Ductless Mini-Splits Offer Efficiency, Comfort and Versatility
In recent years, ductless mini-split heat pumps and air conditioners have been taking over a significant share of the American heating and cooling market. They provide convenience and energy efficiency advantages over traditional systems, while allowing for independent temperature control in different areas of your home.
They’re especially appropriate for renovations and additions.
Yet, as with any mechanical system, ductless mini-splits (as they’re often called) require regular maintenance. With proper preventative maintenance, your mini-split(s) will work more efficiently and provide better comfort, while lasting longer with fewer repairs than they would otherwise.
Before going any further, however, here’s a quick explanation of what separates ductless mini-splits from other HVAC systems:
- A mini-split is a split-system air-source heat pump or air conditioner with one important distinction from a traditional split-system heating or cooling system: It provides conditioned air without the use of ductwork, and only cools or heats the room where the system’s air-handling unit(s) are located.
An outdoor compressor unit containing the compressor, fan and heat-exchange coil, connects to one or more air-handling units in the house. A conduit containing condensate tubing refrigerant line and electrical wiring connects the outside unit with the inside units.
- Each inside unit – most systems allow for up to four but some have as many as eight – contains a heat-exchange coil and fan plus a remote control. Installation options allow for creativity and convenience, with some mini-split air handlers attached to a wall, attached to a ceiling or standing free.
You have more ways to make the unit unobtrusive than with a traditional AC or heat pump system.
- Ductless mini-splits enjoy energy efficiency both from their design and engineering (employing inverter technology), as well as the key advantage of not needing ductwork.
In a regular forced-air, central heating or cooling system, substantial energy loss takes place somewhere between the main appliance (whether heat pump, AC or furnace) and the various rooms in your home. That doesn’t happen with ductless mini-splits since they deliver conditioned air immediately after it’s created.
Mini-Split Maintenance
As stated before, ductless mini splits need annual professional maintenance if you want them to work as designed. This includes
- cleaning coils and mechanical parts,
- adjusting refrigerant,
- checking the thermostat,
- making sure the condensate drain is clear, and
- making certain all electrical components are operational, among other steps.
Regular homeowner maintenance is also important, including:
Inspecting air filters, and cleaning or replacing them when they get clogged with dust and debris. Ductless mini-splits often come with reusable filters, and keeping them clean is simply a matter of following manufacturer recommendations. A dirty filter will force your system to work harder than necessary to heat or cool your home to the desired temperature. This wastes energy and may hasten breakdowns when overworked parts eventually fail.
Spraying the outside compressor unit with a garden hose several times a year. Dirt, grime and mold can impede the outdoor unit’s ability to extract heat energy from the air for inside heating, or release heat into the air for interior cooling. A dirty compressor may overheat, damaging the equipment.
Keeping grass clippings, brush, sticks and leaves away from the outside unit. As with any outside compressor unit, a ductless mini-split’s outside unit needs a steady flow of air to do its job.
Cleaning the inside air-handling units regularly, too.
Other Advice for Your Ductless Mini-Split
- Be sure to use reputable Cincinnati ductless mini split installers. Don’t expect your ductless system to heat your home when outside temperatures fall below 14-15 degrees Fahrenheit. Supplemental heating will be needed in that case.
- Make sure condensation from your mini-split is draining someplace where the moisture can’t damage anything.
- Take advantage of one of the main benefits of ductless mini-splits – independent temperature control. If a room or area with an air handler is not being used, you can shut off that mini-split unit, or set it back to a temperature that won’t kick on the unit as much.
Programmable thermostats also can be used with ductless systems, for your comfort and energy savings.
Consider Carrier
We sell and install many Carrier ductless systems, because they deliver the unmatched comfort of a traditional split system to individual spaces in our customers’ homes.
As a factory-authorized Cincinnati Carrier dealer, we are well-versed in the installation of all Carrier HVAC products.