[Mstrlucky74]

We currently have a pretty big in wall ac in our living room. Are there any "slim/low profile" type in wall ac's out there? It looks like there are only ductless ones that are very expensive. Thanks.

 

[old_squid]

You might be able to find a bit smaller through the wall unit of the same size (capacity), but it's going to take X amount of bulk to do the work. The mini-splits divide that bulk between two units.

 

[Mstrlucky74]

You might be able to find a bit smaller through the wall unit of the same size (capacity), but it's going to take X amount of bulk to do the work. The mini-splits divide that bulk between two units.

Thanks ...my AC unit now is about 15,000 BTU and all the splits seem to be about $1,000+...

 

[beenthere]

Thanks ...my AC unit now is about 15,000 BTU and all the splits seem to be about $1,000+...

If they made smaller sized 15,000 BTU thru the wall units, they would probably cost about the same as a ductless.

 

[joecaption]

A mini split may seem expencive but will be far quieter, use a lot less electricty.
LG sells a model that only needs a thin face plate that you can hang a picture on.
I opted for one that heats and cools for a 800 sq. ft. rental I own.
I used to heat with gas and was paying over $50.00 a week for fuel.
Now my total power bill for the whole house is $50.00 a month
Now I only use the gas for cooking and have not had to buy gas for 3 years.
I was amazed at how small a wire was needed to power it, even standing next to the unit outside it's hard to hear it running.
If I remember right it was only a 12-2 wire with a double 20 amp. breaker.
It only needed a small whole in the wall, 3" I believe.
I installed the whole thing myself except making the line set connection.

 

[Mstrlucky74]

A mini split may seem expencive but will be far quieter, use a lot less electricty.
LG sells a model that only needs a thin face plate that you can hang a picture on.
I opted for one that heats and cools for a 800 sq. ft. rental I own.
I used to heat with gas and was paying over $50.00 a week for fuel.
Now my total power bill for the whole house is $50.00 a month
Now I only use the gas for cooking and have not had to buy gas for 3 years.
I was amazed at how small a wire was needed to power it, even standing next to the unit outside it's hard to hear it running.
If I remember right it was only a 12-2 wire with a double 20 amp. breaker.
It only needed a small whole in the wall, 3" I believe.
I installed the whole thing myself except making the line set connection.

Sweet, nice Joe. Dumb question:laughing:. Split ac unit do both heat and ac? Why would I need it to heat...have baseboards

 

[joecaption]

You can buy them that just have A/C or both heat and cool. At the rising price of oil and as a back up if that boiler goes down it may be worth the extra money to to go with the heat and cool.
Hard to say how well it would work in your area since you still have not added your location to your profile.

 

[Mstrlucky74]

You can buy them that just have A/C or both heat and cool. At the rising price of oil and as a back up if that boiler goes down it may be worth the extra money to to go with the heat and cool.
Hard to say how well it would work in your area since you still have not added your location to your profile.

lol..NY . Thanks. I will update

 

[Mstrlucky74]

A mini split may seem expencive but will be far quieter, use a lot less electricty.
LG sells a model that only needs a thin face plate that you can hang a picture on.
I opted for one that heats and cools for a 800 sq. ft. rental I own.
I used to heat with gas and was paying over $50.00 a week for fuel.
Now my total power bill for the whole house is $50.00 a month
Now I only use the gas for cooking and have not had to buy gas for 3 years.
I was amazed at how small a wire was needed to power it, even standing next to the unit outside it's hard to hear it running.
If I remember right it was only a 12-2 wire with a double 20 amp. breaker.
It only needed a small whole in the wall, 3" I believe.
I installed the whole thing myself except making the line set connection.

What model #?

 

[Mstrlucky74]

I see some of these brands that I have never heard of. Has anyone heard of these?

http://www.ac-world.com/MiniSplitAir.php

 

[joecaption]

Never heard of them before.
This is the brand I have.
http://www.mitsubishielectric.com/bu/air/products/s_range.html

I'm no HVAC guy but you may live to far north for a heat pump to work correctly because of the cold. It would work just cost more to run because the back up heat strip would have to kick in to keep up.
I'm sure later in the day some will be online.

 

[Mstrlucky74]

Is installing a split system(cooling only) a DIY project?

 

[beenthere]

I get the heat pump. can save you some money on your heating bill.

 

[Mstrlucky74]

I get the heat pump. can save you some money on your heating bill.

Not sure then what Joe meant when he said the heat pump might not work correctly. Thanks.

