Considering mini splits for your home?
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So you’re looking for ways to keep your home in Jersey or Pennsylvania more comfortable all year-round, and maybe you’ve even heard of the comfort enhancing and energy saving benefits that a ductless mini split (also known as a ductless heat pump or mini split heat pump) can offer. If you’re like most homeowners we meet, you likely still have a lot of questions about mini splits, like “How does a mini split work?” or “Where should I install my ductless mini splits?”
Princeton Air has helped numerous homeowners throughout Mercer, Middlesex, and Somerset counties in NJ and Bucks County in PA install energy efficient ductless mini splits in their homes. Here are answers to your biggest mini split questions, including where to install a mini split.
How Ductless Mini Splits Work (& What Makes Them Ductless)
Ductless mini splits (or ductless heat pumps) are just like conventional heat pumps in that they provide both cooling and heating. They differ from conventional heat pumps, however, in that they do not connect to ductwork to deliver air throughout the home. Instead, one or more indoor air handlers are connected to the outside heat pump condenser via refrigerant lines, and the indoor air handlers provide targeted cooling and heating right where they are installed.
This means you can install an indoor air handler anywhere you want targeted home comfort. Install one air handler in a hard-to-condition room, or install multiple air handlers throughout your home to create a complete home comfort system. While one home may have just one indoor air handler in a new addition or in the room over the garage, for example, another home may have air handlers in the living room and every bedroom.
Where to Install a Mini Split (or Mini Splits) in Your Home
As we just mentioned, there are really two parts to a ductless mini split system: the indoor air handler(s) and the outdoor heat pump condenser. We have a few recommendations on where to install each of these system components.
Indoor Mini Split Unit(s)
You can install your indoor mini split units, or air handlers, anywhere you need targeted comfort — a hard-to-condition bedroom, a new addition that doesn’t have ductwork, your living room and kitchen, etc. Depending on your home comfort needs, you might install just one indoor unit, or you might end up installing several units.
Wherever you choose to install your mini split(s), keep in mind that every mini split installation location does need to be on an exterior wall — that is, a wall that runs along the exterior of your home. There should also be at least two inches of accessible space above each indoor unit.
Outdoor Condenser
Typically, the best location for a heat pump condenser is a shady area, away from direct sunlight. The condenser also needs to be installed directly on the side of or behind the home, away from any shrubbery or vegetation (which could interfere with airflow.) It may also be an option to mount the outdoor unit to an outside wall with stand-off mounting brackets. If you take this route with your condenser unit, you must ensure that there is at least five inches of space between the wall and the unit and at least 20 inches of space above it. Your Princeton Air heat pump installation technician can help you determine the best option for your mounting your new outdoor condenser.
Find Out What Mini Splits Will Look Like in Your Home
Wondering what a mini split heat pump system might look like in your home, or which places are best for heat pump placement? Get in touch with the home comfort experts at Princeton Air. As heating and cooling specialists serving central New Jersey and southeastern Pennsylvania, we understand what it takes to keep local homes comfortable. Plus, as a Home Performance with ENERGY STAR (HPwES) certified contractor, you can trust that our home comfort solutions keep you comfortable while also helping you save on energy.
