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Motel AC/heat units

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bams50

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Hopefully this hasn’t already been discussed but I wouldn’t even know what to look for, so here I go.

I just had an office built for my business. The only thing I have not figured out yet is heating/cooling. The size is only 13 1/2 ft. square. I want electric for simplicity sake. I thought one of those low mounting units like you find in motel rooms would be ideal. I’m not going to need Very heavy cooling or heat. One of those would be plenty.

So far I haven’t been able to find much information to educate myself. I found a company that calls them PTAC, and they look like what I am looking for, but none of them say if they also have heat.

Cutting a hole in the wall for a regular air conditioner is not practical in this case, and it doesn’t address the times heat is needed.

Do you any of you have any knowledge or information on these things?
 
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firebirdparts

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They tend to have heat strips (you know, electric resistance) and an air conditioner. You can probably find one that's got a heat pump in it, but that hasn't been the default.

I don't live near Menards, but they actually carry them in the store, I think
 
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Notgrownup

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I have both, I have a PTAC heat pump in my sunroom, I bought the most efficient unit I could and it’s still not as efficient as my 18000 btu heat pump mini split in my shop.
The reason I went with PTAC is space...It heats and cools great, don’t get me wrong,it didn’t break the bank and the light bill. Just not as efficient.
 
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MattT

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justinjoyal said:
Mini-split system. An indoor head and an outdoor unit.

More expensive than a PTAC but a much better choice IMO.
Click to expand...

More money up front but the running costs are lower, especially for heat. If/when the OP breaks even will depend on how much he pays for the equipment and installation. That could run anywhere from high hundreds to a few grand.
 
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yeldogt

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PTAC typically have a sleeve that gets installed in the wall and the unit slides in -- they work off 220. They do make heat pump versions -- using a heap pump version will cut the electric use as the others have simple resistance heat.

If you can't make a hole for the sleeve -- so the unit can access outside air -- the PTAC will not work.

One of my places has a small writers cabin that a previous owner built --- it has a 12k mini. may be your best bet as you can mount the compressor outside and run the lines to the office
 
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LS6 Tommy

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SALIV8 said:
I’d recommend a mini split for efficiency, modulation capabilities, and aesthetics/noise.
Click to expand...

X2. I'm not a big fan of PTACs. They're kind of a PITA to service and the pan/chassis on almost all of them eventually rust out.

Tommy
 
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bams50

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Thank you again for everyone who took the time to comment. I am learning!

In my case I have a perfectly good spot where it would be no problem to cut a vent through the wall. At least that part would not be an issue.

Whatever I do I definitely do not want gas. Where the office is there is no natural gas, it has to be LP, which is expensive and another bill and another thing to keep track of. For the size of the room in the amount of usage, electric will be the way to go.
 
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2level

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My two PTAC heat pumps are 10+ years old and still going strong. No service ever needed other than cleaning. The wall sleeves are plastic so no rust concerns.
 
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yeldogt

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bams50 said:
Thank you again for everyone who took the time to comment. I am learning!

In my case I have a perfectly good spot where it would be no problem to cut a vent through the wall. At least that part would not be an issue.

Whatever I do I definitely do not want gas. Where the office is there is no natural gas, it has to be LP, which is expensive and another bill and another thing to keep track of. For the size of the room in the amount of usage, electric will be the way to go.
Click to expand...

What's your electric rate ..?

There are many buildings that use them -- the main complaint is often the noise that some of them make. But, the new ones are much better.

Paying more for a heat pump version is dependent on use and electric rates -- it's math.
 
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