Split entries--pros/cons?
kayteebee
10 years ago
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lmccarly
10 years agoRelated Discussions
Choice of 2 1-zone mini split and 1 2-zone mini split
Comments (8)Smaller units will require a smaller backup genset to run one at a time if you want to do that. (Inverter units are already very good with gensets, btw.) As others have pointed out, efficiency may be higher with the 1:1 systems. Some mini splits can cool and heat simultaneously transferring heat from one room to another, but these are rarely seen in residential situations because they are more expensive. It may only be available in systems with more indoor units. There is one downside to heat/cool units if you only need cooling. Complexity is increased meaning more things to break. I don't know if that is significant. I had a reversal valve fail under warranty which cost the installer, but not me. Note that if you have oil heat, the heat pumps may be a less expensive way to heat. Two 1:1 systems means another compressor unit sitting outside. If I had all 1:1 systems, I'd have seven compressors sitting on pads :-( You should know that the better mini splits have inverter-controlled compressors and variable speed blowers. This combination increases efficiency and comfort by stabilizing temperature and improving humidity control. Now consider this. A single unit that can throttle back to 30% of 6000 BTU can run at a 2000 BTU minimum. If you have an outdoor unit that can run 12,000 BTU your minimum becomes 4000 BTU. I believe that the smallest multi Mitsubishi compressor unit is 20,000 BTU so in this example, its minimum might be 6,000 BTU so you gain little from variable speed unless you are running both units at the same time. This would be enough to make me go with 1:1 in your situation despite "slight" increased cost and another unit to maintain. In addition to those arguments, if the price is similar, but you are running one compressor at a time most of the time, you get more longevity for the compressors....See MoreMini split vs central heat and air
Comments (9)I have no experience with heat pumps in an area that cold. I understand that they are getting better all the time, but I don't know how they will do in your coldest weather. Cost will depend a lot on how many rooms you have. If it is an open floor plan, cost will be lower. If you have lots of walls and doors, the cost will go up as the number of units increase. Ducts are bad when they are outside of the house envelope. Design your house with indoor ducts if you go that way. Ducts are bad when returns are inadequate causing pressure differentials between rooms. This, just like leaks in outdoor ducts makes an air handler into a power vent. Mini splits are inherently zoned, but what does that get you? Zoning is not going to save you that much energy with a well-insulated house. Heat transfer between rooms will be much faster than from inside to outside. Zoning for comfort and control might be worth it. I have seven mini splits inside on three systems for nearly 5 years. I live in a hot, humid environment in a home that was retrofitted with central and had ducts in the attic and crawl space. The original central system was done right with a dropped ceiling (9 to 8 foot) in the central hallway. Later is was messed up with outdoor ducts added. The mini splits perform beautifully for humidity control. Maintenance is higher with mini splits. At minimum, you need to clean filters for each unit instead of one, two or three. I am finding that maintenance of my Mitsubishi units is greater than that. Lots of dust gets stuck in the "coils" despite regular cleaning of the filters. The back side of the coils is difficult to reach if the units are near the ceiling. In addition to that, the blower cages get dirty as well. I am trying to figure out how to get the cages out to clean them without largely dissembling the whole thing. There are some characteristics of mini splits that some to not think of. Their performance measures are hard to compare to single speed central systems. My understanding is that they are locked into a constant chosen frequency (speed) and measured like that. In real operation, at low output, variable speed systems are more efficient than at high output. This can be a factor in choosing to use set backs, which can be counterproductive. My belief is that the manufacturers could fix that by allowing a set back recovery at less than 100% output with more sophisticated controls. My mini splits run very well on portable generator power. There is no start-up surge as seen with on-off units. They spool up very smoothly and slowly. If you have more than one system, you will never be totally out of heating or cooling. You might find this study useful. It was an eye-opener for me: Long-Term Monitoring of Mini-Split Ductless Heat Pumps in the Northeast Building America Report - 1407 December 2014 Kohta Ueno and Honorata Loomis...See Morereplace boiler with ductless mini-split?
Comments (1)I'm not an HVAC expert, but from what I've seen, it depends on your house's layout, the climate where you live, and what you're trying to accomplish. How many rooms do you want to condition? Open layout or conventional layout? How cold do winters get where you live? Are you interested in adding cooling to your present system, or completely replacing it? With more details on your situation, maybe we can help more....See Morecentral vs. mini split AC for old house
Comments (3)I don't have an answer for you. But we live in Denver. Had a swamp cooler for too many years and now have minisplits. Central AC wasn't an option for us as we have no ductwork. You have nicely put together the pros and cons of each solution. There is no one right answer. The only thing to do is to prioritize what is most important to you. If a cold bedroom is #1 then that says mini-split. If no wall unit and resale are more important to you then that says central AC. Truth be told whomever buys your house after you can easily switch to another solution if they are unhappy with your choice. I can say that we cold soak our bedroom with our minisplit and then turn it off at night on most days so as not to have any noise or blowing air. We have a ceiling cassette in the bedroom and the duct that would blow right on our heads is blocked off. We do have the wall units in three rooms. The family room/kitchen, the master bath and a second bedroom that is used as an office. Our main greatroom also has a ceiling cassette. Whichever you choose you will be sooooo happy to get rid of the swamp cooler. With Denver's up and down temperatures in the spring and fall it is much easier to just turn the minisplits on and off. Also they have a heat capability so provide a back up system to our infloor radiant heat should we need it. We've only used it that way once, when our boiler was being replaced. But it is nice to have a back up if something else were to go out on our heating system....See MoreAnnie Deighnaugh
10 years agoannkh_nd
10 years agomrspete
10 years agoworthy
10 years agozone4newby
10 years agoontariomom
10 years agozone4newby
10 years agoJessica Frost-Ballas
10 years agoontariomom
10 years agozone4newby
10 years agoannkh_nd
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10 years agoannkh_nd
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10 years agoalisonn
10 years agoJessica Frost-Ballas
10 years agoontariomom
10 years agoJessica Frost-Ballas
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