Anyone know about ductless split AC systems?

Ken_Light

See my other post, new home purchase, and central air just insn't an option (no room for the compressor above the furnace and small ductwork) so I'm looking into a ductless split system. Only need two areas inside the house (first floor is very open floorplan, second floor we're only using one bedroom), but I'd like to be able to expand to a 3rd if possible (when a rugrat occupies the second bedroom upsairs). I've got one estimate but it seems high and it's on a non-expandable system. Anyone know this stuff? Advice? I feel like I'm poking around kinda blindly on the interwebs right now and would appreciate any guidance you got.

jgibv

So....don't flame me for this post....
I don't know about a ductless central air system...

But have you thought about window and/or portable units? They might be cheaper to start with and less $$ to run, especially if you're only looking to cool a couple areas. If you go this route, I highly recommend Haier -I've had the 8000 BTU unit for about 5 years now and it still runs like a champ - I've used it to cool a 3rd story bedroom/loft which was converted attic space and the A/C unit+ceiling fan did the trick for the 25x30ish ft room (which also had pretty tall ceilings due to the roof line).

Oh and btw - CONGRATS ON THE HOUSE, KEN!

Ken_Light

jgibv:

So....don't flame me for this post....
I don't know about a ductless central air system...

But have you thought about window and/or portable units? They might be cheaper to start with and less $$ to run, especially if you're only looking to cool a couple areas. If you go this route, I highly recommend Haier -I've had the 8000 BTU unit for about 5 years now and it still runs like a champ - I've used it to cool a 3rd story bedroom/loft which was converted attic space and the A/C unit+ceiling fan did the trick for the 25x30ish ft room (which also had pretty tall ceilings due to the roof line).

Oh and btw - CONGRATS ON THE HOUSE, KEN!

Definitely have, and will go that route if these systems prove too costly, but they tend to be quieter, more energy efficient, and a bit less ugly from the street. If I end up down that road I'll definitely check out Haier, thanks for the recommendation! And thanks for the congrats!

jgibv

Ken Light:

jgibv:

So....don't flame me for this post....
I don't know about a ductless central air system...

But have you thought about window and/or portable units? They might be cheaper to start with and less $$ to run, especially if you're only looking to cool a couple areas. If you go this route, I highly recommend Haier -I've had the 8000 BTU unit for about 5 years now and it still runs like a champ - I've used it to cool a 3rd story bedroom/loft which was converted attic space and the A/C unit+ceiling fan did the trick for the 25x30ish ft room (which also had pretty tall ceilings due to the roof line).

Oh and btw - CONGRATS ON THE HOUSE, KEN!

Definitely have, and will go that route if these systems prove too costly, but they tend to be quieter, more energy efficient, and a bit less ugly from the street. If I end up down that road I'll definitely check out Haier, thanks for the recommendation! And thanks for the congrats!

Got ya, well you're obviously doing your homework so good luck figuring something out.

And good point about the noise difference - I wouldn't complain about the noise of the portable unit but I won't lie, there is a noticeable "hum/whoosh" sound when the compressor kicks on and the portable unit's running full blast...it's nothing that a few clicks of the "up volume" button on the TV won't fix though.
....so yes, compared to a virtually silent central air, you can tell a difference - but it's not that noisy.

Ken_Light

jgibv:

Ken Light:

jgibv:

So....don't flame me for this post....
I don't know about a ductless central air system...

But have you thought about window and/or portable units? They might be cheaper to start with and less $$ to run, especially if you're only looking to cool a couple areas. If you go this route, I highly recommend Haier -I've had the 8000 BTU unit for about 5 years now and it still runs like a champ - I've used it to cool a 3rd story bedroom/loft which was converted attic space and the A/C unit+ceiling fan did the trick for the 25x30ish ft room (which also had pretty tall ceilings due to the roof line).

Oh and btw - CONGRATS ON THE HOUSE, KEN!

