7 ms·

That video finally convinced me to install mini splits. It has turned out to be a great choice as it has cut my propane use in half.

happytiger 3y ago
My buddy just installed a dc hybrid system and it’s been pretty much amazing. He’s in a warm climate with lots of sun though, but the idea of plugging panels directly into solar panels on hot days makes so much sense. Are you in a cold climate? My biggest concern is installing splits in very cold mountain climates (my use case).
- out_of_protocol 3y ago
  The lowest I've seen for mini splits is -30 C in heating mode. No idea about big installations P.S. previous comment with example specs: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38266032 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38266032
  - happytiger 3y ago
    What a kind and helpful comment. Thank you!
- runarberg 3y ago
  Just installed mini-splits this autumn in the Seattle area and am living my first cold days now. What I found out is that insulation is very important. Parts of our house has very poor insulation. Coolth escapes in particularly from the floor. Our house is over a 100 years old with insulation retrofits from the 70s. I have a friend in the same area which has a new house with mini-split and modern insulation and hers works amazingly. We will definitely be working on retrofitting the rest of the house with proper insulation next summer. Living in a cold mountain climate you probably have a pretty decent insulation.
  - Wohlf 3y ago
    Insulation is very important! I live near Portland in a fairly new construction and found my attic insulation is the bare minimum, currently planning to blow-in more soon. After running the numbers, between federal credits and heating savings it'll pay for itself within 2-3 years.
  - BHSPitMonkey 3y ago
    Could I ask who you used / what they charged? I got several estimates in 2021 and they were all pretty wildly high despite a very simple requested configuration. I'm curious to know if the market cooled (no pun intended) since then or if prices are just strictly increasing.
    - runarberg 3y ago
      Sorry, my partner is a carpenter and did a lot of the work her self. She did get an HVAC expert to help with the installation but the price included some bilateral favors, friend discounts, etc, etc. So not only is the price hard to figure out, it is also not gonna be representative outside of our situation.
    - turtlebits 3y ago
      FWIW, Mini splits are very DIY'able. I was surprised to learn they don't cost much more than an air conditioner. In 2021, I bought and installed a 12k BTU for around $850. HVAC companies seem to charge an arm and a leg - my neighbor put a 2-head unit and I think they paid around 6k.
      - BHSPitMonkey 3y ago
        I did research the DIY kits, though my biggest worry is that down the line I won't be able to find companies willing to touch it if it needs servicing.
        bcrl 3y ago
        Properly installed, there's not much to service. Watch a few Youtube videos on what goes wrong with heat pumps, and you'll learn that proper site prep is critical. ie the units must be level so the bearings won't wear prematurely.
- Projectiboga 3y ago
  You would still need a couple backups, standard plug in heaters and some kind of wood stove or furnace.
  - happytiger 3y ago
    We just used a big cheap battery as a backup and the system is grid tied for horrible storms in winter and whatnot. Everything was off the shelf — the new systems are crazy better than just a few years ago.
Night_Thastus 3y ago
Mini splits are very cool in concept, but somewhat problematic in practice. Many are built very substandard, and within a few years getting parts or repairs is often impossible. I wish that weren't the case.
- cloverich 3y ago
  Relatedly, we had one of ours break in a thunderstorm in Austin. We had a contract w/ a local place for maintenance and quick repairs. They quoted us 2.5k to fix it, then 4.8k to replace it. We shopped around and had a brand new unit purchased and installed from a different company for 2k flat, 3 days later. I share this often because I am still shocked at how disparate the quotes were, esp. from a "reputable" company we had an existing relationship with, and feel many people are taken advantage of in these situations when all you really need to do is call around. I also suspect as their popularity increases (I assume) the repairs and parts will perhaps become cheaper and more available. (Our overall experience with them has been very positive).
  - y-c-o-m-b 3y ago
    This has been my experience with nearly every utility-related service I have ever needed - same with people in my social circle . Plumbing, electric, chimney, appliances, etc. all do this. Even with the rise of DIY, the demand for these services are still high. I live in a suburban neighborhood flooded with work vans for electricians and such, so you'd think the high competition would keep prices low. You'd think, but that definitely wasn't the case when I called around for estimates, and they were all booked out days to weeks. Crazy
    - AdamN 3y ago
      I think the work is spiky so the quotes are inversely related to how busy the contractor is at that moment (for small shops). Also, there is the supply/demand of the people doing the actual work who are often not employees and may be available or not for that project in that neighborhood. And then there's the availability of the part/unit which drives price.

