I know this section aimed at garage heating/cooling, but what are the pros/cons of central air vs ductless in the house? Would you stay away from purchasing a home based on it having baseboard heat and ductless air? The baseboard heat is non issue, but ductless air seems like it'd be a pain.
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Central AC or ductless in house
- Thread starter dtbingle
- Start date
Voi
Well-known member
Would you stay away from purchasing a home based on it having baseboard heat and ductless air?
I think I'd consider a house with ductless air assuming the master bedroom got enough flow to be cool in the summer.
The baseboard heat part of the question would concern me more. In part because there are some baseboard homes in my area that have mini splits retrofitted for air conditioning.
It seems that some of these retrofits aren't designed well and/or were put in a house that perhaps didn't lend itself well to using mini splits for air conditioning to begin with. I gather they work better in a more open concept house.
PWC Repair
Well-known member
I think I'd try to buy it for $10,000 less so you can have a conventional split system put in.
Depends on the house ... I'm doing both in my new build. Large single rooms area ideal for MS --- well insulated open floor plans also work well.
Lots of big old houses around me have window units -- MS are a huge improvement. With the new branch systems 7-8 heads can be installed -- some as low as 7k BTU. My friends just did that many in an old victorian ...
Lots of big old houses around me have window units -- MS are a huge improvement. With the new branch systems 7-8 heads can be installed -- some as low as 7k BTU. My friends just did that many in an old victorian ...
Oh wow, I'll definitely ask about those things and try to get a feel on how new the units are too. And wow 7-8 heads?! That'd be more than enough. The few houses I'm looking at are super open concept. Pretty much one big room for kitchen, living room, etc, then rooms are obviously separated.
Is there any way to tell how efficient the setup of current baseboard heating and ductless AC is by just looking at it?
Is there any way to tell how efficient the setup of current baseboard heating and ductless AC is by just looking at it?
Highbeam
Well-known member
I would avoid a house with MS heat pumps. They are ugly and nontraditional. Highly efficient and surely they are functional but stupid looking compared to the regular registers that we expect to see.
The good news is that conventional split system heat pumps have done a lot to catch up to the goofy looking minisplits in terms of cold weather operation and SEER.
The good news is that conventional split system heat pumps have done a lot to catch up to the goofy looking minisplits in terms of cold weather operation and SEER.
justinjoyal
Well-known member
I would avoid a house with MS heat pumps. They are ugly and nontraditional. Highly efficient and surely they are functional but stupid looking compared to the regular registers that we expect to see.
The good news is that conventional split system heat pumps have done a lot to catch up to the goofy looking minisplits in terms of cold weather operation and SEER.
And non-traditionnal is better because ?
Actually, you see more mini-splits around here than traditional splits. Cheaper, more efficient, easy to retrofit. Why not?
A ducted setup is better for air delivery, filtration and overall comfort IF done well.
Retrofitting a central setup in a house is often quite a lot of work and $$$$$ if done right.
ncboat
Well-known member
Just a word of caution or at least consideration. We put in a new brand name traditional split system about four years ago for the main floor and a mini for our added frog. The mini developed a leak in the coils and needed to be repaired. Repair was of course covered but not labor. We went with this hvac company through Lowes.
Long story short the hvac company went to bat with the manufacturer and got a total replacement instead of repairs. My point is if each mini unit in a house needs repairs it could be more costly than a central unit. Just food for thought in cost analysis.
Long story short the hvac company went to bat with the manufacturer and got a total replacement instead of repairs. My point is if each mini unit in a house needs repairs it could be more costly than a central unit. Just food for thought in cost analysis.
DirtyMerty
Well-known member
I have an older house with baseboard heat using a natural gas boiler heat system and I really like it. I can control the temp in all three levels of my house and the dusting is way less. My neighbor has a brand new house with central air and his sons room gets cold so he has to crank the heat up which makes his room hotter, I dont miss that part of central air. Question, I am doing mini splits and was wondering if anyone has a brand prefference? looking for a system for 2,600 sq ft. Thank you
Ohmthis
Well-known member
I would avoid a house with MS heat pumps. They are ugly and nontraditional. Highly efficient and surely they are functional but stupid looking compared to the regular registers that we expect to see.
The good news is that conventional split system heat pumps have done a lot to catch up to the goofy looking minisplits in terms of cold weather operation and SEER.
Mini splits are a lot different then just 5-10 years ago. Besides the wall mount units they also have above ceiling units, slim ducted units, floor units, and more. I just put in a ducted unit for 1400 sqft. The efficiency is a 19 seer hyper heat (heats down to -14*f). To get those efficiencies in a conventional system would cost twice (equipment only). I don't try and sell/install one or the other, but what works best for the customer.
OP, to answer you questions: I would not be afraid to buy a house with mini splits for AC and baseboard (electric or boiler??? That could be a big thing.) heat. The pros for mini splits are that they are quiet, efficient, easy to retrofit, work well in large open areas, and user friendly. The cons they can be unattractive (it's more opinion than fact), expensive (equipment costs), not great at filtering the air, not as easy to work on (parts are squeezed in tight.), not as many HVAC techs are knowledgeable about them, and are not designed to quickly bring temps up or down (they have a slow recovery rate). I like them and have one in my lake cabin.
In the north east, having a ducted heating system is rare in any home more than 10 years old. Just about everything is FHW, and a lot of that is oil.
A lot of people (me inlcuded) add a dcutless mini split, because it's cheaper an easier than adding a ducted system (and so much nicer and quieter than window shakers). Plus, they are more efficient.
A lot of people (me inlcuded) add a dcutless mini split, because it's cheaper an easier than adding a ducted system (and so much nicer and quieter than window shakers). Plus, they are more efficient.
I would avoid a house with MS heat pumps. They are ugly and nontraditional. Highly efficient and surely they are functional but stupid looking compared to the regular registers that we expect to see.
The good news is that conventional split system heat pumps have done a lot to catch up to the goofy looking minisplits in terms of cold weather operation and SEER.
"Ugly and non-traditional"...says you! I think they are great. Efficient, simple zoning, MUCH more efficient. Imagine that the US technology is finally getting dragged, and that is what is happening, into a position to better serve the consumer.
To the OP, when discussing mini splits consider the lay-out of the building. I went with a single head 26 seer, 12hspf unit in the common area which runs a lot. In the bedrooms I went with a multi. The multi is less efficient. You can work the choice for efficiency and comfort. Also, in the summer months we regularly do not run the mini-split on cooling, but can set the fan for L-M-H operation. They are very quiet.
Diesel Dan
Well-known member
I'm doing new construction of a "shouse" which will include a 1920 square foot 2 story living area.
Getting HVAC quotes currently and looking at options. We've pretty much ruled out ductless systems. I much prefer the air turn over and filtration that a forced air system offers.
What we are most likely going to end up with will be two AHUs, one per floor. Getting quotes on separate condensing units or single variable speed compressor unit.
Getting HVAC quotes currently and looking at options. We've pretty much ruled out ductless systems. I much prefer the air turn over and filtration that a forced air system offers.
What we are most likely going to end up with will be two AHUs, one per floor. Getting quotes on separate condensing units or single variable speed compressor unit.