I'm considering getting one of those Mitsubishi mini-split air conditioning
systems as an alternative to central AC, with a single small external unit
serving three units inside the apartment.

This is also a heat pump.

I've been told that these systems require a lot of maintenance.

I'd be grateful if anyone could provide experience with these systems.
Thanks.

On Jun 21, 7:39*am, "Ray" wrote:
I'm considering getting one of those Mitsubishi mini-split air conditioning
systems as an alternative to central AC, with a single small external unit
serving three *units inside the apartment.

This is also a heat pump.

I've been told that these systems require a lot of maintenance.

I'd be grateful if anyone could provide experience with these systems.
Thanks.

central ac will cost far less, and no individual units to service

In article 3d149659-78a4-4cc2-83c5-f98c5576faf7
@h41g2000yqm.googlegroups.com, says...

On Jun 21, 7:39*am, "Ray" wrote:
I'm considering getting one of those Mitsubishi mini-split air conditioning
systems as an alternative to central AC, with a single small external unit
serving three *units inside the apartment.

This is also a heat pump.

I've been told that these systems require a lot of maintenance.

I'd be grateful if anyone could provide experience with these systems.
Thanks.

central ac will cost far less, and no individual units to service


If you are just cooling / heating the rooms you use instead of the
entire house, then the savings in the electric bill would more than pay
for any maintenance. Not to mention the savings you get from the higher
efficiency of these units.

Something easier to understand is a refrigerator. New refrigerators are
more efficient than older. I bought a new refrigerator for $800.00 seven
years ago. It has saved me $15 a month on my electric bill (dropped that
much as soon as I got it). So that refrigerator has saved me $180.00 a
year on my electric bill. Or $1260.00 for 7 years.

It has not needed repair, but I don't care if it does! I'm money ahead
even if I need to replace the whole thing.

On 6/21/2012 9:43 AM, bob haller wrote:
On Jun 21, 7:39 am, "Ray" wrote:
I'm considering getting one of those Mitsubishi mini-split air conditioning
systems as an alternative to central AC, with a single small external unit
serving three units inside the apartment.

This is also a heat pump.

I've been told that these systems require a lot of maintenance.

I'd be grateful if anyone could provide experience with these systems.
Thanks.

central ac will cost far less, and no individual units to service


Depends, if you live in a region (such as here) where hot water is
commonly used as a medium for heating it is pretty spendy to retrofit
duct work just to have central A/C.

On Jun 21, 7:39*am, "Ray" wrote:
I'm considering getting one of those Mitsubishi mini-split air conditioning
systems as an alternative to central AC, with a single small external unit
serving three *units inside the apartment.

This is also a heat pump.

I've been told that these systems require a lot of maintenance.

I'd be grateful if anyone could provide experience with these systems.
Thanks.


Do you own this "apartment" ?

Are you allowed to place noisy equipment located outside
which may impact the enjoyment of people in other apartments
both inside their units and outside ?

Does your "apartment's" electrical service have enough extra
capacity available to support adding such equipment ?

Before asking questions about how these units work and
how much maintenance they require, why not let us all
know the answers to the above questions first so we
can be sure your project is even possible... Thanks...

On Jun 21, 10:58*am, George wrote:
On 6/21/2012 9:43 AM, bob haller wrote:

On Jun 21, 7:39 am, "Ray" wrote:
I'm considering getting one of those Mitsubishi mini-split air conditioning
systems as an alternative to central AC, with a single small external unit
serving three *units inside the apartment.

This is also a heat pump.

I've been told that these systems require a lot of maintenance.

I'd be grateful if anyone could provide experience with these systems.
Thanks.

central ac will cost far less, and no individual units to service

Depends, if you live in a region (such as here) where hot water is
commonly used as a medium for heating it is pretty spendy to retrofit
duct work just to have central A/C.

Yes, from the limited info I got the impression that
he doesn't already have a duct system. In which case
the mini-splits could cost a lot less than installing
a whole central AC system. There are mini-splits
available that will run more than one evaporator/inside
unit off of one outside compressor unit. Of course the
downside is that you only are providing AC to certain
rooms.

But I think it would be wise to consider both approaches
before making a decision. There are also high velocity
AC systems that are more like a central AC system.
They use pipes that are maybe 2" to bring air to outlets
that can be located in ceilings, etc. They force air at
high speed through the smaller pipes. Used mostly in
retrofit work because they are easier to install. The eqpt costs
more,
but eliminating the need for metal duct work can make up
for it.

