A ductless heat pump, also called a mini-split heat pump, is an efficient and convenient way for homeowners who don’t have ductwork to heat and cool their home. Unlike central air conditioning systems, which feed air through a system of ducts and vents, ductless systems are installed directly in the room they’re intended to heat or cool.
The smallest and most basic ductless heat pumps are single-zone mini split heat pumps and include just one indoor unit and one outdoor unit. But, you can install up to five indoor units to form a multi-split ductless system. This means you can heat or cool up to five spaces without ducts, making this mini split unit an easy and flexible solution to indoor temperature control.
Understanding how a heat pump works is the key to understanding how a ductless heat pump works. Heat pumps perform both heating and cooling functions, depending on the weather outside and your temperature needs. When it’s cold out, a heat pump can extract heat from the ground or air outside and transfer it into your home. When it’s warm out, a heat pump can reverse its mechanisms with a reversing (or switchover) valve that redirects the flow of refrigerant. Then, the heat pump can pivot to a cooling function by removing heat from the home and sending it outside.
This mini split HVAC manages its heating and cooling functions with a heat transfer cycle between the outdoor and indoor units, connected together by a pipe. It also relies on refrigerant, a chemical cooling compound, to absorb and release heat, as well as carry heat between the indoor and outdoor units.
The ductless heat pump cooling process is similar to how mini split air conditioning works.
When a ductless heat pump switches from cooling to heating or vice versa, the reversing valve redirects the flow of refrigerant. The system knows to do this on its own based on the temperature you set, so you’ll never need to touch the reversing valve. Once the ductless heat pump is ready to heat, these are the steps it follows:
Ductless mini splits can be mounted in various places, making it easy for homeowners to place the ductless system exactly where they want in their home. Some common types of ductless systems include wall mounted, floor mounted, cassette and more.
A ductless heat pump isn’t right for everyone, but there are certain circumstances that make ductless heating a viable option. If any of the following seems to apply to you, you might want to consider investing in ductless heating and cooling:
If you’ve decided that a ductless heat pump is the right choice for your space, the next decision you’ll face is what kind you should have installed. While this comes down to personal preference, a good rule of thumb is that when only one space needs heating and cooling attention, a ductless single-zone should be installed. When multiple spaces need heating and cooling, or if your home has multiple people with different temperature needs living in it, ductless multi-zones are the best option. That way, you can receive heated and cooled air throughout your home while tailoring each space to your specific temperature needs.
The cost of a ductless heat pump depends largely on how many units you’re getting installed in your home. Like we’ve said before, mini split heat pumps come in single-zone and multi-zone, with the potential to have up to six units in a multi-split (five inside and one outside). According to Home Advisor research, it costs on average between $700 to $2,200 to install a basic single-zone. As you get into multi-zones, the average ductless heat pump installation cost can be anywhere from $2,000 to $13,000, depending on the number of units being installed. Cost will also increase anywhere from $200 to $500 more if your home doesn’t have a pad for the outdoor unit to sit on, or if the HVAC technician needs to install or replace an electrical circuit.
While these costs may seem high, scheduling regular ductless system maintenance with an HVAC professional will help keep your system running efficiently and could help increase its lifespan, so you don’t have to spend money on a replacement system for a long time after the initial installation. The average lifespan for a ductless heat pump can be anywhere from 15 to 30 years depending on the type, maintenance practices, location, and amount of use.
Investing in a ductless system comes with both advantages and disadvantages.
One of the biggest advantages of ductless heat pumps is that they are incredibly flexible. Remember, a multi-zone ductless system means you can heat or cool up to five separate rooms or spaces in your home. Plus, each indoor unit can connect to its own thermostat, so you can set your ideal temperature in each space. These features make mini split heat pumps flexible heating and cooling systems that you can tailor to your own individual needs.
True to its name, ductless heat pumps do not require any ductwork to heat and cool your home. For homes that do have ductwork, poorly sealed or poorly insulated ducts that leak heated air into unheated spaces can cost homeowners hundreds of dollars every year on their energy bills, according to Energy.gov. With a ductless system, you don’t have to worry about the energy loss associated with worn down or poorly maintained ducts, which means you may be able to save on your monthly energy bill.
We’ll get more into what to expect when it comes to ductless heat pump installation later, but for now just know that another pro of this system is its easy installation process. Only a small, 3-inch hole is required to connect the indoor and outdoor units of a ductless system, and most HVAC technicians have access to varying lengths of connecting wires. This means, after an HVAC professional makes the hole, they can connect an indoor and outdoor unit anywhere from 1 foot to 50 feet away from each other.
Central air conditioning systems can typically be hidden away or kept out of sight — outside, up in the attic, down in the basement. With ductless heating and cooling systems, the indoor unit must be installed directly in the home because the system doesn’t rely on ductwork to carry air. Some homeowners don’t like the appearance of HVAC units throughout their home and would rather they be tucked away, although it completely depends on personal preference if this is an issue for you.
Despite the easy installation process, ductless heat pumps can be pricey to install. While a ductless single-zone heat pump that requires just one indoor and one outdoor unit won’t be too expensive, as you take on multi-zone installation, costs begin to rise. Multi-zone ductless systems can have up to six individual units involved so the more indoor units you choose to install, the more it will cost in installation fees. This means, it might be more expensive to install multiple ductless units than it is to install ductwork into a new home. Plus, any amount of ductless units are typically more expensive to install than window units.
Sizing issues can happen with any HVAC unit but it’s particularly important to mention when it comes to ductless systems. If your system is sized incorrectly and you wind up with a ductless system that’s too big or small, you can face short cycling, which means heating and cooling won’t be done quickly or efficiently. Short cycling costs you time and money in getting your home to your desired temperature.
Ductless heat pump installation must be completed by a licensed HVAC technician, but when a technician does come to your home it’s always good to know what to expect. Ductless heat pump installation takes on average about five hours, but varies depending on how many units the technician needs to install. One of the best parts about ductless heat pumps is that they’re installed directly into the rooms where you want them, so you won’t need to make major alterations before installation.
Before your technician arrives, be sure to move furniture and form a clear path for your technician in each room where you’d like a ductless system installed. When your technician starts the job, they’ll typically install the outdoor unit first, then drill small holes in the wall of each room where the indoor units will be installed. The technician will then install the indoor units and connect them to the outdoor units with pipes. If necessary, the technician can install thermostats in each room where a ductless unit has been installed for easy and convenient temperature control.
Once that’s done, you’ll be all set to use your ductless system. But, don’t forget to keep your dealer’s phone number handy for any help you might need with ductless system maintenance or ductless system troubleshooting in the future.
Ductless air conditioning cools just one room or single space where ductwork is not present in your home. Homeowners can install up to five indoor ductless units throughout their home, all connected to just one outdoor unit, in order to cool multiple spaces at once.
A ductless HVAC system (also called a ductless mini-split or ductless multi-split) is any HVAC system that can heat and/or cool your home without the presence of ducts. Ductless HVAC systems are designed to control the temperature in just one room or space, as opposed to the entire home.
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