Ductless A/C recommendations??
We have a completely renovated 2000 sqft two story SFH high end rental (with steam boiler heating) but only window a/c units, & we need to upgrade the look.
Anyone have any experience/recommendations on the ductless a/c units out there ????
Pat L. I work in an office building (modified farm house) that uses a Mitsubishi (sp?) system. Works great but I don't get the bills. Hope that helps.
Thanks Al
i appreciate the input
I am a GC and specialize in additions and remodeling. I've only installed a few ductless systems since they fit the need for special conditions, but the homeowners have been very happy with them, one for over 15 years. I am currently looking at a Pioneer for my rental. I'm using heat/cool window units and it seems like I'm replacing one every couple of years. Ductless systems have been increasing in popularity, value, and selections in the last few years. AS with central systems, I would consider separate systems for each floor, maybe with zones.
Thanks John
on reviewing the specs the home is over 2400 sq ft after the rehab so
I have been tossing around the Mitsubishi.
Up to 8 'vents' but its quoted @ $9-$10k + install !!!
I may reassess the possibility of a forced air a/c only system in the basement with a chase to supply insulated attic feeds to the upper bedrooms.
Pat L. , I am an hvac installer. The ductless split is a nice option but the only concern I would have is if the house is cut up too much the air would stratify. The seer rating is generally higher than your conventional ducted systems which means lower energy bills. If you have the room I would suggest a ducted System for better air flow and temperature balance. You can also get multi- evaporator system that runs off one condenser but those are pricey. Hope this helps.
Justin Rickson
thanks for the input
(The HVAC guy that came out is pushing the 8 vent ductle$$ system.)
However, I have easy basement access to the all ground floor rooms but a chase to the attic will be tight.
My concern with a basement dwelling ducted system is that the chase would only allow a single 6"-8" feed to the upstairs. After all the (chase) work involved it may not provide enough flow volume to get adequate cooling to the 3 upper large bedrooms.
thoughts?
Yea a single 8" probably wouldn't cut it. Do you have attic room to put a separate unit in to handle the upstairs? Or could you sacrifice some closet space to use as a chase?
I have a lot of room in the unused but finished attic my concern would be noise/vibration, but a smaller unit as you suggested in the attic may be the only solution.
We have 8 people coming next week (open house) to view it as it's available Sept 1st.
Previous tenants have been there 3 years with window a/c but it's tacky so would like to have a solution in hand.
thanks again for the candid response
$10K for a ductless before labor is pretty good. By the time you install a ducted, plus all ducting, labor and fix whatever gets torn up, you're going to be spending pretty much the same amount. Without seeing job, I'm going to predict you will need at least a 12" duct running to the upstairs to suppy enough air for it. Not too mention the difficulty of trying to heat and cool 2 separate floors, you will need a zoning system at the least, maybe 2 units.
John Pearson Can you elaborate on the window heat/cool units you used? I think that will be the cheapest option for my 4plex in Memphis and am told the heat is adequate. My units are only 550sf. What brand do you recommend or have you used?
I've hear that Mitsubishi makes a good ductless heating and AC system. Haven't had to use one yet, though.
My aunt had this system about 20 years ago in Indiana. Seemed to work pretty good.
In Honolulu the Mitsubishi units are very popular. I priced them for a 2/2 condo 925sf back around 2005. The 18,000 BTU compressor sits on the lanai and a small tube 3in? comes thru the wall and would connect to two inside fans hung high on the wall. The bad part is they need a tube for condensation that would run along the wall and drip into your sink, yuck. On guy said he could do it into the clothes washer drain in a closet but you'd still need the tube to get to it. I think the price was about $8,000 then for the outside condenser and two inside fans. For a house I think the savings are the fact that you use then as zoned cooling vs. whole house. I would think you could run the hose up to the second floor and the first but not sure if you could get one condenser that would do the whole house at the same time. You might have to elevate the outside compressor a bit as there is a limit how far it will go.
I would zone it with 2 systems with the handlers in the Attic and Basement
Still looking around $10-12k with condensers, coils, and sheet metal
@Eric McCully I have used the LG models purchased from Home Depot,,,,cannot say they
Are the best, but they are affordable and perform well until they rust out (4 blocks from the
Ocean). I really want to try the ductless which has a manifold for 4 ducts, but right now the heat pump window units meet my needs.
John Pearson Can you elaborate on the window heat/cool units you used? I think that will be the cheapest option for my 4plex in Memphis and am told the heat is adequate. My units are only 550sf. What brand do you recommend or have you used?
John Pearson That's what I'm looking at. Memphis gets about 6 weeks of 20 degree weather, so I am hoping the LG models with high enough BTU will do the trick. Thanks for the info.
I have a ductless in one of my units supporting about 450 sqf living space. The system works well for heating and cooling; however, fails for dehumidification, especially during hot muggy summer months. Not sure where property is located; but if you go ductless you may have to consider separate humidity control.
Once I supplemented my ductless system with a separate dehumidifier system, it actually helped with a drying cooling and brought down the load on the ductless system.
I've got some price quotes on ductless systems from China through Alibaba. Cheaper to buy them in bulk I believe and then have a shade tree mechanic come in and put them in for a few hundred dollars. Seven 20k btu units for $4267.5 was last quote I got from [email protected]. Something to consider for sure.