What Size Breaker Do I Need for a Mini Split?
You’re quite pleased with your decision to invest in a ductless mini split for heating or cooling. Whether your home or office is benefitting from this new unit, one thing you need going forward is a circuit breaker. This way, should your home or office get an excess of power, such as from a thunderstorm, your mini split won’t be damaged.
While you may have been able to figure out the right circuit breaker for your traditional air conditioner or heating unit, you’re not sure what you need for your ductless mini split. Which breaker size is best?
To answer that question, you should have some information handy about your ductless mini split. Here’s what you need to know.
MCA Amps
Minimum circuit amps or MCA amps clue you in on the smallest amount of power wire your mini split can use. If you by chance have a unit on your roof, knowing the MCA tells you how much electrical current is required when running in a steady state.
MOP Amps
No, not mop like the household cleaner, but maximum overcurrent protection or MOP. This tells you the largest size of your over-current protection device, which is just another way to refer to a breaker or a fuse.
You can calculate this value by taking any loads running at 1.0 amps and up that are on at the same time as the unit’s bigger motor, then multiplying that motor rated current by a value of 2.25.
Fan Amps
Your ductless mini split has a fan within that runs on a certain number of amps. This typically isn’t much, with 0.25 amps common. Your own ductless mini split’s fan may use more or fewer amps.
Compressor Amps
The compressor, one of the primary components of a ductless mini split, is also powered by amps. You should expect a higher number here compared to the fan, maybe something like 17.3 amps. Again, it can be more or less depending on the model of ductless mini split you own.
Heated and Cooling Rated Amps
Your mini split is also rated for heating and cooling capabilities at a certain number of amps. These may be about the same, such as 17.55 amps each.
Wiring
Another important component of figuring out the appropriate size of breaker for your ductless mini split is the wiring. American wire gauge or AWG, sometimes also referred to as Brown & Sharpe wire gauge, is one you’ll come across often.
If your wiring is 12 AWG or even bigger than that, you want to go with a 20-amp breaker in most cases.
Ready to Go Ductless? Get in Touch with Our Team at PowerSave AC
Now that you see you can easily sort out the circuit breaker size necessary for a ductless mini split system, why not make the switch? There are plenty of reasons to consider a ductless mini split, such as flexibility, air purification, easy installation, and lower costs.
Give PowerSave AC a call at 1-877-297-6594 today to learn more!
Sources:
https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/136792/sizing-circuit-for-mini-split-heat-pump
