Mini split or ducted heat pump
toadman77
9 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (26)
toadman77
9 years agotoadman77
9 years agoRelated Discussions
Mini-Split Ductless Heat Pump
Comments (3)Mini Splits have been around for years++. What U hear about them are how incompetent installers install them. Try www.mitsubishicomfort.com/ the best ..they have some very good systems. Make sure you talk to a mitsubishi rep. not a hvac contractor first. asked the rep to refer U to one of there best contractors...thats the best way to "get it right" These are pricey products. But excellent. They have systems that have one outdoor sections and upto 8 indoor coils. As far as heating with hot air into one room this is not a solution. As far as concrete floors...thats what is horrible! I just finished redoing a floor. Replaced the entire house with Platon, and hardwood....See MoreFujitsu internal (ducted) mini-split heating system
Comments (3)If this is their unit that was being used overseas, and has made it here, inverter based ducted units. properly sized at best they could probably maintain 68 degrees indoors, down to 25 outside, then they used a electric heater to supplement. My thoughts are you have discovered it's limitations based on outdoor temp (design temp difference) as long as unit capacity was selected properly along with proper install. At some point or another in cool climates, all HP's require supplemental heat, integral with system or separate....See MoreI'm so confused over Mini-Splits, Central A/C and Heat Pumps
Comments (5)heat pump, central air and heat and a mini split as far as cost of operation? heat pump same as central air and heat except that the heat pump provides the bulk of the heat. this is what I recomend to my clients based on savings compared to electric strip heat. with heat pumps the electric strip is emergency heat and for when temps are 30 degrees..which is not that often for us. central air is electric strip heating only. the most expensive way to heat your home. (espically if you have entergy for your utility provider) mini splits are pretty cool. expensive but fit a lot of needs and great for tight retrofit spots. the condensing unit goes outside like with any set up, but this is where it changes. in each room the air is provided by a wall mounted air handler unit. the condensing units are up to 3 tons. each room would have the ahu..this is what they are calling zones. cost is higher, but you don't have ductwork, so it evens out a little better. with the foam insulation & low e windows your tonnage of ac required will be less. although I don't recomend 'rule of thumb' sizing instead of the ususal 400 to 500 sq ft per ton, your house will be more in the range of 600 to 700 sq ft per ton. oversizing will cost more to operate, wear the equipment out sooner, and will NOT dehumidify. be diligent in finding out what is being spec'd for your home and what options are available for you. some systems will qualify for tax credit, and it is always a good idea to do better than the legal minimum allowed by law (code). in what part of La. are you building? best of luck....See MoreMini-Split Ductless Heat Pump
Comments (8)I am loosing my mind or someone deleted my statement that I live on the (South) Gulf Coast! That is a very important part of many of my comments on house issues. It is obviously very hot and humid here. Your BC situation is so very different so I can't really speak the practical side of your heating issues. No, I did not install it myself. I got a guy that's been teaching at the local trade school forever as far as the local installers go. He did not have much experience with minisplits and called in a collaborator for the job. They did a really nice job running the tubes and electrical through interior walls. The house is raised over an open crawl space so I don't have anything but the outdoor units visible outside. Now I have three whereas before I had two conventional two-ton compressors, one AH, with a gas furnace in the attic. I mostly looked into Sanyo, Toshiba and Mitsubishi. They all have advantages and disadvantages wrt operating features. I do not know your climate so my main concern would be low temp heating performance. Here if you have enough cooling in a heat pump, you can not really run out of heat. One thing I have noticed, but don't understand is that the single minisplits are more efficient and better at low temp than the multi systems. There has to be an engineering explanation or they are just a year or two ahead with the single systems and the designs will trickle over with a delay. Overall, we really like the system. It fits our lifestyle. We are out a lot, and the house has its original doors and walls intact. The inherent zoning feature should save us a lot of money over the years since we will have less expense for conditioning of rooms that are not occupied at different parts of the day and night. My systems are mounted high on the walls. It was very cold for my area when we went into operation so it got a good test. One thing that I noticed is that the programming could be better for heating. The inside blowers go to slow mode when the temp approaches the set point. This makes them good ceiling heaters. (That seems pretty predictable. I've lived in homes in predominantly cooling climates with both supply and return located in the ceilings.) Bumping up the blower speed manually solved the problem. I suppose that the ceiling fan might have done the same thing. One thing I am very glad that I did was to change the first plan to put the units at the head of the beds in a couple of rooms. I was actually concerned that the cool air would cascade down on heads at low blower speed. That might have been a problem, but it would have been even more annoying to have hot air on the face in the "winter". Keep in mind that you can mix and match. If I had not gone entirely with minisplits, I would have had a regular forced-air system and installed one mini in the rear utility room. The duct to that area originated in the attic, ran vertically down a chase through the house and under 2/3 the length of the house to three registers in the floor in that room. It was a weak point to keep in a main system. The expense of mixing systems like that might depend on how capacity breaks down in choosing a "main". Finding a good installer who is experienced with minisplits might be difficult....See Moreionized_gw
9 years agojackfre
9 years agoionized_gw
9 years agotoadman77
9 years agotoadman77
9 years agotoadman77
9 years agoionized_gw
9 years agotoadman77
9 years agoionized_gw
9 years agojackfre
9 years agotoadman77
9 years agotoadman77
9 years agotoadman77
9 years agotoadman77
9 years agotoadman77
9 years agoionized_gw
9 years agotoadman77
8 years agojackfre
8 years agotoadman77
8 years agotoadman77
8 years agojackfre
8 years agotoadman77
8 years agotoadman77
8 years ago
Related Stories
DECORATING GUIDES10 Ways to Hide That Air Conditioner
Feeling boxed in designing around your mini-split air conditioner? Try one of these clever disguises and distractions
Full StoryBATHROOM DESIGNWarm Up Your Bathroom With Heated Floors
If your bathroom floor is leaving you cold, try warming up to an electric heating system
Full StoryFIREPLACESUpdated Woodstoves Keep Home Fires Burning
Better technology means more efficiency than ever for modern woodstoves
Full StoryLIFEYou Showed Us: 20 Nutty Home Fixes
We made the call for your Band-Aid solutions around the house, and you delivered. Here's how you are making what's broken work again
Full StoryKITCHEN DESIGNHow to Choose the Right Hood Fan for Your Kitchen
Keep your kitchen clean and your home's air fresh by understanding all the options for ventilating via a hood fan
Full StoryTASTEMAKERSNew Series to Give a Glimpse of Life ‘Unplugged’
See what happens when city dwellers relocate to off-the-grid homes in a new show premiering July 29. Tell us: Could you pack up urban life?
Full StoryLIFE6 Ways to Cool Off Without Air Conditioning
These methods can reduce temperatures in the home and save on energy bills
Full StoryCABINSRoom of the Day: Timber-Frame Cabin Inspires Couple’s Creative Pursuits
This work studio, built in a simple vernacular architectural style, sits near a couple's rural home in the Berkshire mountains
Full StoryGREEN BUILDINGLet’s Clear Up Some Confusion About Solar Panels
Different panel types do different things. If you want solar energy for your home, get the basics here first
Full StoryGREEN BUILDINGThe Big Freeze: Inventors Break New Ground to Keep Things Cool
Old-fashioned fridges can be energy guzzlers, but there are more eco-friendly ways of keeping food fresh, as these global innovations show
Full Story
toadman77Original Author