Until about two years ago, I had never heard of ductless mini split systems.
Once I started looking into this modern heating/cooling innovation, I realized that I’d seen ductless units installed in restaurants, hotels, coffee shops and offices many times.
I just never paid any attention to the compact air handlers mounted up high on the wall. When my husband and I decided to convert a screened in porch on the back of the house into a bedroom, we had no clue how to handle temperature control. The existing ductwork doesn’t extend to this area. Our intention was to replace the screens with solid walls, insulate, run electricity and install a few windows. The entire project wasn’t overly difficult, messy or expensive. Figuring out temperature control was frustrating. We discussed the possibility of extending the duct system. However, this would have robbed us of valuable space, created a giant mess and significantly increased our expenses. I was unwilling to settle for space heaters and a window air conditioner. I started researching and came across ductless heat pumps. This has proven to be the ideal solution. A ductless heat pump consists of an outdoor compressor that links to an indoor air handler by way of a conduit. The setup requires little more than a three-inch hole in an exterior wall, access to electricity and mounting capabilities. The equipment is small, light weight and wonderfully quiet. The indoor air handler provides both heating and cooling capacity. It works by using refrigerant and moving existing heat between the indoors and outdoors. The unit we chose features inverter technology that allows the operation to automatically adjust output to the demands of the room.