Does Anyone Use A Mini Split Heat Pump Unit?

[No Nonsense]

Not immediately, but I'm thinking about installing one or two for my home. I have an idea what the unit cost, but not sure on the installation cost though. From what I've seen, correct me if I'm wrong, but it provides its own electric and doesn't have to be connected to a circuit breaker. 
 

To those that have one or know about them, is it worth it? 

[FuriousD]

Negative on both counts. It will require power and an independent circuit/& circuit breaker. No such thing as an ac unit that produces its own power. 
 

it doesn’t require ductwork however 

[No Nonsense]

13 minutes ago, FuriousD said:

Negative on both counts. It will require power and an independent circuit/& circuit breaker. No such thing as an ac unit that produces its own power. 
 

it doesn’t require ductwork however 

The reason I asked is because I saw a video where someone installed this very same unit. Unless he skipped a step, he didn't hoot it up to a circuit breaker. 
 

Here's the unit:

 

 

Edited March 20, 2023 by No Nonsense

[PokerPacker]

A mini-split cannot self-power.  It's not made of magic.  I mean, other than the magic of providing you with more heat energy than the energy it consumes to run the device.

 

Question for the curious: You have more than one room that needs climate control.  Is there a reason you want to use multiple mini-splits over a ducted climate system to cover the whole area?

[No Nonsense]

Understood. Would definitely get a new circuit breaker installed then.

 

AND an AC disconnect box. I see they're not that expensive. 

Edited March 20, 2023 by No Nonsense

[PokerPacker]

They do make multi-head mini-splits so you can have a single outdoor unit running multiple indoor output units  Might be worth looking into that rather than two full mini-splits.

Also, relevant video from Technology Connections heat pumps:

[FuriousD]

31 minutes ago, PokerPacker said:

They do make multi-head mini-splits so you can have a single outdoor unit running multiple indoor output units  Might be worth looking into that rather than two full mini-splits.

Also, relevant video from Technology Connections heat pumps:

 

1 hour ago, No Nonsense said:

Not immediately, but I'm thinking about installing one or two for my home. I have an idea what the unit cost, but not sure on the installation cost though. From what I've seen, correct me if I'm wrong, but it provides its own electric and doesn't have to be connected to a circuit breaker. 
 

To those that have one or know about them, is it worth it? 

Negative on both counts. It will require power and an independent circuit/& circuit breaker. No such thing as an ac unit that produces its own power. 
 

it doesn’t require ductwork however 

 

The Mr Cool brand is not familiar to me and I was in the ac business for many years. After years of trial and error, we settled on Mitsubishi as the ONLY brand of mini splits we would install. Best overall quality, customer service and more importantly, access to repair parts. You’re going to need them eventually 

[Pwyl]

1 hour ago, PokerPacker said:

 

 

Question for the curious: You have more than one room that needs climate control.  Is there a reason you want to use multiple mini-splits over a ducted climate system to cover the whole area?

To avoid running ductwork. There's only like a 4 inch hole to the outside through which you run the plumbing.   

 

I have a friend who installs these,  they're like a half day install if the electric is prepared.  

 

 

[PokerPacker]

8 minutes ago, Pwyl said:

To avoid running ductwork. There's only like a 4 inch hole to the outside through which you run the plumbing.   

 

I have a friend who installs these,  they're like a half day install if the electric is prepared. 

I understand running traditional ducting into a building that doesn't already have it is expensive, but there's also the SDHV (Small Duct; High Velocity) systems that are good for retro-fitting.  Not sure when one is a better choice than another, but I imagine as the number of rooms to be covered goes up, the SDHV system starts to look like a better option.

Edited March 20, 2023 by PokerPacker

[No Nonsense]

20 minutes ago, FuriousD said:

 

Negative on both counts. It will require power and an independent circuit/& circuit breaker. No such thing as an ac unit that produces its own power. 
 

it doesn’t require ductwork however 

 

The Mr Cool brand is not familiar to me and I was in the ac business for many years. After years of trial and error, we settled on Mitsubishi as the ONLY brand of mini splits we would install. Best overall quality, customer service and more importantly, access to repair parts. You’re going to need them eventually 

I guess the Mr Cool brand is for the "DIY" people. It makes installation a little easier. 

[Pwyl]

3 minutes ago, PokerPacker said:

I understand running traditional ducting into a building that doesn't already have it is expensive, but there's also the SDHV (Small Duct; High Velocity) systems that are good for retro-fitting.  Not sure when one is a better choice than another, but I imagine as the number of rooms to be covered goes up, the SDHV system starts to look like a better option.

 Yeah agree, but I'm unfamiliar with sdhv.

 

I can however recommend against a zone system with a zone damper based on personal experience.  

 

I looked into ductless mini splits to replace the bonus room zone in my old house but ended up moving before it made sense to change.  

[CousinsCowgirl84]

5 hours ago, No Nonsense said:

Understood. Would definitely get a new circuit breaker installed then.

 

AND an AC disconnect box. I see they're not that expensive. 

Gonna cost you about 5K/unit installed depending on where you live. It might be bette to get one larger outside unit and feed multiple heads from it, depending on the exact layout of your house. You only have to provide power to the outside unit. Then there is a power/control cable that goes from the main unit to each head.

[Skinsfan1311]

We have a Daikin unit,(a couple years ago), and we love it. 

We actually got it, for the AC,(it's very quiet), but were pleasantly surprised at how well it heats.   We primarily heat with a woodstove, and oil baseboard.  We burn a lot less wood and oil. 

 

What's crazy is that it sips electricity. Our electric bill, (in the Baltimore metro area), only went up ~$30.00 per month in the summer and $50.00 in the winter.   That's running it pretty much around the clock,  year round.  

We live in a small, single level rancher, on a slab. 

An electrician friend of mine hooked up the electric,(there was already a dedicated circuit nearby for the wall AC unit it replaced), and a buddy of his in HVAC provided and installed the unit.  Total cost was $3,500.00.

We couldn't be happier with it. 

Make sure that it's sized properly. 

[PokerPacker]

1 hour ago, Skinsfan1311 said:

What's crazy is that it sips electricity. Our electric bill, (in the Baltimore metro area), only went up ~$30.00 per month in the summer and $50.00 in the winter.   That's running it pretty much around the clock,  year round. 

That's the magic of heat pumps.  Electric resistive heating like your baseboards operate at 100% efficiency.  Heat pumps go up to about 350% efficiency in turning consumed energy into heat energy (assuming outdoor temperature of 5 degrees Fahrenheit) because it's actually collecting heat energy from the air outside and transferring it inside rather than simply converting electric energy into heat energy.  And if it has a reversing valve, it both heats and cools, because an AC is nothing but a heat pump operating in reverse.

[Skinsfan1311]

9 hours ago, PokerPacker said:

That's the magic of heat pumps.  Electric resistive heating like your baseboards operate at 100% efficiency.  Heat pumps go up to about 350% efficiency in turning consumed energy into heat energy (assuming outdoor temperature of 5 degrees Fahrenheit) because it's actually collecting heat energy from the air outside and transferring it inside rather than simply converting electric energy into heat energy.  And if it has a reversing valve, it both heats and cools, because an AC is nothing but a heat pump operating in reverse.

Thanks!