Is a Mini Split a Possibility for Me?

[KnightFire]

The older I get, the less I want to work in the garage in miserable temperatures, either hot or cold. I normally heat the garage with either a propane or kerosene unit in the winter and was thinking about getting a mobile air conditioning unit (kind of look like mini R2-D2s) and thought there HAS to be an easier way to get the garage nice and comfy in the winter and summer.

I started reading here about mini split units and thought that it was a pretty nifty idea! However, my garage does NOT have accessible exterior walls I can use to mount the head unit for that type of system. I have two exterior walls, one is the front of the house (nothing can be mounted in the front via HOA covenants) and the other is the garage doors.

I've already installed a large ceiling fan in the garage, it helps some, but it's simply not enough.

Am I relegated to using what I have (kerosene heater/ (future) portable AC unit) or is there hope for a mini split system?

This is an old photo taken when the house was being built, but ought to give an idea to what my wall limitations are, can I mount a unit in between the two HVAC units and pipe the warm/cool air into the garage without it be too fugly?

TIA!

 

[theoldwizard1]

Run the piping down into the floor, under the sill and then across the driveway to where your other AC units are. I would use DWV PVC as conduit. You may have to cut the line and braze in ore bent elbows. The only way I can imagine of installing the piping in the "conduit" is slice the PVC in half horizontally, glue the bottom half to the 2 straight runs, insert brazed elbow and glue the top half on.

 

[KnightFire]

Run the piping down into the floor, under the sill and then across the driveway to where your other AC units are. I would use DWV PVC as conduit. You may have to cut the line and braze in ore bent elbows. The only way I can imagine of installing the piping in the "conduit" is slice the PVC in half horizontally, glue the bottom half to the 2 straight runs, insert brazed elbow and glue the top half on.

Into the floor - Meaning into the concrete?

Under the sill - Which one? I'm assuming the smaller garage door, so I would be digging up driveway as well as the concrete floor?

Across the driveway - So I would have ducting going across the driveway, or under it?

Ore bent elbows - What are those?

I appreciate the response, but I couldn't make heads or tails of it. I'm not a plumber, electrician, HVAC installer, or any other type tradesman, please feel free to dumb it down to simpleton/laymen terms .

TIA!

 

[ttpete]

Once you find a place to put the outside unit, you'll have to figure out how to get the lines and wiring to the inside air handler. You can hang the air handler on any wall inside the garage. You might be able to put the outside unit on a pad next to your present A/C units and run the lines into the garage.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Into the floor - Meaning into the concrete?
Yep

Under the sill -

Anywhere along the front edge

Across the driveway - So I would have ducting going across the driveway, or under it?

Across. Yes, dig up the asphalt.

Ore bent elbows - What are those?

Should read "one or more pre-bent elbows"

If you don't want to see the lines (or a line cover) then you have to go underground. You might be able to hire a company to do horizontal boring so you don't have to dig up the driveway.

 

[dsimatt]

You don't have to put one on a external wall, you just need to be able to get the hoses and wires to the back on the unit like behind the drywall and figure out how to route the hoses outside.

 

[Wakepowell]

It looks to me like you could mount the air handler on the wall opposite the windows and place the condenser adjacent to your current ones. Use the line hide system to cover up the line sets and it would look nice and clean.

 

[Angelfire]

Into the floor - Meaning into the concrete?

Under the sill - Which one? I'm assuming the smaller garage door, so I would be digging up driveway as well as the concrete floor?

Across the driveway - So I would have ducting going across the driveway, or under it?

Ore bent elbows - What are those?

I appreciate the response, but I couldn't make heads or tails of it. I'm not a plumber, electrician, HVAC installer, or any other type tradesman, please feel free to dumb it down to simpleton/laymen terms .

TIA!

Not to belittle at all but just pointing out there is no ducting with these units....the condenser and evaporator are connected via copper tubing to carry the refrigerant only. That's one of the reasons these units are as efficient as they are. The unit outside does the compressing and the indoor unit then evaps and blows air across it. So no, you wouldn't be running any duct under your concrete/asphalt. There are plenty of line covers out there such that you could make it look pretty good just as Wakepowell indicated above.
Cheers.

 

[justinjoyal]

Going by the picture, i supose you could mount the interior unit somewhere over one of the garage doors and have the lineset run over the door on the outside, then down the side of it and then run it all the way to the exterior unit you could possibly place between your existing units.

 

[Jinks]

Place the compressor next to, or between, your existing compressors. Run the lines along the bottom of your siding to a point next to the small garage door. Enter the garage there. Mount the air handler on the wall opposite the windows. The gas lines can be surface mounted inside your garage, & the condensate line can follow them to the opening next to the garage door. The condensate only has to peek outside the garage so it can drip a little water. The H.O.A. will never notice.