Pros and Cons of a Duxbury Ductless Heating and Cooling System

Have you considered going duct-free to heat or cool your space? Get the lowdown on when these systems are the right choice and what to expect when you install them. Duxbury Ductless HVAC (or mini-split) systems are beautifully effective and provide consistent comfort in rooms. Nevertheless, for every homeowner, the decision to build is different.

The Pros of a Duxbury Ductless System

Typically a ductless heat pump or air conditioner consists of a wall-mounted indoor unit combined with an external compressor. It is most often used in a situation where you would consider window AC units or baseboard heating, such as a new addition to a house. Unlike window units, however, ductless systems only require a very small hole to be cut into the wall, making them less vulnerable to air leakage and security issues. These are however less noticeable and less audible.

They are exceedingly energy-efficient too. You lose 25 percent or more of your energy in the average house to ductwork. You’ll end up with a more efficient system by simply removing the ducts. Ductless models also have inverter-driven compressors, which speed up and slow down depending on the system ‘s needs rather than shut down completely like conventional HVAC compressors. During compressor startup, you consume a lot of resources.

Duxbury Ductless AC

One of the advantages of having ductless heating and cooling systems is that they have super-flexible solutions. While traditional heat pumps and central air-conditioning systems force cooled and heated air through ducts, ductless heating and cooling systems directly deliver air into various zones. They consist of a small outdoor unit and one or more indoor units that require nothing but mounting capabilities and electricity access. They can be installed in home additions, new construction, condominiums, and apartments, or to improve temperature control in specific rooms. Ductless systems can even be fit for buildings that currently use ducted forced-air systems.

The Cons of a Duxbury Ductless System

To most homeowners, there are three strikes against ductless: upfront expense, daily maintenance, and aesthetics. There is a fourth factor for those in extremely cold climates: if you want ductless power, you’ll definitely need a fuel-based backup, but some newer models can handle the load even if the time falls below zero.

The ductless units cost many times more than equivalent window units or baseboard heating systems (thousands of dollars versus hundreds) for a single-room solution. And in whole-house terms, if you replace the current central heating/cooling system with a complete ductless solution, you will pay the cost of actually replacing it with another ductless unit two or three times as much. In return, you can get lower energy bills, but the payback period depends on your environment, your device use, and your local electricity prices.

Calculations

To do the calculation it is recommended consulting a professional trade group such as your local chapter of the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) or the Refrigeration Service Engineers Society (RSES), to find a reputable HVAC contractor. Also, the contractor should be familiar with the system size, and whether ductless heat may require additional support in your area.

You’ll need to wash the filter of each unit monthly to maintain your system (more often if you smoke or have pets). Don’t skip it: ductless fans can’t handle accumulating debris, and if you ignore maintenance and require professional cleaning, you’ll spend hundreds of dollars and possibly shorten your system ‘s life.

Many homeowners hesitate to install ductless due to the fact that the units are not necessarily designed user-friendly. They come in standard white or beige and are not coverable. Ductless customers who are initially hesitant due to aesthetics complain that they forget the device is still there after installation.

What’s the Ideal Situation for Duxbury Ductless

Depending on the construction of your home, ductless systems can make sense for a variety of applications, including full-house heating and refrigeration. But there are certain situations where ductless has a clear advantage:

• Downsizing efforts for larger homes. A lot of retirees don’t want to heat and cool rooms they don’t use. But sometimes in empty spaces, they shut down HVAC grilles, causing pressure imbalances and molding problems. Installing a ductless system in, say in the master bedroom is far better, and setting the main thermostat of the house to run minimally.
• New additions: garage apartments, bonus rooms, sunrooms. And man caves. If you smoke cigars in there, you’re not going to share ductwork with the rest of the house.” The main advantage of ductless here is that it will be properly sized for the new space and will not steal air from other rooms or overload your old HVAC.
• Giving support to a room with specific heating/cooling problems. If you have a tiny kitchen with a giant stove, a southwest view, and big picture windows, a ductless unit will make your July Fourth party far less sweaty without the need to install new ductwork.
• Serving multiple needs under one roof. Will your family fight over the thermostat all the time? Ductless is perfect for creating separate temperature zones in different rooms, and while in a conventional ducted system, you can add zoning, it won’t be as effective.
• Adding Duxbury AC to a house with no existing ductwork. Ductless isn’t cheap, but it’s less expensive than adding ductwork to an existing house.

Go with a Good Contractor

Proper sizing and installation of the system is absolutely critical to obtaining the presumed benefits of a ductless system. Given the prospect of a DIY solution, we advise against it as you are likely to void the guarantee. Ductless will never work properly if the system is of the wrong size, the penetration of the wall is not properly sealed or the sensitive electronics are mishandled. And you need to be able to handle the refrigerant according to EPA guidelines.

The extra money you spend on getting a pro doing the job is worth it. Expect the job to take about three to seven hours to install a single unit in a single room (assuming there are no complicated construction problems with your house). Numerous rooms and difficult construction can force up to a week in installation time.

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