July 11, 2014
So, you’re looking to cool a room (or two...or three) in your Florida home, but you don’t want to mess with installing extra ductwork to cool them. Or maybe your home does not have ductwork at all.
And then you heard of ductless mini-split air conditioners. They sound interesting, but you have lots of questions.
You’re not alone.
Many Florida homeowners have questions about ductless mini-splits. We aim to answer the top 5 ones in this article.
A ductless mini-split AC is just as it sounds: it’s a mini version of a split central air conditioning system. But it does not use ducts to deliver cool air, so it avoids the energy losses from leaky ductwork.
A ductless mini-split air conditioner is made up of 3 main parts:
They’re small, quiet and have several placement options for effectively cooling different rooms in your home.
They also come with a remote control so they’re convenient to use.
Because mini-splits don’t need ducts and therefore require minimal installation, they’re great for adding cooling for:
Yes, in some ways. Both can be used to cool a single room without ductwork.
But a mini-split can add more evaporator units (up to 4) to one condenser unit. So technically it can cool up to 4 rooms. Mini-splits are also much more energy efficient than window units and last longer, too.
A window air conditioner’s main selling point is that it’s relatively cheap. But they can also be a safety hazard since burglars could get into your home by removing the window unit.
Learn more about the pros and cons of a mini-split air conditioner vs. a window unit.
Yes and no.
It’s not something you want to DIY install.
But it is relatively easy for a qualified, professional AC contractor to install. The installer will need to determine where to place the inside and outside unit and then drill a 3-inch hole through a wall for the conduit.
And the conduits come in several lengths, so you could easily cool a room in the front side of the home with the inside evaporator unit, while the outside condenser unit remains inconspicuous in the back of your home.
Another reason why you don’t want to DIY is that you’ll need a professional AC contractor to decide the right size (tons) mini-split you should install:
The cost depends on several factors, including:
And then there’s the cost of installation, which depends on what the contractor charges.
But in general, a mini-split will cost $1,500 to $2,000 per ton (12,000 Btu per hour) of cooling capacity, according to the U.S Department of Energy. That’s about 30% more than central AC systems (but that’s not including ductwork) and may cost twice as much as window units of similar capacity.
If you live in our Florida service area and want a free estimate for a mini-split system, Cool Today can help!
We’re a Mitsubishi Diamond Dealer (an air conditioning sizing specialist) and offer a 7-7-7 warranty. That means you get a 7-year warranty on parts, labor and the compressor, a very expensive part of the mini-split system.
Contact us online or call us at (800) 226-2636 for a free, in-home estimate for a mini-split system for your home.
Cool Today provides award-winning air conditioning service from its locations in Sarasota, Tampa, Dunedin, Orlando and Naples. If you have any questions, talk to one of our experts for help.