How Do You Prepare a Mini Split for Winter?

This winter looks like it’s going to be an especially cold one. You’re confident that your ductless mini split system can get you through, but what can you do ahead of the season to help your mini split run at its best?

Here are some of our best practices for preparing a mini split for the winter.

Elevate the Compressor

We talked about this in another recent post on the blog, but when your outdoor compressor is bogged down with snow, it doesn’t work well.

The heat that the compressor generates will go towards melting the snow around it first and foremost. Whatever heat is left is then pushed into your home, which might not be enough for the house to feel toasty warm.

You need to elevate the compressor at least 24 inches above the ground. Before the first snow of the season (if you have time), you can pour more concrete to elevate the height of the current concrete slab.

You can also take old wooden milk cartons and use those to stack up the height of the compressor. Just make sure the cartons can handle the weight!

Keep the Compressor Safeguarded

Ideally, when the mini split technicians installed the compressor, they put it in a place where it was away from direct sunlight.

That should reduce its exposure to direct snowfall as well.

If you’re still worried about your compressor getting covered in snow during an especially bad storm, you can always erect overhead protection for it such as a tent or temporary structure.

Whatever structure you choose, keep in mind that you might have to remove snow off the top during a storm so the structure doesn’t collapse atop your compressor!

Use Defrost Mode

This is another pointer that came up in a recent post.

Mini split defrost mode is a godsend during especially frosty winters.

The mini split’s internal thermometer can gauge when the internal components are about to reach freezing temperatures. Then defrost mode kicks in to warm these components so they don’t freeze over.

After all, frozen mini split components will not work, which means your house won’t get any heat.

Your mini split might already have defrost mode on, but it doesn’t hurt to check to be sure, especially if this is your first year with a ductless mini split system.

Keep Up Maintenance

Just because it’s cold outside doesn’t mean that you should get lax on your mini split maintenance.

If anything, you need to keep the unit in tip-top condition now more so than ever to ensure you can get through the winter without incident.

Call your mini split technician and schedule some routine maintenance ahead of the winter before it gets too cold and blustery.

Then, after the season ends, you might have your mini split technician come out again to see how the unit fared throughout the winter.