How to Install a Whole-House Ductless System | Ask This Old House

How to Install a Whole-House Ductless System | Ask This Old House

Ask This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey shows a style of ductless heat pump that can be used to heat and cool an entire house.
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Time: 1-2 days

Cost: $10,000 and Up

Skill Level: Professional

Steps:
1. Installing a whole house heat pump is best left to a professional contractor. The contractor should run a heat load calculation to determine the correct sizing of the overall system.
2. A wall-mounted ductless heat pump is a good solution for open areas like entertaining areas, bonus rooms, or open floor plans.
3. Outdoor units can be sized to accommodate multiple zones of heating and cooling.
4. In snowy climates, the outdoor unit should be mounted above the snow line.
5. Refrigerant tubing connects the outdoor unit to the indoor units via a branch box which can connect 5 indoor units with individual refrigerant lines.
6. Ductless units can be attached to duct work to feed conditioned air into the living space. Each unit requires two refrigerant connections, a drain line to remove condensate, a supply duct to bring conditioned air to the living space, and a return duct to bring the air back to be heated or cooled.
7. Each zone has its own programmable thermostat.

Resources:
All of the heating and cooling equipment, including the outdoor condenser, indoor wall-mounted unit, and indoor air handlers [https://amzn.to/2A4Cr1u] are manufactured by Mitsubishi Electric Cooling & Heat (https://www.mitsubishipro.com/).

Expert advice with this installation was provided by NETR Inc. (https://www.netrinc.com/).

About Ask This Old House TV:
Homeowners have a virtual truckload of questions for us on smaller projects, and we’re ready to answer. Ask This Old House solves the steady stream of home improvement problems faced by our viewers—and we make house calls! Ask This Old House features some familiar faces from This Old House, including Kevin O’Connor, general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, and landscape contractor Roger Cook.

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How to Install a Whole-House Ductless System | Ask This Old House
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Comments

Cody B says:

I have baseboard heaters and no duct work. I really want to replace the heating but I can't afford the huge cost. I really don't know what to do at this point.

M TS says:

Important to note… this is a verrryyy expensive solution for what they're doing here. You know, a Mercedes is an incredibly efficient piece of engineering, but look at what you gotta spend to have one.

hoodieman04 says:

curious how much this whole set up cost

DuCharme HVACR Consulting says:

it all looks so simple but it is not. Multiple units on one outdoor unit is the least efficient. There is a lot of refrigerant and it has to be pumped to zones that are not calling. Maintenance and service are not talked about. One compressor replacement can blow your whole heating budget, if you can find someone who is trained to accomplish it. Parts can have extended warrantee, but labor is not usually covered. I could go on, and I do on my youtube and facebook pages. DuCharme HVACR Consulting.

F165 says:

2:38 I don’t understand why he’s not telling the guy the truth. It doesn’t pull heat from outside. It compresses freon which get hot. It sends the hot freon inside the house and that where the heat comes from.

Sik Skillz says:

wow, great set up. like the one above for separate room temps.

Angel Ramos Experience says:

Looks Expensive AF to buy lol

Bubalooba says:

So, what about cold snaps below 5 degrees and below 0. Also what is your backup in case electric is out for a blizzard, storm, etc. ? In other words where’s a backup plan?

Robi Hertrampf says:

How do you guys get around the wires, have same set up and lay out in my house would love to do the same thing.

Lorenzo D says:

Hi what is the cost of this system installed?

Percy Faith says:

Hope they box that air handler in with insulation to isolate it from the attic heat and cold if they stick it up there.

John Calla says:

0:46 Does anyone know the product he's using there?

mavirek says:

I still don’t get it. You are going to bring in hot air on a 5 below day to heat the inside of the home that is already warmer inside than it is outside. What magic takes “hot” air from outside and gets it to warm the inside?

NancyNGA says:

Do you need separate drain lines running outside from each of the 4 units?

Mark says:

Lol so it’s not ductless

Za Az says:

We currently heat with oil/baseboard heat – but what we'd really like is to use Dandelion geothermal. Would the heating/cooling system portrayed in this vid allow heating/cooling input from the Dandelion system? We asked them years ago, but since we're still baseboard they haven't contacted us.

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