As for AC mini-splits needing a lot of maintenance, this
is the first I've heard of that. I don't see why that would be
as they are just very basic AC systems, nothing unusual.

On 6/21/2012 7:39 AM, Ray wrote:
I'm considering getting one of those Mitsubishi mini-split air
conditioning systems as an alternative to central AC, with a single
small external unit serving three units inside the apartment.

This is also a heat pump.

I've been told that these systems require a lot of maintenance.

I'd be grateful if anyone could provide experience with these systems.
Thanks.

I just walked in the door having just completed the wiring of 3
Mitsubishi (Mr. Slim) mini splits, each feeding multiple blowers. We set
up a 4 ton unit with 4 line sets and blowers, a 2 ton with 3 sets and
blowers and a 1.5 ton with 2 sets and blowers. I've been wiring these
things (all brands) for years, and never heard of any maintenance
problems. Unlike central systems, these mini splits are all heat pumps
as well, they're very quiet and efficient. The running load on this 4
ton (48,000 BTU) unit is only 23 amps, which includes the 4 blowers it's
servicing. The downside in my opinion, is the ugly line sets on the
outside of the house, and a fairly large blower unit mounted on your
wall. As far as the function, reliability, and economy, I think they're
excellent.

"Ray" wrote:

I'm considering getting one of those Mitsubishi mini-split air conditioning
systems as an alternative to central AC, with a single small external unit
serving three units inside the apartment.

This is also a heat pump.

I've been told that these systems require a lot of maintenance.

I'd be grateful if anyone could provide experience with these systems.
Thanks.

Me too-- I cool 2 rooms about 10-20 days a year. The rooms are
one above the other. Been using 5-10K BTU window bangers forever.

I looked at installing a unit on a pad and mounting an interior unit
in each room.

Advantage- Rooms quieter; more attractive- doesn't plug a window;
easier- no more taking them out in the fall; more efficient?? [I
question that because I rarely run both rooms at once- so I'd be
running an oversized compressor most of the time. Likely to be more
efficient than central air-- but it seems like the window bangers are
still cheaper to operate if only one is running.]

disadvantage-- *Way* more expensive. I can buy about 6
wallbangers for the price of a minisplit. And any service calls
would cost as much as buying a replacement window A/C. [and I could
replace the window unit in about an hour- and not wait for a service
call, etc]

I could probably set up central air [I have hot air heat] for about
what a mini-split and 2 wall units would cost--- but there is still
that whole 'inefficiency thing.

Jim

On Jun 21, 1:31*pm, wrote:
On Thu, 21 Jun 2012 07:39:33 -0400, "Ray"

wrote:
I'm considering getting one of those Mitsubishi mini-split air conditioning
systems as an alternative to central AC, with a single small external unit
serving three *units inside the apartment.

This is also a heat pump.

I've been told that these systems require a lot of maintenance.

I'd be grateful if anyone could provide experience with these systems.
Thanks.

I have central air but we installed 2 mini splits and we end up using
them more than the central system.
It lets us just cool the rooms we are in and not cool the whole house.
We can keep the bedroom cool enough for my wife at night while the
rest of the house is allowed to warm up.
I don't know of any real maintenance issues. These things just run. I
also think Evan has never seen one if he thinks the neighbors will
complain about the compressor noise., They are so quiet you have to
look at the fan to see if it is running.

I think that you missed the entire point of my post:

Unless the OP is the owner of the building he doesn't
have the right, legal or otherwise to install something
outside on the ground outside of the boundaries of
his "apartment" noise or otherwise...

So they may be quiet, and the ones that are maintained
and properly sized usually are, but if it is running at
full capacity and hasn't been kept clean they do get
louder over time...

On 6/21/2012 5:16 PM, Evan wrote:
On Jun 21, 1:31 pm, wrote:
On Thu, 21 Jun 2012 07:39:33 -0400, "Ray"

wrote:
I'm considering getting one of those Mitsubishi mini-split air conditioning
systems as an alternative to central AC, with a single small external unit
serving three units inside the apartment.
This is also a heat pump.
I've been told that these systems require a lot of maintenance.
I'd be grateful if anyone could provide experience with these systems.
Thanks.
I have central air but we installed 2 mini splits and we end up using
them more than the central system.
It lets us just cool the rooms we are in and not cool the whole house.
We can keep the bedroom cool enough for my wife at night while the
rest of the house is allowed to warm up.
I don't know of any real maintenance issues. These things just run. I
also think Evan has never seen one if he thinks the neighbors will
complain about the compressor noise., They are so quiet you have to
look at the fan to see if it is running.
I think that you missed the entire point of my post:

Unless the OP is the owner of the building he doesn't
have the right, legal or otherwise to install something
outside on the ground outside of the boundaries of
his "apartment" noise or otherwise...

