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Split level house adding central air

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    Split level house adding central air

    So my house is a split level built in the late 60s and I am taking competitive bids for central air. I've been asking for quotes on conventional and split units. Planning on selling the house in the next couple of years so I am looking to do something marketable while also staying under $10k. Anyone got any thoughts?

    #2
    Depending on the room layout, quality of insulation and air sealing and current fuel ductless mini splits very well may be the way to go. Where you live you could run them for heat too and probably save a ton of cash in the winter. That is unless of course you're on line gas. The prices of line gas have fallen through the floor with all the fracking.

    Any way. Minni splits would also be MUCH more efficient for AC under all circumstances. For example: my mini splits are 26 SEER. Yes you read that right. 26 SEER. A retrofit POS system like a Unico will tally up to about 10 SEER once the usage of the (Insanely powerful) blower is taken into account. If you already have ductwork in place and are looking at that route (conventional split system) then you can pony up the extra few grand for a 19 SEER system over a regular 13 or so. Maybe they have higher than 19 now. I haven't looked into the regular ducted split systems in a few years since mini splits are eviscerating the market for them. I haven't had a single customer install a regular ducted split system in over 5 years. Same goes for ground source heat pumps. Mini splits have puled the rug out from under these markets.
    Originally posted by rprade
    There is no rhyme or reason to the anarchy a defective Z-Wave device can cause

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      #3
      That's good advice yeah I have no ductwork installed now. How much are the units for the rooms?

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        #4
        Originally posted by rprade
        There is no rhyme or reason to the anarchy a defective Z-Wave device can cause

        Comment


          #5
          in 2011 we installed a three zone mini split for the bedrooms and a single for our living area. Our main living area is a living room, kitchen and dining area all in one large room with a cathedral ceiling. I went with LG at that time because we had a professional relationship with the LG electronics side. Everything that S-F said is true, they were very easy to install. Since the outdoor units are pre-charged, you really only need nitrogen and a vacuum pump to get them plumbed. They just need a supply line, a return line, a 4-conductor control cable and condensate drainage. The drainage was the biggest challenge for our installation as the power and coolant lines came down from the attic.

          Service and parts for LG are a nightmare, so I probably wouldn't necessarily recommend that brand. Here in Colorado Mitsubishi seems to have the largest dealer/servicer base. By concept, regardless of the brand, I like the idea of mini-splits. Ours are relatively nice looking, they work extremely well, they are very energy efficient and quiet.
          HS4 Pro, 4.2.19.0 Windows 10 pro, Supermicro LP Xeon

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            #6
            Originally posted by rprade View Post
            Here in Colorado Mitsubishi seems to have the largest dealer/servicer base.
            Originally posted by rprade
            There is no rhyme or reason to the anarchy a defective Z-Wave device can cause

            Comment


              #7
              At the time I purchased mine the multi and single units were very close with the multi rated at 21.5 and the single at 20 SEER. There are now some brands rated at around 26 SEER but LG is still the same as when I purchased them, though they are a generation newer now. The single zone is 24,000 BTU rated, the multi is the same 24,000 BTU outdoor unit with 9+9+12 indoor air handlers.

              Our choice was based upon cooling as we already had a fairly efficient hydonic baseboard heating system. I have to admit I really haven't looked at the heat pumps to see if there is a sweet spot where they are more efficient than the baseboard. There probably is.

              Our climate usually gives us three months of serious heating, three months of intermittent air conditioning, then 3 months of intermittent heat following each of those.
              HS4 Pro, 4.2.19.0 Windows 10 pro, Supermicro LP Xeon

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