Here’s the situation: My house was built in 1934, and has had some additions over the decades. The living areas do not have opening windows. At the front of the house is the front door and a large window. Another large window is on the side of the house adjacent to the front one. The side of the house has a long, skinny window above the TV and propane furnace. It’s about 14 inches high and seven or eight feet wide. The rear of the house has French doors.
The SO likes the Mitsubishi air conditioners that fit high on the wall, just below the ceiling. There is one place where one might be installed. But I understand (please correct me if I’m wrong) that there’s an exterior unit that goes with it. The exterior of that wall is not protected from rain.
What other options might we have for refrigerated air? A portable a/c? ISTR they require a window for exhaust.
Portable ACs have an exhaust hose that can fit through a 2" opening. The Mitsubishi unit sounds like a central air unit that routes the refrigerant through individual wall units in the house instead of moving cold air through ducts. That outside unit should be built to stand outside unprotected.
The evaporator, that is the part where heat is absorbed from the living space. If not part of a furnace ventilation system it is in the living space. If it is part of a furnace ventilation system it is part of the furnace and duct work delivers the cool air to the living spaces. The furnace can be in the house or in the garage.
The condensing unit, that is the part that ejects the heat absorbed to the out side. In a window box unit that is the half that hangs outside unit. In a portable unit it is part of the unit inside but the exhaust air must be exhausted outside usually by duct work. On a furnace unit and a split unit (the one hanging on the wall) this part is outside and refrigeration lines go from this unit to the evaporator.
To the ops question the condenser unit put outside does not need to be protected from the rain. The only problem that may be present is where the refrigeration lines go through the wall. There will be two lines. one about 1/4 the other 3/8 to 1/2 half inches. When the unit is installed where the lines go through the wall should be sealed properly.
Sounds like you are talking about a split unit. The advantage of these units is it will directly cool the room that it is mounted in. The disadvantage is in a large house with many rooms more than one evaporator unit will be required.
That’s what I was guessing, a ductless or split system. I can’t tell you for that particular unit but I think that exterior compressor unit is weatherproof. I’m sitting hear listening to a [del]jet plane rev it’s engine[/del] window air conditioner and I’m thinking of going this route. Running duct work would just be too much trouble in this house.
The portable air conditioners do need a window to vent through. We used to have one to bring some comfort to a room that seemed to be just barely beyond the reach of the central air, and it was capable for that. That said, if you can open a window enough for a portable’s vent, you can probably open it enough for a normal (and cheaper) window air conditioner. Also, because all of the workings are inside the room, portables can be noisy.
Another drawback to portables or window units is that they draw around 10-13 amps, so you need to be aware of what else is plugged into the circuit.
The mini-splits or ductless units that the OP’s SO are thinking of are similar to standard central air conditioning in that they are permanently installed and run on a dedicated circuit. In the US, Mitsubishi’s “Mr. Slim” is the dominant brand. The outside unit is weatherproof like a regular central air compressor.
Mitsubishi also has a system called “City Multi” that runs multiple inside units off one compressor. These are used a lot for offices and hotels, and they also work nicely for bringing “central” air to a home that’s not suitable for installing ductwork. Not cheap, but in an older house, it’s often the only viable option.
Home Despot has a split unit for under $1,000. They suggest the same contractor someone complained about, whom I quoted in post #10. I have a call out to an independent contractor (licensed and bonded) who left his card at the local hardware store. I left a message for him saying that I wanted to install a ductless split unit, and that I’d like a dedicated electrical line to the fusebox.
Heat pumps or split AC or heat pumps work great around here.
I was informed to put a roof over the outside unit with about 3-4 feet of vertical clearance and large enough to protect from as much sun as possible.
Save major $ on cleaning, servicing and efficiency of the outside unit. ( whole unit )
I was a skeptic.
Did it anyway and found I was wrong.
For the cost, is one of my best investments. Have it on the last two houses.
Shade on the house will make major difference.
Also is a major benefit in areas of occasional or frequent snow.
I have an window ( 240V 18,000 BTU ) unit in a 25 X 40 shop, open ceiling, and with a sun/cover on the A/C, it will keep the shop 68-70° if I start it 2 hours before sun up in the summer time. Does not run full time.
Look around. 10 years ago, there were shops which would ask you how long the lineset (the two copper tubes) needed to be. They would then fabricate the lineset and - here’s the biggie - PRE_INSTALL THE REFRIGERANT.
This made the units a DIY proposition - the biggest problem, aside from electrical,was the concrete pad on which the compressor would sit. There were high-density plastic pads made to replace the concrete - the weight of the compressor kept it in place.
The HVAC people hate these things and are determined to make as much on these as they do on central units. Hence the $2000 quote.
There are also units which use a single compressor to feed up to 3 head units.
The reason HVAC pros have a lock on A/C is the refrigerant - you cannot buy it without a license issued by the EPA - hence the pre-loaded units.
Typically, a 3" dia. hole is drilled where the head unit is desired, and the lineset is routed to the compressor. Getting clever with 3" PVC tidies up the appearance.
I had a Daikin heat pump put in a few years ago, primarily for the A/C that it provides. Then I found out it provides excellent heating capabilities also, so far down to -5F. It is not a split unit, just a single. Installation by a certified electrician was about $800 at that time.
It is also Energy Star rated and did lower my heating bills in the winter.
We had this installed because of the heat, up to +100F, but was surprised at how low of a temperature it could still extract heat from the outside cold. We also had electric heat in all rooms. No heating ducts.
When my water heater went, I called my guy & got the new one for $800, all in; pickup, delivery, installation, removal of old one. Got a Bradford-White, which is supposed to be a good model.
There’s a company that is always advertising on the radio about all of their advantages; if they’re late it’s free, they wear protective booties :rolleyes:, more training (which means less time on the street; how much changes year-to-year) for their guys, no emergency/overnight surcharge (which means you get gouged for regular calls). They were at a neighbors a few days later so I walked over & asked what they would charge; he looked it up & said, depending upon the model (gas & same size as what I had) it would be between $1400 & $3200. For the math challenged, that’s almost double to exactly quadruple & given their large size, they probably get better wholesale pricing. yeah…NO!
You can still get pre-charged equipment online. I think universally you lose your warranty if your system isn’t installed by a licensed pro.
You can also buy R410a on Amazon. My understanding is you can’t legally do anything with your refrigerant unless you pass an EPA approved certification test. On the other hand, as far as I can tell the tests can be as little as $25.00 and in the format of an open book test with 25 multiple choice questions.
I have bookmarked three different webcams around western Washington, because I like to look at water and greenery daily. The feeds also note local temperature, and I’ve been watching with amazement the high temps during the last three or four weeks. In the 80s and 90s! No rain!
I know that air conditioning in the area isn’t common, and just as I was wondering how Johnny L.A. and other Washington Dopers were coping, up comes this thread.