Definitely have, and will go that route if these systems prove too costly, but they tend to be quieter, more energy efficient, and a bit less ugly from the street. If I end up down that road I'll definitely check out Haier, thanks for the recommendation! And thanks for the congrats!

Got ya, well you're obviously doing your homework so good luck figuring something out.

And good point about the noise difference - I wouldn't complain about the noise of the portable unit but I won't lie, there is a noticeable "hum/whoosh" sound when the compressor kicks on and the portable unit's running full blast...it's nothing that a few clicks of the "up volume" button on the TV won't fix though.
....so yes, compared to a virtually silent central air, you can tell a difference - but it's not that noisy.

I'd probably be fine with it, but my wife's a light sleeper and I can't sleep in a hot room and I like to sleep with the TV on. So that causes...issues.

danielzreyes

Ken, although I can't help you with your AC situation.....Congrats on the new house!

Ken_Light

danielzreyes:

Ken, although I can't help you with your AC situation.....Congrats on the new house!

Thanks!!

YankeeMan

They work fairly well if there are no obstructions and the room/rooms are an open floorplan. If you want to do the third room in the future, you can always get one of the floor model air conditioners.

They are coming down in price and vent by hose through a window, but it is easily removed if you want to open the window for fresh air. The only drawback is if you can't figure out a way to drain it, you have to keep emptying the water tray every 9 hours or so.

Ken_Light

YankeeMan:

They work fairly well if there are no obstructions and the room/rooms are an open floorplan. If you want to do the third room in the future, you can always get one of the floor model air conditioners.

They are coming down in price and vent by hose through a window, but it is easily removed if you want to open the window for fresh air. The only drawback is if you can't figure out a way to drain it, you have to keep emptying the water tray every 9 hours or so.

PM sent

JDH

The only ductless heating system that I know of would be the old "gravity" type of furnace for heating purposes. Typically, this type of heating system would locate the furnace in the basement of a small one or two story house. Since heat rises naturally, there would be large (3' x 4') floor vents on the first floor that would allow the heat to rise throughout the house, except the bedrooms, usually located on the second floor would usually be much cooler than the downstairs rooms. The only "ductless" cooling aparatus I know of are window or floor ac units for cooling specific spaces.

NOTE: There are no portable electric or kerosene operated heaters that are approved by any building code for use as a primary heat source. Gas heaters can be installed for use as a primary heat source, but combustion air should be provided from outside the structure.

jgibv

YankeeMan:

They work fairly well if there are no obstructions and the room/rooms are an open floorplan. If you want to do the third room in the future, you can always get one of the floor model air conditioners.

They are coming down in price and vent by hose through a window, but it is easily removed if you want to open the window for fresh air. The only drawback is if you can't figure out a way to drain it, you have to keep emptying the water tray every 9 hours or so.

FWIW - I've only ever had to empty my portable Haier AC unit when I put it away for winter. I have never had to empty it during the warm months and when it's in fairly regular use.
My unit, and all of the other "newer" models I've seen vaporize the water and send it out through the window via the "hose"/exhaust vent.

YankeeMan

jgibv:

YankeeMan:

They work fairly well if there are no obstructions and the room/rooms are an open floorplan. If you want to do the third room in the future, you can always get one of the floor model air conditioners.

They are coming down in price and vent by hose through a window, but it is easily removed if you want to open the window for fresh air. The only drawback is if you can't figure out a way to drain it, you have to keep emptying the water tray every 9 hours or so.

FWIW - I've only ever had to empty my portable Haier AC unit when I put it away for winter. I have never had to empty it during the warm months and when it's in fairly regular use.
My unit, and all of the other "newer" models I've seen vaporize the water and send it out through the window via the "hose"/exhaust vent.

I had an older Haier and with the humid weather in Ithaca, the best I could get was 9 to 10 hours. Keep in mind, this was about 4 years ago. I liked the unit because when we got decent weather, you could just take out the window vent and open the window.

Ken, I sent you a PM