Consider Installing Ductless Mini Splits in Your Home

A central HVAC system is the most common way to keep a home comfortable year-round, but it’s not always feasible, especially in older homes without pre-existing ductwork. A ductless mini split system could be a solution to this problem, offering unparalleled flexibility and efficiency.

How Ductless Systems Keep Your Home Warm

A ductless mini split system uses the same technology that makes it possible for central HVAC systems to provide reliable warmth to your living spaces. Ductless heat pumps pull latent heat from outdoor air and transfer that heat into your home.Ductless heat pumps can also be paired with radiant panels, hydronic and other supplemental heating systems for those periods when temperatures drop below freezing.

Reasons to Consider Installing One

Ductless systems are ideal in cases where installing a duct system for a central HVAC system would either be cost prohibitive or simply impossible. Older homes and small apartments can definitely benefit from having a ductless system installed, since there’s no ductwork needed.

Ductless systems also offer better security than window-mounted air conditioner units. Instead of having an A/C unit occupy an entire window, a ductless air handler only needs a small hole for its plumbing to pass through. This removes a rather common entry point for burglars.Last but not least, most ductless heating and cooling systems are easier and less expensive to install than a traditional central HVAC system. Ductless systems also use less energy, translating into big savings for homeowners.

To learn more about installing a ductless system in your home, contact Air Assurance. We've served the Broken Arrow area for 30 years.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Gladskikh Tatiana/Shutterstock”

Ductless Mini Splits: Options to Enhance Your Comfort and Convenience

Ductless mini splits deliver comfortable heating and cooling solutions with convenient installation options for a host of applications. If you’re looking for practical alternatives for your remodel, new addition or new energy-efficient home, explore the many benefits of going ductless.

Ductless Mini Split ConfigurationsDuctless mini splits are compact air-source heat pumps and cooling-specific systems that utilize a thin conduit to connect the outdoor unit to the indoor air-handlers for convenient and efficient conditioning without the ducts. Ductless systems are available in the following configurations.

• Single-zoned (the mini): Classic ductless mini splits provide heating and cooling for a single room or zone.

• Multi-zoned: Two or more air-handlers heat and cool multiple rooms.

• Flex-zoned (mini-duct): This configuration uses a small duct run to provide heating and cooling to two or more zones from one air-handler.

• Modular: A modular system consists of several air-handlers connected to two or more outdoor units. This configuration is ideal for commercial and whole-home conditioning.

Installation Options

The flexible conduit is concealed within walls, crawl space and/or the attic for better aesthetics, and for easily connecting the outdoor unit and indoor air-handlers. The outdoor unit(s) may be strategically located, too, for aesthetics and convenience. The air-handlers offer multiple installation options inside the home in the following installs.

• High wall: Located high on walls out of foot traffic, this installation is perhaps the simplest and most popular among homeowners.

• Universal (floor, low wall or ceiling): Mounting is also available for low wall with clearance for a vacuum cleaner, floor console and ceiling mounted (floor and ceiling mounted options should include airflow enhancements that increase comfort and efficiency depending on heating and cooling cycles).

• Ceiling cassette: This option is aesthetically pleasing. Only the supply outlet is visible, as the air-handler is hung flush in a drop ceiling, or concealed in attic space.

• Slim duct: The slim duct is concealed within a ceiling, wall or floor. It uses a slim duct run with a supply outlet and return grille installed flush.

For more information about installation options for ductless mini splits in your Tulsa area home, contact Air Assurance today.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). 

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Ductless Mini Splits: Learn How to Use Them During Cooler Weather

Ductless Mini Splits: Learn How to Use Them During Cooler Weather

More people are turning to ductless mini splits as an efficient way to condition spaces without the use of ductwork. While their ability to cool is a given, in climates where winter temperatures fall below 30, like ours do occasionally, the mini split may have to work harder to keep your room or space comfortable. These tips can help you improve the performance of your mini split when temperatures fall:

• Place the indoor air handler approximately 18 inches off the floor. Heat rises and if the air handler sits high on the wall or hangs from the ceiling, the air will be colder near the floor and in the mid-levels in the room. If your system has already been installed and it would be difficult to move the air handler, consider hanging a ceiling fan with a reversible switch to move the heated air down toward the floor to increase comfort.

• Do what you can to make the space more energy efficient. All ductless mini splits perform better when the heating load is lower. Adding more insulation to the attic will help, as will sealing air leaks and tending to the windows. Hanging thermal drapes will cut the amount of heat that moves through the glass, as will installing thermal or Energy Star windows.

• If you're installing a new mini split, choose a unit that has a high HSPF (heating season performance factor). The minimum is 7.7, but units are available that surpass 10 HSPF. Mini splits with scroll compressors provide more heat than those with a standard compressor.

• Keep snow away from the outdoor condenser by either building a shelter over the top, allowing plenty of space above and beside it for air circulation.

