Author Topic: Heat pump ductless mini split  (Read 2235 times)

Papa bear

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Heat pump ductless mini split
« on: April 16, 2018, 09:32:07 PM »
I'm looking for more information on heat pump ductless mini splits. I'm finishing an attic space (3rd floor) and don't have good or any access to get ductwork to the floor.

I need to get both heat and AC up there. This is for a rental - I could always go with electric radiant or baseboard heat and a window AC unit too.

Has anyone used one of these units?  Has anyone installed one of these units?  Would you recommend them? 


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monarda

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Re: Heat pump ductless mini split
« Reply #1 on: April 16, 2018, 09:44:02 PM »


Has anyone used one of these units?  Has anyone installed one of these units?  Would you recommend them? 


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Yes,
hire out the installation
yes.
we're about to get our second one . first one was in a rental where we finished the attic (3rd floor), second in our own house.

depending on where you live, you'll maybe need heating backup- depending on the model you choose. We are in WI and the first one we installed about 5 years ago doesn't work so well when it's in the teens outside or colder. The new one we're going to install works down to colder temperatures. Be sure to ask about cold operation.

Bradfurd

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Re: Heat pump ductless mini split
« Reply #2 on: April 17, 2018, 07:51:52 AM »
Mitsubishi is one of the more popular brands, and some models come with Hyperheat, which is designed to get you that extra boost in extreme cold temps. Fujitsu has a similar product, often at a friendlier upfront cost. If you don't like the looks of the bulky indoor wall unit, LG makes a wall unit that essentially looks like a picture frame (you can even use it as such) and it extends from the wall a few inches when in operation. If you have the space, and don't like the wall units, you can also install a ceiling cassette (or several) flush with your ceiling. If you are finishing right up against your rafters, this may not be possible.

Will you be doing the work yourself or hiring a contractor? I recently received quotes for my basement and noticed that some contractors completely excluded the electrical work from their proposal. acwholesalers offers tons of models for (usually) better pricing, if you're looking to buy equipment only. I've never bought from them, but I have their site bookmarked in case I decide to move forward. Installers probably won't give you their usual warranty on equipment they don't provide.

Papa bear

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Re: Heat pump ductless mini split
« Reply #3 on: April 17, 2018, 12:05:11 PM »
Good information so far.  I will continue my research.

I have not decided on whether to pay labor for installation or if I'll DIY.  From my brief googling last night, it doesn't seem too terribly difficult.

There is alternate heat, natural gas furnace in the building, but only to the first and 2nd floor. This is a 2 unit side by side and there are no cold air returns in the building and no central AC.  The furnace only draws air from the surrounding basement.

Getting this updated proves challenging given the layout, which is why I was looking for alternatives for the 3rd floor. These ductless mini splits seem to be a good compromise.

Has anyone here installed them DIY? Or should I tag this on to the furnace / central air work for my hvac professional?


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Papa bear

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Re: Heat pump ductless mini split
« Reply #5 on: April 17, 2018, 03:44:37 PM »
That is awesome. Thanks for the link! Search rarely works for me and I must have missed that thread.


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MrSal

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Re: Heat pump ductless mini split
« Reply #6 on: April 17, 2018, 04:36:24 PM »
Dont go to baseboard heat or radiant if you can!

Ductless splits have COP ratios of 4 to 1 so, they will use 1/4 of the energy used by those other alternatives! Ductless splits, are cheaper than Natural gas even if you consider a 11 cent per kWh and 1$ per therm of gas.

monarda

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Re: Heat pump ductless mini split
« Reply #7 on: April 18, 2018, 07:05:33 AM »
About the backup system- there are two points to make here-

One I made above- general operation at cold temps- your choice of model can address this.

Second, are there walls dividing up the space? Or is it all open? Is there a bathroom?
If all open you can use one indoor head unit of appropriate size. If walled, you'll need a head  unit for each room. Bathrooms present a problem. For the bathroom, if we leave the door open most of the time, the minisplit should mostly take care of heating it. In our 3rd floor attic rental conversion, we put in baseboard just in the bathroom.  It's hardly ever used, but expensive on the cold days. We have time of use metering, and can have a programmable tstat  turn it on in the off-peak AM just before we wake up.
OR we can put in radiant flooring that we hardly ever use. We are still deciding what to do about the bathroom in our second installation.

FiftyIsTheNewTwenty

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Re: Heat pump ductless mini split
« Reply #8 on: April 22, 2018, 10:04:07 PM »
You don't necessarily need a head unit in every room, though some houses are more even from one room to the next.

Stronger bathroom fans might be fine too, clearing out humid air and pulling in enough cool, dry air, or heat from adjacent rooms.

 

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