In this video, plumbing and heating expert, Richard Trethewey explains the purpose of a mini split ductless air conditioner and the process of getting one installed.
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How Does a Mini Split Work?
It’s simple physics—heat will always transfer to cold. Using something called an inverter, the mini split is capable of capturing heat through a cold line of refrigerant and moving it to the desired location.
In the summer, the heat is extracted from the air in the house and dumped outside, making it cold. In the winter, heat is scavenged from the outside and pushed back into the house. This creates heating and cooling year-round.
Because there are no ducts to retrofit, the system is simple for a pro to install. And it provides excellent dehumidification, quiet operation, and great efficiency. Need to adjust the temperature or turn the unit off? Just use the remote control.
How Much Space Can a Mini Split Cool?
A single air handler can heat or cool up to 1,000 square feet, depending on the climate and system size. (In heating mode, it functions down to minus 13 degrees F, not a problem where you live.)
For larger spaces, up to four independently controlled indoor units can connect to one condenser, for the ultimate in zoned comfort.
Time: 4-6 hours
Cost: $2,000 – $15,000
Skill Level: Professional
Where to find it?
Richard installed a 12,000 BTU SEER Ductless Mini Split Heat Pump System [https://amzn.to/2NzrgYz], which is manufactured by LG (https://lghvac.com/home).
Installing a mini split is an involved process, so Richard recruited the help of Boston Standard Plumbing for the installation (https://www.bostonstandardplumbing.com/).
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From the makers of This Old House, America’s first and most trusted home improvement show, Ask This Old House answers the steady stream of home improvement questions asked by viewers across the United States. Covering topics from landscaping to electrical to HVAC and plumbing to painting and more. Ask This Old House features the experts from This Old House, including general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, landscape contractor Jenn Nawada, master carpenter Norm Abram, and host Kevin O’Connor. Ask This Old House helps you protect and preserve your greatest investment—your home.
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How to Install a Wall-Mounted Mini-Split | Ask This Old House
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I was hoping for a good example of installing a split condenser. This was a fail. The various manufacturers specify 12" clearance from the wall. This looked like maybe 4 or 5" at best.
Thanks Richard, Would like to know more about designing a heat pump system. How well will that single indoor (evaporator) heat the downstairs unit given all the room dividers?
Just get a Mr. cool DIY and save thousands on this job
Any advice on getting a larger unit mounted? The one we are installing weighs 160lb. We have the rated bracket for it but we need to get it up to the 2nd floor back wall of our condo building.
It took till @3:37 for them to even mention Mini splits can heat too. Really sad. That's one of the big draws for them. They replace the full HVAC system and simplify it. You guys can do better.
I already have a minisit install in garage. I have the outside unit on 4×4 on floor. I wanna mount it a few inches high on wall since they are pouring concrete on floor. Us there a way to do this without disconnecting any hoses?? Thank u
now the cost went up the roof .
You can instantly tell how cheap the interior unit is by looking at the plastic casing vs the louver and the gapping between the two. There is a reason why for hundreds of years, German and Swiss made products have been well known to be of the highest quality and Chinese and third-world made products have been considered to be crap, just like this unit. If the outer casing is not made to be presentable and clean looking, you can guarantee the interior components, which you can't see, are pure trash. Outsourcing kills quality… it always has, no matter how many times marketing from these companies says, "oh we maintain high quality at these chinese factories"… it's simply lies and we have to suffer from the profits that these companies obtain from selling us trash products like this. Also, the surge protector is NOT a "must have" or "great idea". Most of them cost above 300.00 but are not guaranteed to protect your equipment. Most warranties involve an LED light, which if operating means to you and the company that sells it, that it is "operating". And if it is "operating" the company will not pay for any surge damage to your circuit boards or components when they are damaged by lightening or surges. So they are installing a surge protector that doesn't prevent anything and they are charging you 10 times what those units are actually worth.
That condenser is much closer than the minimum distance specified by the manufacturer. Also, as quiet as mini splits can be, the condenser does vibrate and mounting it to the siding (not an exposed foundation) is just going to amplify that sound.
Drywall screws for the wall bracket. Really are 5-10 construction multipurpose screws that expensive?