• Keep the air filter clean and follow the maintenance schedule the manufacturer recommends for evaporator and condenser coil cleaning, along with professional maintenance. A clean filter and evaporator coil promote efficient heating.

To learn more about getting the most out of ductless mini splits during cold weather, contact Air Assurance. We've provided trusted HVAC services for the Broken Arrow area since 1985.Normal0falsefalsefalseEN-USX-NONEX-NONE/* Style Definitions */table.MsoNormalTable{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;mso-style-noshow:yes;mso-style-priority:99;mso-style-parent:"";mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;mso-para-margin:0in;mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). 

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Ductless Mini Splits Offer 5 Worthwhile Benefits For Broken Arrow Area Homeowners

Ductless mini splits are the result of technological advancements in heating and cooling that allow homeowners to deliver conditioned air into nearly any space. Long used in other countries like Japan and Europe, ductless mini splits are gaining ground in the U.S. for good reason. Learn their  advantages, and then give mini splits a second look when upgrading.

• Easy installation – Ductless systems deliver conditioned air into the home with individual air handlers installed in each room, instead of relying on ducts. Therefore, mini splits can go where ductwork can’t. One outdoor condenser connects to four indoor air handlers, which can be installed high up on walls or tucked into dropped ceilings. Floor-standing models are also available.

• Efficiency – Ductless mini splits score high in efficiency, with Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) ratings that are competitive with central air conditioning. Further, mini splits often reach higher operational efficiencies, because they aren’t subject to the energy losses from ductwork.

• Two-in-one – Purchase a ductless mini split heat pump, and you’ll get a two-in-one system that provides both heating and cooling. Heat pumps source heat in the air, and then move it into the home, and they provide efficient cooling in the summer, and heating in winter when temperatures are above freezing.

• Zoning – With individual air handlers installed in the rooms, you can control the output of each one separately. As a result, ductless mini splits are a type of zoning system, allowing you to keep the heating on in one space, while turning off the heating in unused spaces.

• Comfort – Often, home design leads to differing heating and cooling loads in various rooms of the home. For optimal comfort, some rooms require more conditioned air than others, and ductless systems allow you to control how much conditioned air each room receives. This is an advantage when installed, for instance, on the second floor, where rooms require less heating and more cooling than the first floor to stay comfortable.

For more information about ductless mini splits, contact Air Assurance Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing. We've served homeowners in greater Broken Arrow for nearly 30 years.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Image courtesy of Shutterstock

Ductless Mini Splits: 6 Benefits And Year-Round Comfort, Too

If you have a space in your home that's difficult to heat or cool, or you're planning an addition to your home, consider ductless mini splits. These systems are heat pumps that don't require any ductwork to distribute the conditioned air. These systems remove the heat from your home in the summer and harvest it from the air outdoors in the winter to heat your home. These systems provide these benefits:

1. Easy installation. The two components of mini splits are the indoor air handler and the outdoor condenser. They connect with a conduit that carries the refrigerant, power supply and drain pipe.

2. Space-saving. Since ductless mini splits don't use ducts, they free up space, an important consideration if you're planning an addition and don't want to lose space to house ductwork.

3. Energy efficient. Mini splits have to meet the same energy efficiency standards as heat pumps. The cooling efficiency must meet 13 SEER (seasonal energy efficiency ratio) and the heating minimum is 7.7 HSPF (heating season performance factor). In our region, choosing a mini split that has a scroll compressor increases the heating capacity, along with the HSPF, which can increase the heat by 10 to 15 degrees. Each air handler has its own temperature controls, making this type of system even more energy efficient, since you can shut off the conditioning for rooms you're not using. Most systems achieve 16 SEER plus, and some even reach over 20!!

4. Versatile. The air handlers can sit on the floor, be placed on a wall or hung from the ceiling. Larger condensers can support up to four separate air handlers, making it possible to extend your system in the future.

5. Quiet. Most of the noise a mini split creates is outdoors and since they don't require ductwork, there's no noise created by air rushing through ducts.

6. Secure. Unlike wall or window air conditioners, there's no possibility of anyone intruding into your home through the small hole for the conduit.

If you'd like to learn more about ductless mini splits, contact Air Assurance. We've provided HVAC services for Broken Arrow for more than 30 years.Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Image courtesy of Shutterstock

Why Would You Want Ductless Mini Splits?

If you are considering adding more air conditioning to your home or cooling rooms not currently part of the duct network, it may be more difficult and expensive than you realize. You could opt for a less costly window unit, but they can be noisy and unattractive. If you're looking for a way to add cooling to a space without installing ducts or settling for less, ductless mini splits offer a versatile, middle-of-the-road option with more than a few benefits.

• Ductless – Unlike a central air unit, mini splits do not hook into a duct system. This makes them an optimal choice for add-ons or areas that do not have ductwork.

