Heating/AC recommendation

[ollie76]

Evening folks,

Thinking about my current home's heating unit......it may be time to change it out soon. Allow me to give you the current configuration:

Location: Nova Scotia, Canada. Cold winters (5-0 deg Fahrenheit quite often). July and Aug usually quite hot (~100 deg not completely unusual).
Home: - larger split entry with an attached garage(~2500 sq ft)
Current system: Oil fired, forced air, approx 13 years old (Kerr - Riello burner).
Natural gas not available in my area.

I'm not a huge fan of the forced air heat as I find it pretty uneven throughout the house and I would sure enjoy some cooling in the summer. Seems pretty old fashioned as well.

I have looked into a ductless heat pump with two heads. One for upstairs, one for the down......and keeping the current furnace setup. But for the price of this, am I better off with a new system, that can utilize my existing ducts, entirely? It's important to consider, I guess, that my current furnace is getting a little old.

I think I have offered up all the important details, let me know if I have missed something.

 

[ollie76]

160 views and no recommendations? Not the GJ I know!

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

How many rooms are you heating/cooling?

 

[ollie76]

The main level has a medium size family room, kitchen and a couple steps up are where the bedrooms are (3). It's very wide open main level.

Downstairs is another medium sized family room with another guest bedroom. This level is not nearly as wide open as the bedroom isn't used unless we have guests. The family room is used often.

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

2 heads arent going to do you much good with that many rooms.

 

[Dagny]

you can put AC in an oil furnace. Or go with LP.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I have looked into a ductless heat pump with two heads. One for upstairs, one for the down......and keeping the current furnace setup.

Around here "ductless heat pump" are refered to as "mini-splits".

If your current furnace is in good working order this sounds like an excellent idea ! It will make a great backup.

Not all mini-splits will perform well in cold weather. Some units performance start dropping off below freezing. Shop carefully.

The only concern I would have is if 2 air handlers is adequate. How is air going to move between the bedrooms ? Same question for the first floor.

 

[ollie76]

The bedrooms all face the main family room......if you can picture that.

 

[Stuff]

If you are not happy with uneven heat now you will really not be happy with only two head units for the whole house.

Get someone in to figure out what your ducts are like and how they would handle a/c.

 

[ollie76]

I've had a few companies in and they have all recommended the dual head setup with mini splits......now I realize that they may just be trying to sell me whatever is best for them.

 

[Fixin'Stuff]

A mini-split, or any wall unit for that matter, will do a far better job of controlling the temp in the room where it is installed than in the rest of the house. Getting air to flow to other rooms can be a challenge, requiring fans in doorways, hallways, etc. The correct way to use mini-splits in a house would be to have a wall unit in pretty much every room, at least if you want to maintain comfortable living temps in all of the rooms. If you already have ductwork, using it with a proper a/c system will give you the most even temps throughout the house.

If the heat is uneven, then you need to have someone come in that knows how to balance the airflow. They can add dampers to the ducts of rooms that are getting too warm in the winter so that more air flows to the ones that are too cold. They will also look at your return duct(s). Sucking the heated air right back to a central location can add to outer rooms feeling colder. Adding return air ducts to bedrooms and other areas that are far from the blower can go a long way to making the space more comfy.

 

[ollie76]

So maybe an add-on heat pump can be installed that could utilize my ductwork? Although this will most certainly require a service upgrade (only 125 amp).

 

[ollie76]

Had a few installers come by to recommend me a system. Mini-split seems to be the system of choice and I have gotten 2 quotes thus far......

Mitsubishi system (24,000 BTU single outside unit, two heads with one upstairs and one down): 7200 plus taxes.
Fujitsu system (exactly the same as above) 7200 plus taxes.

Pricey! This is Canadian dollars though.