The Amazing Mini Split

The larger casita needed a new heating and cooling system. The old furnace was kaput. So was the rooftop evaporative cooler. (More about that will be coming up soon.) My future granddaughter-in-law recommended a mini split. I had never heard of mini splits, but soon learned that they are heat pumps that sit outdoors and pipe refrigerant, either heated or cooled, directly into rooms. Originally engineered in Japan, where they are omnipresent, the technology is also widely used in Europe. The mini split is an incredibly efficient way to heat and cool a building. Running a single one-ton unit uses the same amount of electricity as a 60-watt light bulb.

Shortly after I arrived in February we got a bid on a Mitsubishi. The estimator thought it would cost $5,300, but when the bid arrived it was for $6,000 – far more than we had hoped. A second bid came in for Gree units. It was even higher, $7,500. This was looking bad. We got a third bid, this one for Lennox, which came in at $7,050.

I had the energy for just one more bid before capitulating. We contacted David at Accurate Air, and were happy when he bid $5,300 for installing two one-ton Daikin units.

The next day he and his assistant Alex started the installation. They drilled holes using the biggest drill bit I’ve ever seen.

They marched around on the roof to install the electrical lines.

They used a very large assortment of tools. Here they were cutting a pipe to the correct length.

They ran hoses to connect the heat pumps to the indoor converters.

They hung an indoor converter on the wall of each room.

Inside the indoor unit you can see the refrigerant rods that transfer warmth or coolth (I know that isn’t a word, but it should be) by conduction.

After two days' work, the job was finished. Both outdoor units are located in a space between the casita and a tall wall that I think of as the "alle." (The black wire on the right have to do with a satellite TV dish and will have to be removed.)

Last evening was quite chilly so I got to crank up the mini splits. They are fantastic. Air blowing from the indoor units was warm and like a very gentle breeze.

Using the portable remote controls (each room's unit is controlled independently), I could manage the temperature and direct the airflow up or down or anywhere in between. The system was so quiet I couldn’t tell whether it was running or not. The outdoor units are equally quiet.

I think mini splits are the cat’s meow.

Copyright 2015 by Shirley Domer