Ductless AC May Be the Best Way to Keep Cool This Summer – Popular Mechanics

A ductless air conditioner can be the best option for cooling an older home or an addition built without the proper ductwork. Portable and window mounted air conditioners have limits and take up space, but a ductless air conditioner is installed directly on a wall or ceiling and operates as seamlessly as a central air conditioner system.

Retrofitting a home to install central air conditioning can cost thousands of dollars. As you'd expect, a ductless unit is a fraction of that cost. There is no labor involved to run ductwork throughout a home. Instead, a mini-split ductless air conditioner consists of a compressor/condenser that is installed outdoors, but instead of it having a large cooling coil outside, each room is equipped with a small and quiet indoor fan and cooling unit, which is typically installed high on a wall near the ceiling or on the ceiling.

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A small hole is cut through the wall to run the refrigerant lines, condensate drain, power, and control cables to and from the central outdoor unit. Most units are about seven inches deep and can be installed flush into a wall or ceiling.

Gree

A home setup with one of these in units in each room will stay cool throughout the hottest days of summer. Each indoor unit has its own thermostat and can be set to the desired temperature for each room, which is a great advantage over many central air systems. If your kids like to sleep in a toasty room, but you like it cool, everyone is happy with a ductless system.

A remote control is included with a ductless system so there is no reaching up to change any settings on the actual unit, and most come with a variety of settings to maximize energy used and can switch between a fan and air conditioner. Another advantage to a ductless air conditioner is a more effective air filtering system which is located on each unit, instead of one central air filter for a whole system.

Ductless air conditioners are available at your local Home Depot as well as Amazon.

The best single room system come from Pioneer for only $728. If you need to move up to an entire 3 or 4 bedroom home setup, Gree's three-unit system for $2,303 will work well or you can upgrade to Pioneer's four-unit system, starting at $4,195. Gree also builds other unit sizes as well. The one pictured at the top of this post, for example, is part of Gree's $2,000 two-unit system.

But sometimes, the temperature isn't the only thing worth considering. For maximum air movement, this Pioneer ductless AC is rated at 48,000 BTU cooling and 49,500 BTU heating. As bonus, it's also built for a recessed install, making it virtually unnoticeable, but it'll cost you with $3,258 price tag.

Remember: If you need cooling and heating, be sure to look for a ductless air conditioner that includes a heat pump.

Keep cool out there.

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Ductless AC May Be the Best Way to Keep Cool This Summer - Popular Mechanics