3 ms·

Agreed. Ours is at least 5 years old if not more now and was way cheaper. That said there is a difference between mini-split and something you hook up to intern

Agreed. Ours is at least 5 years old if not more now and was way cheaper. That said there is a difference between mini-split and something you hook up to internal ducting where your furnace used to be and prices have increased in the meantime. That said there was basically no difference in putting in an A/C only unit vs a combination. Technology wise it's the same so to speak just running in reverse in winter vs summer. We use the heat pump down to -15C-ish then I usually shut it down and just use the baseboard or if awake the stove (looks much nicer ;)) It was a no brainer to get the combination unit really. I don't get why it isn't the default nowadays and A/C and heating are thought of as separate concerns. We just don't have ducting, else we could A/C the whole house vs. just one floor.

sokoloff 3y ago
Mechanically, there’s a reversing valve and defrost elements and controls to turn an AC into a heat pump. (So, it’s small, but not zero, mechanical differences.)
- tharkun__ 3y ago
  Thabks for the assist on the tech! And I can definitely attest to the heating element aka defrost. We don't have actual resistive heat in the pump as we have the baseboards anyway but the lower the outside temp goes the more it has to defrost the outside as it freezes up. As winter goes by, icicles form underneath the outside unit where the defrosted ice drains out and refreezes. It's actually amazing that the thing can extract heat from -10C air outside to heat up air that's already 21C inside to heat it up even further!
throw0101a 3y ago
> That said there is a difference between mini-split and something you hook up to internal ducting where your furnace used to be and prices have increased in the meantime. Generally true, as the mini-splits (have) tend(ed) to operate down to lower temperatures, but the heat pumps that look like 'traditional' outdoor A/C units are getting down there as well: for example this Lennox unit can work down to -4F / -20C: * https://tech.lennoxintl.com/c03e7o14l/viu12ch2uv/ehb_sl25xpv_2109.pdf https://tech.lennoxintl.com/c03e7o14l/viu12ch2uv/ehb_sl25xpv... That'll provide pretty good coverage of the year in many parts of North America before something like a gas furnace needs to kick in. (Speaking as someone who lives in Canada.)

sokoloff 3y ago

Mechanically, there’s a reversing valve and defrost elements and controls to turn an AC into a heat pump. (So, it’s small, but not zero, mechanical differences.)

tharkun__ 3y ago
Thabks for the assist on the tech! And I can definitely attest to the heating element aka defrost. We don't have actual resistive heat in the pump as we have the baseboards anyway but the lower the outside temp goes the more it has to defrost the outside as it freezes up. As winter goes by, icicles form underneath the outside unit where the defrosted ice drains out and refreezes. It's actually amazing that the thing can extract heat from -10C air outside to heat up air that's already 21C inside to heat it up even further!

throw0101a 3y ago

> That said there is a difference between mini-split and something you hook up to internal ducting where your furnace used to be and prices have increased in the meantime. Generally true, as the mini-splits (have) tend(ed) to operate down to lower temperatures, but the heat pumps that look like 'traditional' outdoor A/C units are getting down there as well: for example this Lennox unit can work down to -4F / -20C: * https://tech.lennoxintl.com/c03e7o14l/viu12ch2uv/ehb_sl25xpv_2109.pdf https://tech.lennoxintl.com/c03e7o14l/viu12ch2uv/ehb_sl25xpv... That'll provide pretty good coverage of the year in many parts of North America before something like a gas furnace needs to kick in. (Speaking as someone who lives in Canada.)