler or furnace-and-coil (blower and evaporator). Unlike a rooftop package unit, the two halves can be far apart — condenser on a pad or roof, air handler in a closet, attic, or mezzanine.
Where splits fit in commercial buildings
Strip retail with rear pads, office suites in buildings without per-tenant roof access, server and equipment rooms needing dedicated cooling, restaurants adding capacity to one zone, churches, and light-industrial offices. Splits also carry odd-hours loads — a small server-room split lets the big RTUs shut down at night instead of running the whole building for one hot closet.
The failure points to watch
The refrigerant line set is the split's signature vulnerability: longer lines mean more joints, more chances to leak, and charge that must be set precisely. Indoor units in ceilings and closets hide condensate problems until a stained ceiling announces them — float switches and clean drains matter. Otherwise the components mirror an RTU: scroll compressors, capacitors, contactors, blower motors, filters.
Maintenance and pricing
Splits price exactly like RTUs in our PM programs: $200 for the first unit at a site, $149 each additional, $149 across the board at four or more units. Visits cover both halves — outdoor coil and electrical, indoor blower, filters, and drains — with per-unit written reports. Mixed fleets of RTUs and splits are the norm at most sites, and one contract covers all of it.