A billiards or snooker room is a large volume with a high ceiling, lights over the table, and people standing still for a long time. One small domestic split, the size you would put in a bedroom, will not hold it. Survey the floor area, the ceiling height and the lights, then choose one properly sized unit or more than one indoor so the throw covers the room without draughting the players. F-gas installation applies. In England, a large outdoor unit or a second unit needs the Planning Portal conditions read first.
A 2.5 kW bedroom unit against the cube
A full-size table wants space around it and often a ceiling high enough for the cues. That cube of air, plus shade or a roof lantern, is the load. A 2.5 kW unit sized for a small bedroom will run flat out and still leave the far cushion warm. Players then stand in a warm room with one cold corner. A standard bedroom unit will not cool a snooker room. The volume and the lights are too much for one small split. Survey the cube and expect a larger unit or more than one indoor.
Two indoors instead of one jet that dies
Ask the survey to state the volume and the capacity, not a badge. Two smaller indoors can cover a long room better than one jet that dies before the far wall. Either way, one small split fails. Do not buy a single bedroom-sized unit.
Faces and arms along the long cushion
A jet across the table is a draught on faces and arms, and it is uneven cooling that you feel every time you walk the long side.
- Give the length, width and ceiling height.
- Count the lights over the table as heat.
- Keep the throw off the players' heads.
Warm air pooled in a high ceiling
Throw along the room above head height, or use more than one unit so no single vane does all the work. A corner mount in a room this size leaves a dead zone the length of the table. Along the room, above the players, not across the table into faces. A corner jet leaves the far end of the table warm. Heating mode in winter has the same geometry. Warm air from a high unit sits at the ceiling while feet on an uninsulated floor stay cold. Say if winter use matters. A split heats air. It will not feel like a radiator under the table.
A rear extension hard on the boundary
These rooms are often rear extensions or outbuildings. The outdoor unit ends up on a boundary or in a passage. Read the Planning Portal conditions in England, and ask for sound data if the room shares a wall with a bedroom. A larger capacity outdoor unit is not quieter because the room is recreational.
A long insulated run and an evening of air heating
Condensate and a long pipe run should be on the quote. Use an F-gas certified company. Energy Saving Trust's air-to-air page is relevant if the room is heated this way all evening. It does not shrink the volume.
Frequently asked questions
Can one outdoor unit feed a long room?
A multi-split or a larger pair can, if the indoors are placed for throw. The outdoor spot still has to pass Planning Portal conditions and stay serviceable.
Core buying guides
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How this guide was prepared
This guide was written by the Local AC Installers Editorial Team. We compare official guidance, legislation and established consumer information, separate general information from project-specific advice, and show publication dates and sources. We do not accept installer accreditation claims at face value.