Ugly Mini Splits?

[momoney]

I'm contemplating installing a mini split on a brick house, but I'm having second thoughts about all the ugly routing of wires & line sets outside. Also, are the indoor wall mounted units considered an eyesore? Is it better to spend the extra money and get ceiling mounted cassettes? This would make for a cleaner install but require more work snaking through the attic.

 

[calmloki]

Much of that is addressed by thought and care. On the outside of our house we balanced interior placement with where that would put the exterior lines, then routed those lines to follow siding joints and run down corner trim boards. Paint to match the surface it's running on. Tough with brick, but I'm sure you have some trim boards. I think the inside units are ugly, but you can mount within 4-5" from the ceiling. Ours are at 4", move plenty of air and haven't croaked after four years use. Again, much thought about visual impact and line routing.

 

[Texas Proud]

Never had heard of the cassettes... but took a look and for me if I had to do split system I would go with them..

I do think the inside unit is an eyesore... BUT, I bet if you have them after awhile you just ignore them...

Not sure how easy it would be to put the stuff inside the walls... ours were put in when the house was built but it is very clean... we have a regular system..

 

[rk911]

Judge for yourself. We put in a mini-split in our enclosed porch. We don't think the wall unit is ugly and all of the hoses are concealed in a closet.

 

[old medic]

We put out inside unit mounted over the couch and painted the same as the wall... barely notice it. Outside we ran the lines in the crawl space and came up through the closet to the inside unit.
We did consider going with a ceiling cassette for each room to begin with but at 964 SqFt open floor plan didn't really need it.

 

[zinger1457]

PVC line covers, painted to match the house color, will hide the lines coming out of the wall to the outdoor unit pretty good. You can always shield the outdoor unit with plants or make/buy a small fence that goes around it.

 

[finnski1]

I don't know. I think my mini split wall unit actually looks pretty good. It blends in well wtih my linen white wall paint and is very nice to have. It's so quiet I can hear the tv perfectly mounted directly below it.

 

[Flyfish1]

We had one AC contractor suggest them throughout the house - I asked him to leave.
All rooms have attic access above so we ended up putting the air handlers in the attic and the compressor outside. They ran ducts to all the rooms and put in ceiling grills/ grates whatever they are called. There was one room downstairs that needed a unit and that got the wall mini split - but it's my wife's sewing room.
not sure that plan would work for your house but we are happy with it.

 

[Gremlin]

I'm contemplating installing a mini split on a brick house, but I'm having second thoughts about all the ugly routing of wires & line sets outside. Also, are the indoor wall mounted units considered an eyesore? Is it better to spend the extra money and get ceiling mounted cassettes? This would make for a cleaner install but require more work snaking through the attic.

Beauty, or an eyesore, is in the eye of the beholder. We have two, one in each bedroom, and I don’t think they are an eyesore. They allow us to cool or house with our solar system, so I think they are beautiful

 

[momoney]

Beauty, or an eyesore, is in the eye of the beholder. We have two, one in each bedroom, and I don’t think they are an eyesore. They allow us to cool or house with our solar system, so I think they are beautiful

I don't really care as long as we are comfortable and they are reliable and affordable. Just wondering if it's a plus or minus when it comes time to sell.

 

[JoeWras]

I'd say plus. It is better than the window unit the owner had in our house that I bought. And he took that with him! We knew there would be problems with this upper floor because of this. We toughed it out for a decade, then got a complete second unit put in the attic. Today, I'd consider a mini-split, although I admit having it all hidden away is nice. If there is easy access, it is worth considering the flush ceiling mounted mini-split. It isn't essential, just makes for more room. A wall mount is fine too depending on your wall space.

As for the outside routing, a good HVAC company will enclose it in a box conduit that looks a lot like a downspout. You'll barely notice if done well. A hack company can make it look like crap.

The big plus is both the outside condenser and inside units on mini splits are whisper quiet.

 

[G-Money]

This is one of the benefits of retrofitting mini splits. The refrigerant and drain lines can be run on exterior walls and punched through where you want the wall unit to be inside.

We just had one installed on a shop building and there was no avoiding running a large horizontal plastic conduit containing the lines on one of the exterior walls. Thankfully that's on a side that can't really be seen.

Cost/benefit...you have to decide. You can work with the installer to try to minimize the visual disruption of the exterior lines, but you're still going to see them.

