It’s not unusual for us to get a call about second-floor rooms that are way too hot in the summer. It’s common all across the country. In this case, the ductwork in this Sonora, CA home was also old and inefficient.
It would have been difficult in the first place to cool the second floor. Poor circulation made the situation even worse.
Fortunately, the homeowner didn’t have to go through the expense and inconvenience of installing new ductwork. Instead, he made his home more comfortable than ever before with a ductless mini split.
In this case study, we’ll go over:
- Problems With Old Existing Ductwork
- Ductless Heat Pump Vs. Conventional A HVAC System
- Zoned Heating And Cooling With A Home Remodel
- Ductless Mini Split Installation In Sonora, CA
And, if the existing ductwork in your Tuolumne County, CA home is ready for replacement — or if you’re ready for a major comfort upgrade — call or email Performance Based Heating and Air today.
Problem: The ductwork in this Sonora, CA home was old and couldn’t heat or cool the house properly. The second floor would get way too hot in the summer.
Solution: Removed old ductwork during a remodel. Installed a five-zone ductless mini split. It takes up less room. And it heats and cools each part of the house individually for better comfort.
Problems With Old Existing Ductwork
Ductwork doesn’t last forever. When it starts breaking down, you start noticing problems. The air circulation is weak, and rooms stay warm in the summertime. Then, they’re too cold in the winter.
Meanwhile, your bills keep going up! Air is leaking out of the vents, and the system struggles to keep up. The harder it works, the more energy it uses.
Ductless Heat Pump Vs. A Conventional HVAC System
As the name implies, you don’t need ductwork and vents for a ductless heat pump system. Instead of pushing air around the house, it moves the heat.
We’ll get into how a little later.
But, it makes a big difference in this case! The homeowner didn't have to pay extra to replace that existing ductwork. Instead, he invested in a new system that does the job.
And, the benefits don’t stop there! A ductless mini split costs much less to run than conventional heating or cooling systems. And, it provides better comfort.
Energy Efficiency
A ductless heat pump uses electricity to heat. But it’s very different from radiant electric heat like you get with baseboard heaters. It’s also very different from a natural gas furnace.
The heat pump transfers heat from one place to another. It never burns fossil fuels or energy to create it. As a result, it’s incredibly energy efficient.
After the upfront cost, it's nothing but savings. The homeowner can expect much lower monthly bills than ever before.
Amazing Comfort
The heat pump in a ductless mini split uses Inverter technology to run at various speeds. It adjusts the amount of heat or cooling it’s providing based on what’s needed.
This is a huge step up from old furnaces and baseboards with only two modes: On and off. Those shut down until the temperature drifts away from your thermostat setting.
With a variable-speed motor, the ductless system gets the temperature where you want it. Then, it switches to low-speed, low-power mode and maintains an even temperature all the time.
There’s no feeling too hot or too cold before the heating or cooling kicks back on.
Zoned Heating And Cooling
With a zoned system, each room or area of the house receives its own treatment. Like baseboard heat, every indoor unit, or air handler, in a mini split has a built-in thermostat.
So, each room gets the exact treatment it needs. Even when the first-floor rooms feel great, the upstairs air handlers keep working.
For the first time, every room is at the exact temperature our homeowner wants, all the time.
Ductless Mini Split Installation In Sonora, CA
Would you believe it only took two days to completely overhaul and enhance the heating and cooling in this home? A ductless mini split is easy to install. Even with five air handlers connected to a single heat pump, the job is simple and straightforward.
First, we mount each indoor unit on the walls. It’s easy to find the best spot for air circulation. Then, we run a line set containing the power supply and a line that runs coolant in a loop between the heat pump and indoor units.
Installing Air Handlers Throughout The House
We started with three air handlers on the first floor: One in the living room, or great room, and another in the kitchen.
Even with a wide open space and slanted ceiling, the first indoor unit was enough for most of the first floor. Then, we positioned the kitchen unit to treat that room without the air blowing straight into the living room.
There’s another air handler in the first-floor bedroom. Upstairs, we put one in the master suite pointing toward the attached bathroom. That’s enough to move the air into the bathroom.
The last one is in the third bedroom. For most of these, we ran the lineset behind the unit and through a nearby closet. That way, all you see is the indoor unit without anything coming out of it.
Two of the indoor units were mounted on exterior walls. So, we ran the lines directly outside from the back. Each air handler looks neat and out-of-the-way.
Heat Pump And Outside Lines
With five indoor zones, we got creative to ensure the lines running outside didn’t stick out too much.
We started by running a few lines through the house’s subfloor and out to the heat pump. For others, the lines followed the window’s contours and went down the house under the overhang. This way, they looked like rain gutters.
And, once we connected them to the outdoor heat pump, we were done!
Now, not only are the second-floor rooms the correct temperature all the time. The entire house is comfortable and customizable.
And, the homeowner isn’t concerned about running his heating or cooling through old, failing ductwork.
If your home in Sonora, Angels Camp, or other Tuolumne or Calaveras County towns is ready for a comfort upgrade, contact us here at Performance Based Heating and Air!
Starting with a free consultation, we’ll make your home more comfortable and customizable than ever before.