So they may be quiet, and the ones that are maintained
and properly sized usually are, but if it is running at
full capacity and hasn't been kept clean they do get
louder over time...
I had a Mitsubishi mini split system installed 2 years ago to replace a
very noisy and much less effective window air conditioner. I have been
extremely happy with the unit in nearly all respects, and have had no
maintenance issues so far.

The 2 ton unit I bought runs very quietly, with varfiable speed fans on
both in the indoor and outdoor units. The normal operation after the
initial cool-down is amazingly quiet.

The window unit it replaced had one end of the area too cold and the
other end too warm by many degrees difference. The split system is
mounted on a wall in the central area, and spreads the cool area very
uniformly both by using a sweeping motorized vane from left to right as
well as a sweeping vertical vane to reduce stratification. The
uniformity of the temperature is tremendously better.

The initial cost was close to $3500 versus $500 for an installed window
unit. The conventional A/C option did not exist since I had no place to
hide / place the ducts in this attic area. The mini was a very good
solution and I would highly recommend it.

Only disappointments so far:

The remote control is pretty crummy with a marginal user interface for
control.

The drain to the outside is hard to get to, and will eventually clog and
cause serious problems within the wall unless I have a way to purge it.

The replaceable air filters are expensive, hard to find, and supposedly
need to be changed often.

On Thu, 21 Jun 2012 14:16:27 -0700 (PDT), Evan
wrote:

On Jun 21, 1:31*pm, wrote:
On Thu, 21 Jun 2012 07:39:33 -0400, "Ray"

wrote:
I'm considering getting one of those Mitsubishi mini-split air conditioning
systems as an alternative to central AC, with a single small external unit
serving three *units inside the apartment.

This is also a heat pump.

I've been told that these systems require a lot of maintenance.

I'd be grateful if anyone could provide experience with these systems.
Thanks.

I have central air but we installed 2 mini splits and we end up using
them more than the central system.
It lets us just cool the rooms we are in and not cool the whole house.
We can keep the bedroom cool enough for my wife at night while the
rest of the house is allowed to warm up.
I don't know of any real maintenance issues. These things just run. I
also think Evan has never seen one if he thinks the neighbors will
complain about the compressor noise., They are so quiet you have to
look at the fan to see if it is running.

I think that you missed the entire point of my post:

Unless the OP is the owner of the building he doesn't
have the right, legal or otherwise to install something
outside on the ground outside of the boundaries of
his "apartment" noise or otherwise...

Of course, such absolutes are always wrong. ...but you're good at that.

So they may be quiet, and the ones that are maintained
and properly sized usually are, but if it is running at
full capacity and hasn't been kept clean they do get
louder over time...

Wow!

On 6/21/2012 10:02 AM, Evan wrote:
On Jun 21, 7:39 am, "Ray" wrote:
I'm considering getting one of those Mitsubishi mini-split air conditioning
systems as an alternative to central AC, with a single small external unit
serving three units inside the apartment.

This is also a heat pump.

I've been told that these systems require a lot of maintenance.

I'd be grateful if anyone could provide experience with these systems.
Thanks.


Do you own this "apartment" ?

Are you allowed to place noisy equipment located outside
which may impact the enjoyment of people in other apartments
both inside their units and outside ?

Does your "apartment's" electrical service have enough extra
capacity available to support adding such equipment ?

Before asking questions about how these units work and
how much maintenance they require, why not let us all
know the answers to the above questions first so we
can be sure your project is even possible... Thanks...


Mini-split systems are extremely quiet. The 4ton Samsung unit I
installed has two condenser fans and you can barely hear it running. The
units were designed for living spaces in close quarters which is why
very quiet operation is a basic characteristic of mini-splits. ^_^

TDD

On 6/21/2012 2:47 PM, RBM wrote:
On 6/21/2012 7:39 AM, Ray wrote:
I'm considering getting one of those Mitsubishi mini-split air
conditioning systems as an alternative to central AC, with a single
small external unit serving three units inside the apartment.

