Ductless / Mini-Split High Wall Units vs Central AC (San Diego: hotel, houses)

[motoridersd]

I bought a 1950s home with a flat roof in Rolando Park 2 years ago. Every year during the summer, I am dying to have AC. The little portable 12,000 BTU unit works well in the bedrooms, but running it is not very cheap and doesn't do anything for the living area.

These 50s homes with flat roofs have nowhere to install ducting properly since the ceiling/roof is too thin and low. The previous owners installed a forced-air furnace and put the ducts inside the (already tiny)closets to be able to heat the two bedrooms. They also put two vents out into the main living area. Heating works pretty well, and the system manages to keep the kitchen and dining area heated, even though there are no vents on that side of the house.

I've had companies come and quote upgrading the existing forced-air heating system, but the existing space will not fit a big enough evaporator coil. The only ones that would fit would be about 0.5 ton short of the total square foot space. These quotes included a HUGE outdoor unit that would take up a lot of the only side space in the house, plus have the disadvantage of having to run the full system to cool down any room.

I've been around Mini Split / Ductless units a lot, and the newer ones are multi-zone, and very efficient when running different zones. They are also much quieter. The problem is that the common high-wall units are in your face. I do not mind them as much, but, most people do. The outdoor units in these systems are also much smaller. There are some ducted ductless units that could be used to run vents on the opposite side of the house.

My question is. As a San Diego resident, if you were to buy a house that had the high-wall ductless units in the bedrooms and the living room, dining room. Would you consider them a valuable addition or an unsightly aberration? If the same house had a ductless, hidden system, vs a ductless visible system (with the high-wall units) would you pay more for the one that looks better? The BF believes they are so ugly that they shouldn't even be considered, so I'm trying to gauge the value of investing a lot of money just to make things pretty.

I'm getting quotes on the two options, but the first company that visited threw out a very high estimated cost. 3 times as much as the upgrade to the existing forced-air system. I'll know more once the official estimate comes through.

[NYSD1995]

I wouldn't retrofit an old 50's slab home with central AC. To your point, you need the blower to go somewhere (a lot of those Rolando Park homes have them on their roofs) and that is an expensive thing to do. I like the Japanese wall-mount room units, especially in smaller houses. They are very efficient and inexpensive, albeit they have a visual element that a lot of people may not like in a really upscale home, but it a house like yours, and given the heat of far eastern SD, I think most people would see it as a nice amenity.

That said, I have central AC and love it, but my house has a walkout foundation so we have all our mechanicals easily accessible. The blower is up in our crawlspace between the roof and ceiling.

[motoridersd]

Oh yeah, I've seen those. They look ugly on the outside and are very inefficient!

The blower being inside is definitely an annoyance because it's so loud. I don't think those wall units are bad, but I wonder what most people think.



These can be run off the same outdoor unit and can have ducts installed. You would still need a return feed so it involves duct work that can be easily run in the laundry room in my case (it's behind the wall of the living room and dining room). Unfortunately you lose some efficiency with these, but you get the "clean" look.

[NYSD1995]

I'm thinking more of this type of unit - http://www.comfortgurus.com/images/s...09nsd_main.jpg

These are like window units but with a better design and are vented through the wall, no central compressor.

[motoridersd]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

I'm thinking more of this type of unit - http://www.comfortgurus.com/images/s...09nsd_main.jpg

These are like window units but with a better design and are vented through the wall, no central compressor.

Yes, those are the high-wall units I'm talking about. Some say they are ugly. Those are the most energy efficient and easier to install.

[NYSD1995]

Originally Posted by motoridersd

Yes, those are the high-wall units I'm talking about. Some say they are ugly. Those are the most energy efficient and easier to install.

Unless someone is in love with the aesthetic of a 1950's low-slung starter tract I would think most homebuyers would want the AC, it gets hot out here!

[motoridersd]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

Unless someone is in love with the aesthetic of a 1950's low-slung starter tract I would think most homebuyers would want the AC, it gets hot out here!

Haha I know! I am having another company look at the place today, and the guy brought up a very good point. The register for the return duct would be 18" x 30" for the filter, so about 20" x 32" which is a lot bigger than a ductless unit. With the limited floor space it would make more sense to put it at the top of the wall so that would be pretty ugly.

[motoridersd]

Yikes. I thought ductless was supposed to be cheaper, or at least just a little more expensive than regular ducted systems. For a 4 zone, 3 ton ductless system (16 SEER at full capacity) with regular high-wall units, the quote was for double what upgrading the existing system would be. Granted the existing system can only fit a 2 ton capacity (I believe these were 14 SEER), but that's still a lot more.

I'm still waiting for a quote from the first HVAC company. His low eyeball estimate was 25% less than the quote I got today.

I don't doubt quotes this week will be much higher than during slower months. With the two weeks we've had, everyone must be buying AC in the places where we had never considered it.

[sdjimbob]

They remind me of hotel rooms and houses in the tropics, especially Mexico and Brazil. Outside of the bedrooms, they would look off since they aren't common here.

That being said, I don't think it would adversely affect your resale value. These people managed to hide one very well:
Belair Residence - Traditional - Family Room - dc metro - by Rill Architects

[motoridersd]

Originally Posted by sdjimbob

They remind me of hotel rooms and houses in the tropics, especially Mexico and Brazil. Outside of the bedrooms, they would look off since they aren't common here.

That being said, I don't think it would adversely affect your resale value. These people managed to hide one very well:
Belair Residence - Traditional - Family Room - dc metro - by Rill Architects

I've seen some interesting and clever ways to hide it on Houzz. I grew up in Mexico so they look totally normal to me