What’s A Mini Split Ductless System? Are They Good?

Most home comfort systems follow the conventional form where an air conditioner outdoors is paired with a heating appliance (usually a furnace) indoors. The indoor unit circulates warm or cool air through ducts to every room in the house.

But what if your old home wasn’t built with ducts, doesn’t have the space to renovate and install ducts, or you want to add a room to the back of the house but no practical way to connect it to your existing duct work exists. A ductless system is the perfect solution.

How a ductless air conditioner works

A ductless system includes an indoor unit and an outdoor unit. But it doesn’t need the duct work to reach into the house and cool a group of rooms.

• The outdoor unit

The external piece of a ductless air conditioner is a small, quiet unit situated next to your home. Its job is to move heat to and from the outside air.

• The indoor unit

The indoor unit circulates conditioned air to make the room comfortable. With the right system up to five indoor units can share a single outdoor unit.

• Unobtrusive installation

These ductless setups bring cooling nearly anywhere, but require almost no modification to the room or envelope of your home. The indoor and outdoor units connect with one small refrigerant line, so only a small hole a few centimeters in diameter is needed. Furthermore, the indoor unit is designed to mount on the wall, often near the ceiling, without taking up much space and disrupting the flow of the room.

They’re very efficient

Ductless AC systems use inverter technology, allowing precise increases and decreases in cooling. Because they can precisely match demand with output, they can operate with extreme energy efficiency.

And you don’t have to waste energy cooling rooms you aren’t using. When you leave a room, turn the AC off. It’ll only take a minute or two to cool down again once you’re back.

They’re darn quiet

Despite their power and capability, ductless air conditioners run very quietly. You can read in peace or listen to the radio in the house without cranking it louder than the noisy window air conditioner you had last year.

Indoor units generate sound levels equivalent to a human whisper, and outdoor units are no louder than a conversation between two people.

Get a quote on an installed ductless AC system for your home

If you’re building an addition with no duct work or your charming old house doesn’t have  the infrastructure for it, this is the best way to stay cool while this heat holds on.

It’s already been a scorching summer. Stay cool for the rest of it with a ductless air conditioner.