happytiger 3y ago

My buddy just installed a dc hybrid system and it’s been pretty much amazing. He’s in a warm climate with lots of sun though, but the idea of plugging panels directly into solar panels on hot days makes so much sense. Are you in a cold climate? My biggest concern is installing splits in very cold mountain climates (my use case).

out_of_protocol 3y ago
The lowest I've seen for mini splits is -30 C in heating mode. No idea about big installations P.S. previous comment with example specs: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38266032 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38266032
- happytiger 3y ago
  What a kind and helpful comment. Thank you!
runarberg 3y ago
Just installed mini-splits this autumn in the Seattle area and am living my first cold days now. What I found out is that insulation is very important. Parts of our house has very poor insulation. Coolth escapes in particularly from the floor. Our house is over a 100 years old with insulation retrofits from the 70s. I have a friend in the same area which has a new house with mini-split and modern insulation and hers works amazingly. We will definitely be working on retrofitting the rest of the house with proper insulation next summer. Living in a cold mountain climate you probably have a pretty decent insulation.
- Wohlf 3y ago
  Insulation is very important! I live near Portland in a fairly new construction and found my attic insulation is the bare minimum, currently planning to blow-in more soon. After running the numbers, between federal credits and heating savings it'll pay for itself within 2-3 years.
- BHSPitMonkey 3y ago
  Could I ask who you used / what they charged? I got several estimates in 2021 and they were all pretty wildly high despite a very simple requested configuration. I'm curious to know if the market cooled (no pun intended) since then or if prices are just strictly increasing.
  - runarberg 3y ago
    Sorry, my partner is a carpenter and did a lot of the work her self. She did get an HVAC expert to help with the installation but the price included some bilateral favors, friend discounts, etc, etc. So not only is the price hard to figure out, it is also not gonna be representative outside of our situation.
  - turtlebits 3y ago
    FWIW, Mini splits are very DIY'able. I was surprised to learn they don't cost much more than an air conditioner. In 2021, I bought and installed a 12k BTU for around $850. HVAC companies seem to charge an arm and a leg - my neighbor put a 2-head unit and I think they paid around 6k.
    - BHSPitMonkey 3y ago
      I did research the DIY kits, though my biggest worry is that down the line I won't be able to find companies willing to touch it if it needs servicing.
      - bcrl 3y ago
        Properly installed, there's not much to service. Watch a few Youtube videos on what goes wrong with heat pumps, and you'll learn that proper site prep is critical. ie the units must be level so the bearings won't wear prematurely.
Projectiboga 3y ago
You would still need a couple backups, standard plug in heaters and some kind of wood stove or furnace.
- happytiger 3y ago
  We just used a big cheap battery as a backup and the system is grid tied for horrible storms in winter and whatnot. Everything was off the shelf — the new systems are crazy better than just a few years ago.

Night_Thastus 3y ago

Mini splits are very cool in concept, but somewhat problematic in practice. Many are built very substandard, and within a few years getting parts or repairs is often impossible. I wish that weren't the case.

cloverich 3y ago
Relatedly, we had one of ours break in a thunderstorm in Austin. We had a contract w/ a local place for maintenance and quick repairs. They quoted us 2.5k to fix it, then 4.8k to replace it. We shopped around and had a brand new unit purchased and installed from a different company for 2k flat, 3 days later. I share this often because I am still shocked at how disparate the quotes were, esp. from a "reputable" company we had an existing relationship with, and feel many people are taken advantage of in these situations when all you really need to do is call around. I also suspect as their popularity increases (I assume) the repairs and parts will perhaps become cheaper and more available. (Our overall experience with them has been very positive).
- y-c-o-m-b 3y ago
  This has been my experience with nearly every utility-related service I have ever needed - same with people in my social circle . Plumbing, electric, chimney, appliances, etc. all do this. Even with the rise of DIY, the demand for these services are still high. I live in a suburban neighborhood flooded with work vans for electricians and such, so you'd think the high competition would keep prices low. You'd think, but that definitely wasn't the case when I called around for estimates, and they were all booked out days to weeks. Crazy
  - AdamN 3y ago
    I think the work is spiky so the quotes are inversely related to how busy the contractor is at that moment (for small shops). Also, there is the supply/demand of the people doing the actual work who are often not employees and may be available or not for that project in that neighborhood. And then there's the availability of the part/unit which drives price.