• Quiet – Window air conditioners tend to be noisy. A ductless mini split has two separate parts, with the noisiest piece, the condenser, sitting outside the structure. This allows for quieter operation than you get with a traditional window unit.

• Energy efficiency – Leaky ductwork can lose as much as 20 percent of conditioned air, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Ductless mini splits do not work with ducts, so there is no wasted energy as air passes into your living spaces.

• Security – With a window unit, you are opening a space that might give intruders easy access to your home. Ductless mini splits require just a small hole to run tubing through. The tube connects the outside condensing unit to the indoor air handler.

• Zoning – As many as four air handlers can run off of one outdoor unit, and since each air handler has its own thermostat, ductless mini splits allow you to condition specific areas or zones. Why spend the money to cool a space no one is using?

Easy installation, security, quiet operation, efficiency and no need for ductwork -- all these features add up to savings and convenience for homeowners. Contact us for more information on purchasing and installing ductless mini splits. Air Assurance has more than 30 years of experience serving residents of the Tulsa and Broken Arrow areas.Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Air Assurance services Tulsa, Broken Arrow and the surrounding areas. Visit our websiteto see our current promotionsand get started today!     

The Ductless Mini Split: A Heating And Cooling Solution That's Mini In Name Only

The ductless mini-split system is a good option for homeowners looking to add heating and cooling capabilities to a new or remodeled space. With the power of an efficient heat pump behind the mini split, this system offers a multitude of benefits.A low-cost optionA ductless mini-split system provides heating and cooling solutions where implementing traditional systems would be cost prohibitive. Retrofitting ductwork is often an expensive undertaking, requiring that tricky modifications be made to your existing system so that heating and cooling capabilities can be extended beyond the original system’s design. But because the mini split doesn’t require ducts, it can be installed in almost any existing, new or remodeled room. The mini split can also be used to add air conditioning to just a few rooms, particularly useful in scenarios where adding central air isn’t cost feasible.FlexibilityA ductless mini-split heat pump is somewhat like a central air system. It has a single outdoor compressor and up to four indoor units, which are connected via a central conduit. In that way, you can add heating and cooling to four separate spaces of your choosing.SavingsEach indoor unit is operated individually; therefore, you can operate each unit as needed, and shut them off when those rooms aren’t in use. Whereas a central A/C unit would deliver air throughout the home, you can selectively use a ductless mini-split to cool a closed-in porch space, only when you use it.InstallationInstalling a ductless mini split is fairly easy, although an expert HVAC contractor should do the job. It will involve minimal modifications to your home. All that’s required is a small hole to guide the conduit from each indoor air handler to the outdoor system, which can be located up to 50 feet from the compressor.Get the comfort you deserve with a two-in-one system that fits the unique requirements of your home. If you have questions about the ductless mini split and you’d like to talk to a professional, contact Air Assurance Heating, Cooling & Air Quality -- serving homeowners in the Greater Broken Arrow area for more than 30 years.Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  Air Assurance services Tulsa, Broken Arrow and the surrounding areas. Visit our websiteto see our current promotionsand get started today!     Solution image via Shutterstock

Get Central Air In Tough-To-Reach Spots Through A Ductless Mini-Split

When adding air conditioning to a new space, such as an addition to your home or a building that was not designed with central air conditioning in mind, you may find it difficult to reach some rooms with traditional air ducts. A central air conditioning system does have its limitations, especially when you are dealing with limited space available for the bulky air handler and ducts. In those cases, ductless mini-splits may provide a solution. From the outside, ductless mini-splits look like any other air conditioning system, as they utilize a single outdoor heat pump or compressor unit. And, on the inside, they also use air-handler units to cool and blow the air, just like in a central air system. The big difference is that instead of one large, central air handler, a ductless mini-split system uses multiple "mini" ones. Instead of being centrally located and distributing the air through ducts, each mini air handler is physically located at the room or rooms it is designed to cool. Since each unit can blow cooled air directly into the room, they are "ductless".The main benefit to this is that ductless mini-splits are easier to install, especially in those tough-to-reach spots. Instead of bulky ducts, mini-splits require only a thin conduit be installed to carry the refrigerant to and from the outdoor unit. The conduits can be as long as 50 feet, allowing you to reach the more distant parts of your house.Ductless mini-splits also provide better comfort, and more control. Since each room or zone has its own independently-controlled cooling unit, with its own thermostat, you can ensure there are no rooms that are too hot or too cold. This also saves energy, as you can adjust the thermostat for rooms that are not currently in use. The lack of ducts also aids in efficiency.In fact, many of these units are 30-50% more efficient than standard central units.These are great for bonus rooms, garages, patio rooms, etc.To learn more about ductless mini-splits, and whether they may be right for your home, contact the Tulsa/Broken Arrow mini-split experts at Air Assurance. We would be happy to answer whatever questions you may have.Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information, click here. Air Assurance services Tulsa, Broken Arrow and the surrounding areas. To get started, check out our website or see our current promotions.