Ductless mini-split systems have been around since 1959. They provide whole-house climate control without the need for HVAC air ducts. Much like central heating and cooling systems, in addition to regulating indoor temperatures, mini-splits filter the air and extract excess humidity. If you’re looking for an efficient way to cool your Chandler, AZ home, read on to find out why ductless ACs are increasingly popular.
Ductless Mini-Split Systems Are Unrivaled in Efficiency
Ductless mini-split air conditioners leverage a highly efficient heat transfer process. These units extract warm air from the interior of buildings, pass it over their cooling coils, and then funnel it back indoors after extracting its heat. In Chandler, a high-performing mini-split AC could maintain efficiency levels of 300% or higher. The best of these systems can produce three to four times as much cooled air as they consume in electricity.
What Is a Ductless Mini-Split System?
Ductless mini-split ACs are similar to central air conditioners. They have outdoor condenser/compressor units and indoor air handlers. However, while a central AC has a single air handler, a ductless mini-split can have two to eight. During mini-split installation, we divide homes into two or more cooling zones. We give each zone its own air handler and thermostat, and each zone is cooled and controlled independently of the others.
What’s the Difference Between a Ductless Mini-Split Heat Pump and a Ductless AC?
Throughout the nation, ductless mini-split systems are gaining popularity as whole-house heating and cooling solutions. While a ductless mini-split AC only provides cooling, a mini-split heat pump can work in reverse during winter to extract heat from the outdoor air and funnel it inside. If you already have a ducted furnace, a boiler, or radiant floor heating, a mini-split AC could round out your whole-house climate control plan.
Enjoy Ease of Maintenance With a Ductless Mini-Split
With a mini-split installed, you won’t have to pay for ductwork inspections, cleaning, repairs, or replacement. There are no HVAC air vents to dust off or vacuum behind, and you don’t have to load up on filter replacements. Each air handler comes with a pre-installed, washable filter. You only need to take these components out and wash them every two to three weeks. They last 12 months and only require replacement once annually.
Cater to the Unique Preferences and Needs of Each Household Resident
Among the most appealing attributes of ductless mini-split systems is their ability to create customized temperatures. If you have a fairly large household, you might deal with arguments about thermostat settings all the time. With a mini-split, each resident can create and maintain their preferred temperature in their immediate location or zone without altering the temperatures in other spaces. This also eliminates the need to cool down areas of your home that no one is using.
Sidestep the High Costs and Hassle of Ductwork Retrofitting
Many older homes were built without central HVAC ducting. In fact, even many newer homes with major structural modifications lack ductwork in multiple areas. Although there’s always the option of adding ductwork post-construction, ductwork retrofitting projects are often costly, invasive, and time-consuming. Post-construction ductwork is frequently difficult to hide, insulate, and seal, and it could leave you with less usable space overall.
By opting for a mini-split instead, you can avoid the added cost of ductwork retrofitting. Although mini-split systems are frequently cited as being more expensive than central ACs, they’re actually a lot cheaper to install in homes that require the addition of ductwork or major ductwork overhauls to support central AC.
Ductless Installation Is Minimally Invasive
Mini-split AC installation is minimally invasive. We install outdoor condenser/compressor units on level, stable concrete or composite pads. In each zone or room that gets an air handler, we drill a small hole in the exterior wall. These holes have diameters of just three inches or less, and we use them to pass wires and refrigerant lines to connect air handlers to outside condensers.
Indoor air handlers for mini-split systems are installed on ceilings or upper walls. These units have slim profiles and aesthetically pleasing designs. They’re also easy to use, and they come with their own remotes.
Cool Areas That Aren’t Serviced by Your Central AC
Homeowners in Chandler are increasingly choosing ductless mini-splits for whole-house cooling. However, they also work well in homes that already have central AC but lack service in remote areas. For instance, if you recently built an attached, in-law apartment or garden room, you can use a mini-split to keep this space cool without having to extend or otherwise modify your ducting. These units work well in finished basements and attic bedrooms too. With the addition of air filtration and humidity control, a ductless mini-split can turn a formerly uninhabitable space into a room that everyone loves using.
Add Ventilation to Closed-Off Areas
Mini-split systems are also popular additions to attached garages and freestanding workshops. If you love working on cars or engaging in hobbies that produce exhaust or other airborne toxins, you can ventilate your workspace with a ductless mini-split. Mini-split ACs function in several different modes and can provide cooling, moisture removal, or air exchange as needed.
Sidestep Duct-Related Energy Losses
According to the University of Florida, nearly 40% of the heating and cooling power of central HVAC systems is lost in their ducting. Whether aging, leaking, uninsulated, or unsealed, ductwork can deposit conditioned air into crawlspaces, behind drywall, and into dusty basement or attic areas. Comparatively, mini-split systems distribute conditioned air right where it’s produced. As soon as air passes over a mini-split’s refrigerant-filled coil, it’s pushed directly into rooms. This allows for faster cooling and lower energy bills.
Boost Your Indoor Air Quality With a Ductless Mini-Split
Having your conditioned air routed through long, complex duct systems can decrease indoor air quality (IAQ). Even with clean filters and regular HVAC maintenance, the ducting that supports central HVAC systems is often riddled with carpet and textile fibers, pet hair, human hair, and countless other allergens and contaminants.
Residential ducting is sometimes home to insects, rodents, and other pests that leave multiple forms of detritus behind. Whether riddled with mold or filled with pollen and dander, dirty ducting can leave everyone in your household struggling with uncomfortable, IAQ-related symptoms like sniffling, sneezing, coughing, headaches, and fatigue.
When HVAC ductwork ages and develops rips, tears, perforations, and other air leaks, it can also take unfiltered, indoor air in and distribute it throughout buildings. Worse still, this air is often collected from crawlspaces and basements that are rife with dust and other contaminants.
Is a Ductless Mini-Split AC Right for Your Home?
If you lack a central cooling system, installing a window AC is both inefficient and unsafe. Summertime temperatures in Chandler are simply too high to get by with these unreliable and notoriously low-performing units. Installing a ductless mini-split is a far better choice. Over time, it will prove more cost-effective as well. While a single window AC can only cool one to two rooms, a mini-split can cool every room in the building and with far less energy.
When accounting for both the up-front costs of cooling equipment and professional installation, mini-splits are actually cheaper than central ACs whenever major ductwork retrofitting is required. They’re also excellent additions to properties with existing, central cooling systems that have one or more remote rooms that don’t get adequate cooling.
We help residents of Chandler, AZ establish reliable, efficient cooling plans that suit their budgets and the needs of their households. We offer AC, heat pump, and furnace installation, maintenance, and repairs. We also provide ductless mini-split ACs, plumbing services, water softeners, and advanced IAQ improvements. To find out more or schedule an appointment, contact Emergency Air Heating Cooling & Plumbing today.
