minisplit for a large area

[pinkchry]

Curious about how a minisplit works for a small area vs a large area. Does one need extra circulation to ensure the entire area is evenly heated/cooled?

To be more specific, I'm considering installing a minisplit for a family room which is around 300 sq ft. However the room is open to other areas in the house which all together total about 1000 sq ft. If I don't particularly care about how fast the entire area gets heated/cooled is it okay to go with a large sized minisplit that will cover the entire area as opposed to one that is only sized for the room in question.

The minisplit will be used as an auxilliary air conditioner as it's all electric and I have a solar installation which hopefully will make the power it uses "free"

Thanks!

 

[justinjoyal]

What connects that room to the rest of the house ?

If it’s a standard doorway dont size the unit for the whole house. It will cool the small room too fast and then throttle down.

If there is a large transition space between both spaces you can go bigger.

 

[pinkchry]

A couple of openings - one's directly to the kitchen that's doorway sized and the other is abour 4.5 feet wide that leads to a 3ft hallway that connects to the rest of the house.

I gathered from reading other posts on this sub-forum that it might be okay to oversize the minisplit. I'm in Nor Cal and this is going to be supplemental heating/cooling for the lower level of the house.

Thanks!

 

[theoldwizard1]

To be more specific, I'm considering installing a minisplit for a family room which is around 300 sq ft. However the room is open to other areas in the house which all together total about 1000 sq ft. If I don't particularly care about how fast the entire area gets heated/cooled is it okay to go with a large sized minisplit that will cover the entire area as opposed to one that is only sized for the room in question.

Any 1000 sq ft area heated/cooled by one source is going to be "challenged" ! With one source that 1000 sq ft will NEVER be at a consistent temperature unless you have a couple of fans.

While more expensive, you are much better off buying 2 independent mini-splits instead of one large one. Two independent ones, instead of 2 air handlers driven off of the same compressor, are more efficient and will be less expensive to operate.

 

[Kaizen]

Obviously the further out rooms will be warmer but with ceiling fans going it will be close. I have one 12k in a 15x12 room with four rooms off of it. Total about 600 sq ft. It cools the whole place nicely in the hot days.
I’m guessing it would be difficult for you to install two heads due to the setup?


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[pinkchry]

Good to hear your experience.

It's mainly a question of optimizing the one unit I'm thinking of installing. If it can heat/cool the far off rooms somewhat - that would be better and the incremental cost in getting a 18k or 24k unit vs a 12k unit is not that much.

 

[Jackfre]

We do not have a clear idea of the lay-out so at this point... kaizen is fortunate that it is working so well, but his positioning of the equipment had to be right on the money, and good for him. However, As the factory rep I was called out on dozens of sizing and positioning errors. Justin and TOW1 are correct. Trying to fit your expected comfort into your comfortable budget may work. More likely it will not Just be careful! Get a few quoted from good people and just let them tell you how they would do it. You can easily find a contractor who will agree with you but you may find yourself pissed off at them and the lack of comfort.

 

[Kaizen]

Good to hear your experience.

It's mainly a question of optimizing the one unit I'm thinking of installing. If it can heat/cool the far off rooms somewhat - that would be better and the incremental cost in getting a 18k or 24k unit vs a 12k unit is not that much.

If you can run a dual head unit I would. Most likely will be less of a load for the solar. I was limited by budget and wallspace. Mine works very well and it’s a cheap diy unit


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[pinkchry]

Thanks Jackfre. I'm cognizant of the fact that a single minisplit is not adequate for a single level (otherwise they would be used all over!) In my mind it's a gray area where a larger unit could provide adequate cooling over most of the level or not. Given an installation cost of $5k I was quoted for a 12k unit, it's a question of whether the benefit of somewhat cooling a larger area is worth the incremental cost of $200-$500 for a larger unit.

Obviously I'm only getting black/white answers from the HVAC guys. It's either one unit for the room or multiple units for each of the areas which is cost prohibitive.

Thanks for responding!

 

[MattT]

It's mainly a question of optimizing the one unit I'm thinking of installing. If it can heat/cool the far off rooms somewhat - that would be better and the incremental cost in getting a 18k or 24k unit vs a 12k unit is not that much.

12K will probably be oversized, but close enough to work OK, for the 300 sq ft room. It may even be enough for the entire 1,000 sq ft depending on your building and where you are in Nor Cal. Based on your description of the layout I doubt you could use more than 12K even if the building required it.

 

[finn]

Our mini split has a head mounted in the 22x24 foot living room with 16’ cathedral ceiling and a southern exposure double height window wall.

The room is connected to a 16x22’ kitchen via a 5’ opening.

The unit cools the living room fine, but has a problem keeping the kitchen temperature under control, primarily because of airflow constraints imposed by the limited opening between the rooms.

A fan in the kitchen may help.

Our summers are mild, so we live with the temperature delta. It’s tolerable to us.

If we had severe temperatures, I would go with a second unit in the kitchen.

Two units are more efficient than multi head units, and cheaper.

 

[justinjoyal]

Thanks Jackfre. I'm cognizant of the fact that a single minisplit is not adequate for a single level (otherwise they would be used all over!) In my mind it's a gray area where a larger unit could provide adequate cooling over most of the level or not. Given an installation cost of $5k I was quoted for a 12k unit, it's a question of whether the benefit of somewhat cooling a larger area is worth the incremental cost of $200-$500 for a larger unit.

Obviously I'm only getting black/white answers from the HVAC guys. It's either one unit for the room or multiple units for each of the areas which is cost prohibitive.

Thanks for responding!

5k for a 12k mini-split... Is it gold plated ? They cook you a steak while they install it ?

 

[pinkchry]

5k for a 12k mini-split... Is it gold plated ? They cook you a steak while they install it ?

I know. That's the price from a couple of contractors here in the bay area. I'm considering the Mr. Cool DIY because that'll be about $1000 and I can mostly do the self install except for the electrical work.

I'd like to go with a professional install but the prices are ridiculous.