Posted: 6/6/2017 10:26:59 AM EDT
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An ongoing thread about AC has got me interested in the mini split vs central air.
My house already has central heat, but ac was never installed, and the duct work is needing replaced. I'm thinking central may be cheaper and a cleaner install in this case? Also, during the long term, which system is more repair friendly? I only use a few rooms in the house, so as I understand it with mini split is that I can keep different rooms at different temps? I'm guessing the mini split would have a cheaper bill, am I right? |
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I'm gonna repost what I posted in the other thread.
Yes they heat and cool. They are heat pumps and can provide usable heat down to -20 degrees outside. There are two types heat recovery and non heat recovery. With heat recovery you can have one unit cooling and another unit heating at the same time and not use any more energy. It takes the waste heat from the unit cooling to heat the room that needs heating. A non heat recovery system means that all the units have to be in either heat or cool at the same time. I'd seriously look at a heat recovery system. If you want a zoned system you would need a ductless or ducted unit in all your rooms. Copper refrigerant lines will need to be routed through the attic/basement and to all areas where a unit will be placed. It's absolutely critical they get the sizing right and the brazing of the copper done properly. They even make coiled pre insulated soft copper line sets you can run. The ducted units come in all different sizes, but you can mount them in the attic/basement and just run a short piece of duct from the unit to the existing grills in your space. You'll also need electrical connections near the unit to power them up. You'll also want your filter grill mounted in the room or in the basement for easy access. If one of your units goes down you still have the other units working. Replacing a single unit is way more cost effective than an entire system. However, LG makes a ducted unit that's 4 tons you can completely replace your existing central air unit with. Still get all the benefits of the inverter compressors and a 18 SEER. It can be mounted in the same location as your existing unit and re use all ductwork. Here's a site that show you rough wholesale equipment prices and the type of units you can get. AC Wholesalers Ductless Mini Split Systems Here's another website for equipment. Ecomfort.com LG Mini Split Systems Here's the LG 3 TON ducted unit. LG 3 TON Ducted AC Wholesalers As I've said before these mini split units will be the next generation of HVAC equipment. We're replacing chilled water systems with VRF systems in the commercial world. On the commercial side I've been involved with 4 systems so far. I do HVAC automation and control systems for commercial jobs. We have to integrate these VRF systems into our control system so we can send time schedules and limit setpoint changes. |
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Quoted:
An ongoing thread about AC has got me interested in the mini split vs central air. My house already has central heat, but ac was never installed, and the duct work is needing replaced. I'm thinking central may be cheaper and a cleaner install in this case? Depends what type of mini split unit you install. You can install one that completely replaces your existing central air unit or you can go with a zoned system. With zoned you won't need much new ductwork, but will need copper line sets ran to each unit. Each unit will also need power ran to it. Also, during the long term, which system is more repair friendly? Theoretically mini splits are more repair friendly. You just replace the defective unit instead of the entire system. However, being so new many HVAC companies aren't familiar enough with them. I only use a few rooms in the house, so as I understand it with mini split is that I can keep different rooms at different temps? Yes, you can keep some rooms colder/hotter than others. I'm guessing the mini split would have a cheaper bill, am I right? Mini split systems can operate anywhere from 10% to 100% of capacity. They vary the speed of the compressor to adjust for load. Currently they are about an 18 SEER or higher. See answers in blue. |