Lately, I’ve received numerous phone calls from people asking for information on mini-split heating & cooling systems. Usually, their curiosity has been piqued because they’ve talked to somebody who recently had a mini-split installed in their home or office and can’t stop saying great things about them.
I can relate because I installed two mini-splits in my own home a few years ago. Once my kids graduated from high school and went on to college, my wife and I decided to reclaim the finished basement and transform it into more of an adult space with a movie room and an entertainment area. The basement climate had never been very comfortable to me, but the kids never complained so I never addressed the issue. When my wife and I started using the space, we installed a mini-split in the movie room because adding additional vents would have taxed my existing system. What a difference it made to the overall comfort of the space! Then, a year later, I decided to splurge and build myself a garage-ma-hal — the perfect retreat for a man who loves to tinker 365 days a year.
Mini-splits were a perfect solution for both of my home projects. “What makes a mini-split so distinctive,” you might ask? One word, well, actually two: “duct-less”. Mini-splits do not require duct work, making them an excellent solution when installing a venting system isn’t feasible such as when retrofitting central air conditioning into an older home where opening up walls and ceilings is nearly impossible due to the materials and design of the building. Although the mini-split’s unique ductless feature is a BIG advantage over other types of HVAC equipment, take it from the Coop, mini-splits have other attractive benefits, as well, including:
- Mini-splits are a type of heat pump that function as both a heater and an AC unit. They expel heat from your home in the summer and transfer the outside heat into your home in cooler weather. Rather than generating heat, mini-splits move the heat; consequently, the air is conditioned far more efficiently and cost effectively than by a conventional heating and cooling system which uses far more electricity to generate a comfortable inside temperature.
- Most mini-split brands offer a variety of lengths of connecting conduits so the outdoor unit can be located as far away as 50 feet from the indoor evaporator unit. This allows for more flexibility in the placement of the equipment.
- The indoor unit is quiet since the compressor motor is located outside, just like the operation of a central air conditioning system. It can be installed inconspicuously high up on a wall or mounted flush into a ceiling. Most models come with a remote control for convenient accessibility when positioned too high to reach easily.
- The design of the indoor unit is sleek and unobtrusive. Combine the attractive appearance of a mini-split with its quiet, efficient operation, and you’ll agree it is far superior to a window or through-the–wall ac unit.
Do you live in a home that you’ve been told can’t possibly be centrally air conditioned because it’s very old, stone clad, or has thick plaster walls? Is the bedroom over your garage always more uncomfortable than the rest of the house? Have you added an addition to your home which has overwhelmed the effective operation of your heating and cooling system? Do you have a guest room or other room that isn’t used often and yet you’re spending money heating and cooling it constantly?
Take it from the Coop, if you’ve answered “yes” to any of the above questions, you should look at installing a mini-split. It just might be the best solution for you, too! Call Cooper Mechanical at 610-228-4405 and we’d be happy to set-up a free consultation to explore whether mini-splits would be a good solution for your home.