If others could chime in that would be helpful.....should I get a heat pump? Thanks.

 

[JScotty]

Not sure then what Joe meant when he said the heat pump might not work correctly. Thanks.

If others could chime in that would be helpful.....should I get a heat pump? Thanks.

Heat pumps are A/C's that work in reverse. Instead of moving heat from your house to outside they reverse the freon flow & move heat from outside to inside. Freon at atmospheric pressure is well below 0 degrees ferenheit so the freon can be pulled down to temps lower than outside air & still pull heat from the cold air outside. And it's significantly cheaper than gas or electric heat.

The issue with this is as the air gets ciolder it's harder for your unit to make heat from. Once it drops below 20-30 degrees outside the unit won't be able to make enough heat to heat the space. At that point the electric resistance heat has to kick on to keep up.

So basically depending on how cold it gets in the winter, the heat pump might not do much for a lot of the winter. But if you don't get below 20 degrees very often it can save you quite a bit.

For instance I recently bought a house that had radiant ceiling heat (similar to your baseboard heaters) and an A/C only system that was about 3 years old. I removed the new A/C and replaced it with a heat pump. Granted I can do the work myself & even get the units at a discounted rate since I work for an HVAC company, so it was a little cheaper for me to do that. But if you're going to put in a new A/C anyway the difference between putting in a heat pump shouldn't be much more expensive.

 

[Mstrlucky74]

Heat pumps are A/C's that work in reverse. Instead of moving heat from your house to outside they reverse the freon flow & move heat from outside to inside. Freon at atmospheric pressure is well below 0 degrees ferenheit so the freon can be pulled down to temps lower than outside air & still pull heat from the cold air outside. And it's significantly cheaper than gas or electric heat.

The issue with this is as the air gets ciolder it's harder for your unit to make heat from. Once it drops below 20-30 degrees outside the unit won't be able to make enough heat to heat the space. At that point the electric resistance heat has to kick on to keep up.

So basically depending on how cold it gets in the winter, the heat pump might not do much for a lot of the winter. But if you don't get below 20 degrees very often it can save you quite a bit.

For instance I recently bought a house that had radiant ceiling heat (similar to your baseboard heaters) and an A/C only system that was about 3 years old. I removed the new A/C and replaced it with a heat pump. Granted I can do the work myself & even get the units at a discounted rate since I work for an HVAC company, so it was a little cheaper for me to do that. But if you're going to put in a new A/C anyway the difference between putting in a heat pump shouldn't be much more expensive.

Thanks Scotty. Could me and my friend( who is very handy) DIY? Thanks.

 

[JScotty]

Thanks Scotty. Could me and my friend( who is very handy) DIY? Thanks.

Setting the unit, running the wires, copper lines etc isn't too bad if you're (or your friend ) somewhat handy. But as someone said above I would recommend having a pro come out to do the connecting of the lines & charging the unit. You'll need an oxy acetylene torch, brazing rods, a nitrogen tank with a regulator to run nitrogen through while you connect the lines & a vacuum pump to pull any air & moisture out of the system before you release the charge & start the unit.

Unless you or your friend have that stuff already it will be cheaper to have a pro do it than to buy everything you need to do it. Plus a pro is going to know how to properly check your charge & verify the freon is right on so you'll get the most efficiency & longest life possible from your unit.

 

[Mstrlucky74]

Setting the unit, running the wires, copper lines etc isn't too bad if you're (or your friend ) somewhat handy. But as someone said above I would recommend having a pro come out to do the connecting of the lines & charging the unit. You'll need an oxy acetylene torch, brazing rods, a nitrogen tank with a regulator to run nitrogen through while you connect the lines & a vacuum pump to pull any air & moisture out of the system before you release the charge & start the unit.

Unless you or your friend have that stuff already it will be cheaper to have a pro do it than to buy everything you need to do it. Plus a pro is going to know how to properly check your charge & verify the freon is right on so you'll get the most efficiency & longest life possible from your unit.

Thanks Scotty. Would a pro still work on it if we set the unit, run the cooper etc.(the stuff you said should be manageable for us)? My wife said its very expensive to get installed. Thanks

 

[JScotty]

Thanks Scotty. Would a pro still work on it if we set the unit, run the cooper etc.(the stuff you said should be manageable for us)? My wife said its very expensive to get installed. Thanks

We've done it for customers before so some companies definately will. Some may not. Might have to call a few places, but I'd think you could find someone who would do it.