Can a Mini Split Be Recessed?

One of the things you most liked about your traditional HVAC systems was how hidden out of sight they were.

Your furnace was down in the basement where you never saw it except a few times a week when doing laundry. Your air conditioner’s main unit was out in your backyard tucked up against the house.

Sure, you could see it, but it wasn’t a huge eyesore.

You hate how inefficient your traditional HVAC units have become though. You’ve since sought a replacement.

You really like the idea of a ductless mini split system, but one area that’s giving you pause is the sight of the indoor air-handling units. You don’t want them standing out like a sore thumb in rooms that you painstakingly decorated.

Well, the good news is that you can hide the air-handling units if that’s what you want. By having a team of mini split technicians install the air-handling unit in the nook created by a recessed wall, it will be out of sight, out of mind.

You can still rely on a ductless mini split system to keep your home exactly as cool or as warm as you like it, and you’ll still be able to enjoy savings on your utility bills month after month. You just won’t have to see the air-handling unit so egregiously.

It truly is the best of both worlds!

You have yet other methods for obscuring a ductless mini split system if you have to add another air-handling unit or two but you only have one recessed wall.

Here’s what you can try.

• Use a cassette mount: Cassette air-handling units are streamlined even more than the regular air-handling unit style. You have more mounting options, so explore them to the fullest.
• Go up: Once you’re beyond someone’s natural line of sight, they’re less likely to notice the features in your room. Getting your mini split system installed on the ceiling is thus a great way to hide the air-handling unit.
• Build around it: You can also obscure the air-handling unit by adding accessories around it such as a cabinet, an entertainment console, or a bookcase. People will see everything else in the room but the mini split!

While we would never want to discourage you from getting the mini split installed where you wish in your home (it is your home, after all), we should caution you that covering the mini split is a great way to reduce its efficiency.

You shouldn’t use a curtain to obscure it, nor should you cover it with wooden slats or a radiator cover. You’re then sacrificing function for fashion.

Another point to keep in mind is that a technician will need to come to your house several times per year to inspect and clean your mini split components, including the air-handling unit(s). When these units are hard to access, you’re just making the technician’s job harder!

Please note that air cannot be obstructed, nor the inlet nor the outlet of air.  If the inlet is obstructed, the mini split will not work or will be extremely inefficient.  If the outlet is obstructed, it not only be inefficient but can create mold.