Anyone using a ductless mini/multi split A/C? (home, maintenance)

[hurricaneMan1992]

Curious if anyone here has used or lived in a place with ductless a/c. Any specific maintenance issues compared with conventional forced air central air? Seems like it could be a lot more efficient than a single monster system blowing air throughout the entire house.

[tallrick]

I have a homemade solar/woodgas system that has separate fancoils for each room the garage and the lab. It needs to have the water coolant checked for Ph and the lithium bromide absorber must be evacuated to prevent oxidation when putting in the initial charge.

[straight shooter]

Mitsubishi and a couple of other manufactures make them but they are expensive, they cost more than a central air conditioning system. The only use that I see for them is if you don't or can't run duct work.

[gbugmiami]

We use the Mitsubishi ones in server room for redundant AC. They work fine, keep on chugging. Just check the filter like a traditional ac. They are basically a more compact traditional ac system. They are extensively used in the south america and the islands, they work. I dont know if its more efficient, id be surprised. They are great for cooling 1 room, or maybe a few connected rooms, not a whole house.

[tallrick]

I know of a high-end coral gables home that switched from room airconditioners to the Mitsubishi system and the electric bill dropped 60%. My system works largely without electricity so efficiency is impossible to calculate.

[Lior Arel]

My Apt is 650 sq ft (but its very nice) and I have a mini split in my bedroom and one in my living room/kitchen/Dining (open concept). It's a Goodman system and its amazing. My electric bill is super low and I find the system customizable and comfortable.

[hurricaneMan1992]

Thanks guys! Sorry tallrick, I'm more inclined go with the Mitsubishi system rather than your homemade one. Sounds like the lower electric bills are mainly because you can customize and cool specific parts of the home more than others.

[Chelito23]

I have a minisplit (replaced a Wall unit) and yes, it was much more expensive-around $500 for an off brand (AUX). Plus installation. And regular (annual) maintenance. However, it cools almost immediately compared to the wall unit and is much quieter (borderline silent). It makes sense for me, because it is actually more efficient, it doesn't use as much energy and that is reflected in the bills. There are different sizes for different types of rooms. Mine is a 1 ton (for a bedroom). I have a neighbor with mini splits in each room-a two ton for the living/family kitchen area and the bedrooms have the 1 tons. It's much more practical compared to central AC, since you would be paying to cool the entire house, when you may only have people in a few select rooms at any given time. My neighbor made the switch when his central AC broke down. He just left it in place and had the splits installed. I don't know that he would have switched over if he hadn't been forced to. But IMO, for people with a window unit, a mini Split is much better, after the initial up front cost.