Complete Guild To The Ductless Mini Split AC Unit

The summer heat is fast approaching and if you, like many other people, promised last summer to address an area in the house that is always hotter than the rest of the house, now is the time to do so!

I just did. 2 years ago I replaced two windows in my south facing living room to larger ones. These windows are beautiful, they look amazing from the outside and let much more light into our living area.

The issue we ran into is that as much as we needed the light, we don’t need the heat. Our house has two package AC units on the roof, one at each end of the house. Both work great in the rooms close to them. The living room is a bit further away. It has two vents from one unit and a third vent from the other.

On days that high is 85 degrees or maybe even 90 degrees we do okay in the living room. You can feel the difference but it will not bother you or any guest for that matter. My wife does her workout in the living room turns on the fan and gets the air flowing, helping her cool off. Not ideal but she manages.

If we only had a high of 90. Wishful thinking right!

Last year I had two AC companies take a look at my living room to offer solutions. One offered to add another vent and the other looked at the option of adding a Mini AC Unit.

We ran into some issues with the Mini Ductless AC unit installation, it’s possible but complicated and ultimately I decided to try the cheaper and easier way of adding another vent. Ultimilty the additional vent did add more cool air to the room but it still falls short of making the room comfortable on a 100+ degree day which in Arizona, we have plenty.

So, like many of you I decided that next summer I will go with the Ductless Mini Split AC install.

Benefits of the Mini Split system

Cost
Installation
Efficiency
Maintenance
Emergency Backup

The primary benefit is how easy it is to install. There is no need for a duct system, crane, support and high voltage electrical connection. Most come ready to install loaded with gas and all you need to complete the install. Its advertised as a DIY project although as easy as it is I am not comfortable telling most out there that this is one you can do on your own.

Cost and efficiency was my buying point. The units are way cheaper than central air. Depending on the size of the room / space you are cooling off, you can get a unit that is as low as just a few hundred dollars. Starting at $400 for a 6000 BUT.

These units you don’t leave on when you are not using the room. Since it only takes a few minutes 3-5 to cool off a room, you only turn it on when it’s in use. Making it more efficient than your central air.

In the ones I have (two now) you clean the filter vs changing the filter. That’s all the maintenance I have ever done to mine.

Emergency Backup, this one happened to me back in 2019. Our central air covering all 4 bedrooms died. We had a company come out the same day and gave us the news that our AC is done and needs to be replaced. Until we got the new unit installed (took a few days) we moved all of our kids into the Den and my wife and I took over the office/boys room that had a Mini Split. This was a huge life saver!

Things To Take Into Account

This is a great option for cooling off a room or an area. If you are planning on cooling off a house, you can but the cost goes up.

The interior unit needs a drain, If it’s on an exterior wall you can run the line to the ground but interior walls need a drain solution.

The size of the unit is related to the size of the area. You can find out what size you need fairly easily.

You can buy 120V or 230V make sure that you are considered this factor at the time of purchase. If you need to, talk to the installer before you buy the unit.

Types Of Units And What To Look For

There are two types of Mini Split AC units. Single Zone and Multi-zone. Single-zone systems consist of one indoor unit connected to one outdoor unit and are ideal for cooling individual rooms or areas. Multi-zone systems feature multiple indoor units connected to a single outdoor unit and are suitable for cooling multiple rooms or zones.

Two numbers to look at: BTU and SEER

BTU is the measure of heat. How much energy or heat is spent to raise water or air by one temperature.

So, how much air (size of room) do you need to warm up? (Or cool)

SEER is seasonal energy efficiency, the grader the number the more efficient the unit.

For example: One bedroom is 350sf. We installed an 8000 btu AC. The living room is around 800sf we installed an 18,000 BTU unit. Both are 23 SEER.

One unit to consider is a drop in from the ceiling. This solution was not a fit for me due to having a flat roof

and no attic space as well as dealing with the foam roof repair but you can search for it and see if this one is right for you.

Considering a Window Unit AC?

Although Response Crew Handyman does not offer Mini Split AC Installation. We do know people who can help with this project. A solution we do offer and are happy to help with is installation of window AC unites.

We install window AC’S not only in window’s but in walls as well. There are many benefits to a window AC like low cast unit and low cast installation.

Easy to replace and you can take it with you if you are planning on moving in the future. We have an article that was written last year on this topic,