ctechbob
Well-known member
I'd mentioned this in another thread but as I just completed it today...well, it must be talked about.
We updated the heat pump in the house a few years back from a 12 SEER model to a 16 SEER one. At the time, I declined to have the ductwork redone because I felt like the quotes I was getting to do it were a bit obscene. As in, the new system was $4k and pretty much everyone wanted from $3k-6k just to fix the ductwork in the house so that the master bedroom (Furthest point from the handler) would cool properly.
Not wanting to spend that, I've made do for the last few years with a window unit that I would install in the spring and remove in the fall. Luckily it hides behind a bush and you can't see it from the street, so the neighbors have never complained. If I didn't work at night and sleep in the day it would probably be less of an issue, but it can get up to about 78 deg in the room and I just can't sleep being that warm. (Also, the window unit doesn't do anything for heat in the winter)
I finally bit the bullet and installed a 12,000 BTU mini split in the master bedroom. At 19 SEER2 it is more efficient than the whole house unit and I figure I will run it hard in the summertime to supplement the cooling on this end of the house and still come out ahead on the electric usage. Helps that my EMC will give me a $200 rebate, and the feds will kick in another ~$220ish at the end of the year, so even with buying a pump and gauge set, I'll still be all-in for just over $300. You can't get a good window unit for that, and this thing is SUPER quiet and should spank just about every window unit when it comes to efficiency.
Not all that hard of a job, the hardest part is wrangling the line set by yourself. Most everything else is just nuts, bolts, wires, keeping everything clean, and paying attention to what you are doing.
(Yes, I know I need to wash my siding, it is just about that time of year to break out the pressure washer)
I call the install 'code enough'. From the street it looks like a company did it, but there were probably rules broken.
We updated the heat pump in the house a few years back from a 12 SEER model to a 16 SEER one. At the time, I declined to have the ductwork redone because I felt like the quotes I was getting to do it were a bit obscene. As in, the new system was $4k and pretty much everyone wanted from $3k-6k just to fix the ductwork in the house so that the master bedroom (Furthest point from the handler) would cool properly.
Not wanting to spend that, I've made do for the last few years with a window unit that I would install in the spring and remove in the fall. Luckily it hides behind a bush and you can't see it from the street, so the neighbors have never complained. If I didn't work at night and sleep in the day it would probably be less of an issue, but it can get up to about 78 deg in the room and I just can't sleep being that warm. (Also, the window unit doesn't do anything for heat in the winter)
I finally bit the bullet and installed a 12,000 BTU mini split in the master bedroom. At 19 SEER2 it is more efficient than the whole house unit and I figure I will run it hard in the summertime to supplement the cooling on this end of the house and still come out ahead on the electric usage. Helps that my EMC will give me a $200 rebate, and the feds will kick in another ~$220ish at the end of the year, so even with buying a pump and gauge set, I'll still be all-in for just over $300. You can't get a good window unit for that, and this thing is SUPER quiet and should spank just about every window unit when it comes to efficiency.
Not all that hard of a job, the hardest part is wrangling the line set by yourself. Most everything else is just nuts, bolts, wires, keeping everything clean, and paying attention to what you are doing.
(Yes, I know I need to wash my siding, it is just about that time of year to break out the pressure washer)
I call the install 'code enough'. From the street it looks like a company did it, but there were probably rules broken.
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