ductless mini split systems
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May 03, 2021
If you have a furnace installed in the basement of your home, it uses one of three power sources: electricity, gas, or induction, which is an electricity-based source of heating that also involves metal. Older furnaces will run on gas, which is disadvantageous for several reasons.
For one, gas heating is no longer the most efficient means of heating and hasn’t been for a while. Second, a gas furnace increases your risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, which can be deadly. Unless you have a carbon monoxide detector in your home, you’d have no way of knowing you’re breathing in this gas since it lacks color and smell.
You’ve been wanting to get rid of your old furnace anyway for a few other reasons, mostly since it costs you so much on your monthly utility bills. You were thinking of making the move to a ductless mini split system, but you’re concerned these units use gas as well. Is that the case?
No, it isn’t. Instead of relying on the old standby that is gas, ductless
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April 26, 2021
You’re happy with your decision to get a ductless mini split system, but the question becomes where the indoor air-handling units will go. You’re also not sure where on your property the outdoor compressor or condenser should be installed.
We’re here to make these decisions easier. Keep reading for tips on deciding where to home the components of your ductless mini split-system.
Considerations for the Compressor
The outdoor compressor usually goes in the backyard of a home, but not always. It’s ideal if you have an area of concrete or hard ground for the compressor. If you don’t, then your technician will suggest pouring a concrete pad instead. This will take more time and add to the expense of your ductless mini split system installation.
The compressor must be able to operate unobstructed, so putting it near any obstacles is not recommended. Whether that’s your home’s sidewall, a pile of stones or branches, or another outdoor feature, these
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April 19, 2021
On this blog, we talk primarily about ductless mini split systems. Are those the only type of mini splits out there or can you shop ducted varieties as well?
Yes, of course you can. In today’s post, we’ll discuss ducted mini splits in more detail and then contrast them to ductless mini splits. You won’t want to miss it!
What Are Ducted Mini Splits?
Ducted mini splits are not quite like the ducted heating or air conditioning solutions you might have installed in your home at current. Rather, they take the operational capacity of mini splits and add ductwork. This means you get energy efficiency compared to using ducted heating and cooling.
Ducted mini splits consist of indoor air-handling units. The evaporator is kept in its own container up in the attic or in a rarely-used closet. The last component is the compressor or condenser just like what you have in a ductless mini split system.
The compressor sends refrigerant or coolant
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April 12, 2021
Every year, there comes a time–okay, several times–when you have to venture into your attic. Maybe you keep off-season clothing in there or you stash some holiday decorations. You could even hide Christmas gifts if you’re especially clever.
Either way, one thing that always strikes you about using your attic is how uninsulated it truly is. If it’s the middle of winter, you feel like you’re standing outside, your attic is that cold. In the summer, you dread going in there because the enclosed space is like a heat trap. The air is thick and muggy and you begin sweating instantly.
You decided recently to get a ductless mini split system installed in your home. As the time inevitably comes for you to use the attic and you’re either left sweating or freezing, you have a thought. What if you got a mini split installed in the attic? Is it possible?
Maybe, but it depends on your attic!
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April 05, 2021
With a new year underway, you’ve spent considerable time going over your bills and budget for last year to see where you’re spending excessively. You’re not thrilled about your energy bill, and you know why it’s as high as it is. You have a very old air-conditioning unit or an ancient heater, maybe even both.
That’s caused you to reconsider your heating and cooling options for the year ahead. One such option that you’re strongly thinking about is a ductless mini split system. You’re trying to learn as much about these systems as possible, which definitely means you’ve come to the right place.
Your question is this: is a mini split the same as a heat pump?
Heat pump is a technology which means a mini split can be the same as a heat pump, yes. However not all mini splits are heat pumps as mini splits can be cooling only. It’s important to differentiate between a ducted versus a ductless heat pump, so let’s start there.
If you have a ducted system, your
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March 29, 2021
You take a chicken breast out to defrost before cooking it for dinner, but you’ve never thought your ductless mini split has to defrost the same way. Do you really have to defrost your mini split and if so, how often?
We’ll answer those questions and more in today’s blog post!
Why Do Ductless Mini Splits Have to Defrost?
Ductless mini split systems are capable of both heating and cooling. This is part of what saves you so much money in owning a mini split, as you don’t have to buy nor maintain separate air conditioning and heating units anymore.
Your mini split system runs on refrigerant either way, but how that refrigerant behaves depends on whether the unit is cooling versus heating your home. For example, when providing cooling, the refrigerant meets warm air and becomes warm as a result. The refrigerant will change state from a liquid to gas during the cooling process, allowing the air to cool down as well. Then the vapor returns to a
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March 22, 2021
There’s never a bad time to start budgeting, and so that’s just what you’ve decided to do. Yet upon reviewing your household spending, you’re surprised to see how much money you lose each month to your energy bills. It’s not like you can stop using electricity, but something has to give.
You’re thinking of replacing your faulty old air conditioner or rickety heater, but you’re not sure with what. A neighbor recommended a variable refrigerant flow or VRF system, which uses an outdoor condenser and indoor units that spread temperate air throughout the house.
A VRF system certainly sounds like an appealing option, but is it right for you? Here are some benefits of using a VRF system that will help you decide.
Heating and Cooling in One Unit
Right now, if you want to blow cool air throughout your home, you turn on your air conditioner. When you want hot air, you use your heater or furnace. You certainly wouldn’t touch your AC in the winter months
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March 15, 2021
Humidity is a careful balancing act. If there’s too little, your skin and nasal passages dry out. Yet when your home or commercial office has too much humidity, the hot environment creates the perfect breeding ground for mold or mildew.
You’re trying to better regulate the surrounding humidity, using a dehumidifier here and there. If you run your ductless mini split system, do the indoor air-handling units also act as a dehumidifier or do they add more humidity to the air?
Ductless mini split systems can dehumidify to a degree, especially if your ductless mini split has a dry mode. However, mini splits do the most dehumidifying in the summer and the least in the winter. If you wanted to reduce your home’s relative humidity in the cooler months, you’d need a separate dehumidifying unit.
Understanding Relative Humidity
What is relative humidity anyway? Well, to explain that, we have to look at absolute humidity first. And before that, we have
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March 08, 2021
It’s been a particularly rough winter, and with the whipping winds and endless mountains of snow, you’ve had a lot of power outages. After the third time your home lost power in a month, you decided enough was enough and that you needed a generator.
You have a pretty good generator, and though it can’t power every last electronic and appliance throughout your home, it suffices for the important things like your laptop so you can continue working even in an outage.
Well, actually, it’s hard to work when your fingers are freezing cold (and the rest of you is too). You’d love to have some heat even if your house is in the dark, but you’re not sure if you can run your mini split on a generator? Can you?
Yes, you can! Here’s what you need to know.
Running a Mini Split on a Generator — The Importance of Wattage
While running a mini split on a generator is something that others have done and thus you can too, we want to stress there are
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March 01, 2021
The first time you heard that horrible sound, you were justifiably unnerved. You searched all over your house trying to figure out what the source could have been. You’ve since unplugged the fridge, the oven, and the living room TV, but none of those appliances and electronics seem to be responsible for the noise, as it persists.
Ruling out your options is good, as now you can say with more confidence that it may be an HVAC unit, even your split AC. The problem is your air conditioner can make all sorts of noises depending on the issue. Let’s take a closer look at the sounds you might hear from your split AC.
Gurgling
This noise is almost like a bubbling. During some moments, the sound is pretty distinct, but in other cases, it almost blends into the background. Even still, if your split AC gurgles, it’s because the unit has collected too much moisture. The