Has anyone in the US any recent experience with ductless split system air conditioning systems? They’ve been popular elsewhere (Japan, Caribbean), and just seem to be starting to make inroads in the US.
I have roughly a 33 x 20 foot area in my basement that I want to air condition. The space has some walls breaking up the area, but with large (6 foot) openings between the areas. Drop ceiling. Temperatures are mild in the summer, but could definitely use some air movement and dehumidication. Some basic integrated heat would also be desired (Atlanta). The basement is occupied perhaps 10-15 hours per week.
Is this scenario a good fit for a split-system application?
I’ve received quotes from well-reviewed local HVAC dealers for a traditional system (either for a complete sytem or beefing up and tapping into my main floor’s system), and they are $8,000 - $15,000, which seems a bit pricey for the small area and infrequent use.
Very popular here (Australia). The price quoted seems excessive for the space. Air-con guys always over-estimate the size of unit required, in my experience. Seeing as summer temps are mild, I think you could get away with the smallest unit available which are usually about $500 - $1000 plus installation. The units are very efficient and work well as heaters.
raindog - Just the person who might be able to answer my questions! I have a 160-year old farmhouse in Tennessee. It doesn’t have central heat and air. The foundation is low enough that ductwork would be difficult to run under the house, I think. The walls have no firebreaks between the studs (I don’t know if that’s what they’re called, but I’m talking about the 2X4 that brace horizontally between the studs - I’ve been told those are to keep fire from using the walls like chimneys). How doable would it be to put a heat pump/AC unit in the attic and just run the ductwork down through the walls? Or do you have any other reasonably cost-efficient solutions? Right now I’m heating two rooms with a pellet stove in the winter (works okay, but not great, and it leaves the rest of my house cold) and using a window A/C unit in the summer. Thanks for any input.
The blower could be pretty much anywhere. If it was on one end of the 33’ space, logistically it would be ideal, because at the opposite end is the movie screen, and it puts the fan noise behind the movie viewers. If it was in the center, I’m not sure the air would disperse wide enough. Then again, I’m not trying to blow cold air directly on anyone. I’m not opposed to having two blowers, so long as they aren’t working against each other.
I was excited to read that some units’ blowers seemingly could be mounted flush with a drop ceiling, as this would give it that “finished” look and keep it out of sight. Would this approach be undesirable from an airflow standpoint? Traditional vents are also ceiling mounted, but individually they don’t push as much air volume as one of these, so I’m not sure if there is a downside to this type of installation.
The first is a ductless split system (Mr. Slim or similar) - you just need to be able to run the lineset between the two devices. It’s something like an inch and a half in diameter, so it can be snuck through walls pretty easily. Just keep in mind that it’s made of three metal tubes that won’t take tight corners, so you can’t pull it through a wall as easily as a phone cable.
The other option is mini ducts - these are 2" diameter flexible insulated ducts that are also easy to snake through an existing structure. The system needs to be designed for using these - they operate at significantly higher airflow than traditional large duct systems. The outlets are very subdued - just a round 2" diameter hole, making them popular in spaces where the inside unit of a ductless system would be visually unappealing.