Interior wall units don't bother me but I know people who would think they're an eyesore. Function > form, in my book.

 

[momoney]

The Midea inverter window AC units look impressive. Basically a mini split for your window. Literally one part of system on each side of the glass of your window. Super quiet as well. I'd probably go that route if I had adequate power throughout the house. Claim to use as little as 50W in night mode.

If they could make these with a heat pump and a similar install to a PTAC (like some hotels use for hvac in each room but they are noisy!), that would be the way to go. Super quiet, easily replaceable climate control system for every room. No more lumpy HVAC expenses unless they all fail at once.

 

[JoeWras]

The Midea inverter window AC units look impressive. Basically a mini split for your window. Literally one part of system on each side of the glass of your window. Super quiet as well. I'd probably go that route if I had adequate power throughout the house. Claim to use as little as 50W in night mode.

If they could make these with a heat pump and a similar install to a PTAC (like some hotels use for hvac in each room but they are noisy!), that would be the way to go. Super quiet, easily replaceable climate control system for every room. No more lumpy HVAC expenses unless they all fail at once.

I follow some maintenance forums and hotel guys can swap out a PTAC in 10 minutes. It is something they do all the time. But yeah, they are loud. I think concepts like mini splits and PTAC are the future for HVAC maintenance. Swap and move on. (Yes, mini splits are more complex, but could be made more easily swappable.)

 

[GenXguy]

The Midea inverter window AC units look impressive. Basically a mini split for your window. Literally one part of system on each side of the glass of your window. Super quiet as well. I'd probably go that route if I had adequate power throughout the house. Claim to use as little as 50W in night mode.

I have one of those but never used it at night. What you are describing is the U-shaped version, which is what I have (12,000 BTU). The only time it's used in the 50W range was with just the fan. With the compressor running, it varies, and I've seen it using about 1000 W late afternoon on a day in the mid to upper 90's. It's not so quiet with the compressor running faster and the fan on a higher speed. I used central air overnight.

 

[freedomatlast]

I've used mini-splits in properties I've owned, but only in instances where there was no existing ductwork to the areas that I wanted heated and air conditioned.

 

[rk911]

I don't really care as long as we are comfortable and they are reliable and affordable. Just wondering if it's a plus or minus when it comes time to sell.

In our case it will be a + since the room it is in is not and cannot be ducted.

 

[Markola]

We ended up this spring with mini splits installed in our upstairs bedrooms, and a high velocity system downstairs and in the basement. Why? Because the HVAC techs in all the local businesses are aging and they refuse to crawl in hot attics anymore to install or repair systems.

The mini splits are not beautiful but it is what it is.

 

[folivier]

IIRC one company a few years ago had an inside unit that could have a picture hung on it so it looked like a thick picture frame. I'll have to see if I can find it.
Here you go: LG Art Cool - LG Cooling

 

[sengsational]

The PVC line covers on the exterior brick might be considered an eyesore to some, I suppose. I can't imagine how someone would think the wall mounted evaporator would be all that much uglier than ceiling vents.

 

[JoeWras]

The PVC line covers on the exterior brick might be considered an eyesore to some, I suppose.

A proper painting of a similar brick color can do wonders for them too. It is a bit difficult to paint plastic correctly, but not impossible.

 

[Onda]

Yes, they are ugly — especially on an older or brick house where the exterior line-set covers can look like plastic plumbing strapped to the wall.

 

[wolf]

Been looking around myself. Just noticed. These widow airconditioner with heat pump. Seem pretty simple.
Are they any good. Anyone have experience with these. Thanks.

 

[momoney]

Been looking around myself. Just noticed. These widow airconditioner with heat pump. Seem pretty simple.
Are they any good. Anyone have experience with these. Thanks.

I don't know how good the heat pumps are in these. Last I checked the Midea only worked down to 41 degrees. May be fine in milder climates.

 

[goodtogo]

I self installed an 18000 btu mini split in my 3 car garage 4 years ago. It is quiet, efficient and I absolutely love it. It costs pennies a day to run. Has phone app to control it remotely which I use from time to time. Also heats efficiently if needed during our 2 weeks of cold weather winter. I would not hesitate to put these units in my house. They are a thing of beauty to me. So is a red fire extinguisher visible on the kitchen wall. If you are on the fence, please go check them out, you will be surprised how quiet they are.