This is also a heat pump.

I've been told that these systems require a lot of maintenance.

I'd be grateful if anyone could provide experience with these systems.
Thanks.

I just walked in the door having just completed the wiring of 3
Mitsubishi (Mr. Slim) mini splits, each feeding multiple blowers. We set
up a 4 ton unit with 4 line sets and blowers, a 2 ton with 3 sets and
blowers and a 1.5 ton with 2 sets and blowers. I've been wiring these
things (all brands) for years, and never heard of any maintenance
problems. Unlike central systems, these mini splits are all heat pumps
as well, they're very quiet and efficient. The running load on this 4
ton (48,000 BTU) unit is only 23 amps, which includes the 4 blowers it's
servicing. The downside in my opinion, is the ugly line sets on the
outside of the house, and a fairly large blower unit mounted on your
wall. As far as the function, reliability, and economy, I think they're
excellent.

Have you used the wire/line set duct system to cover the power and line
sets on any of your installations? The stuff is like big Wiremold and
makes for a much neater appearance since it can be painted to match the
walls. ^_^

TDD

On 6/22/2012 9:31 PM, The Daring Dufas wrote:
On 6/21/2012 2:47 PM, RBM wrote:
On 6/21/2012 7:39 AM, Ray wrote:
I'm considering getting one of those Mitsubishi mini-split air
conditioning systems as an alternative to central AC, with a single
small external unit serving three units inside the apartment.

This is also a heat pump.

I've been told that these systems require a lot of maintenance.

I'd be grateful if anyone could provide experience with these systems.
Thanks.

I just walked in the door having just completed the wiring of 3
Mitsubishi (Mr. Slim) mini splits, each feeding multiple blowers. We set
up a 4 ton unit with 4 line sets and blowers, a 2 ton with 3 sets and
blowers and a 1.5 ton with 2 sets and blowers. I've been wiring these
things (all brands) for years, and never heard of any maintenance
problems. Unlike central systems, these mini splits are all heat pumps
as well, they're very quiet and efficient. The running load on this 4
ton (48,000 BTU) unit is only 23 amps, which includes the 4 blowers it's
servicing. The downside in my opinion, is the ugly line sets on the
outside of the house, and a fairly large blower unit mounted on your
wall. As far as the function, reliability, and economy, I think they're
excellent.

Have you used the wire/line set duct system to cover the power and line
sets on any of your installations? The stuff is like big Wiremold and
makes for a much neater appearance since it can be painted to match the
walls. ^_^

TDD


No, the airconditioning companies install the line sets and covers. I've
heard of the covers you're talking about, and I'm always asking them,
but all they ever use is crappy leader duct

On 6/22/2012 10:27 PM, RBM wrote:
On 6/22/2012 9:31 PM, The Daring Dufas wrote:
On 6/21/2012 2:47 PM, RBM wrote:
On 6/21/2012 7:39 AM, Ray wrote:
I'm considering getting one of those Mitsubishi mini-split air
conditioning systems as an alternative to central AC, with a single
small external unit serving three units inside the apartment.

This is also a heat pump.

I've been told that these systems require a lot of maintenance.

I'd be grateful if anyone could provide experience with these systems.
Thanks.

I just walked in the door having just completed the wiring of 3
Mitsubishi (Mr. Slim) mini splits, each feeding multiple blowers. We set
up a 4 ton unit with 4 line sets and blowers, a 2 ton with 3 sets and
blowers and a 1.5 ton with 2 sets and blowers. I've been wiring these
things (all brands) for years, and never heard of any maintenance
problems. Unlike central systems, these mini splits are all heat pumps
as well, they're very quiet and efficient. The running load on this 4
ton (48,000 BTU) unit is only 23 amps, which includes the 4 blowers it's
servicing. The downside in my opinion, is the ugly line sets on the
outside of the house, and a fairly large blower unit mounted on your
wall. As far as the function, reliability, and economy, I think they're
excellent.

Have you used the wire/line set duct system to cover the power and line
sets on any of your installations? The stuff is like big Wiremold and
makes for a much neater appearance since it can be painted to match the
walls. ^_^

TDD


No, the airconditioning companies install the line sets and covers. I've
heard of the covers you're talking about, and I'm always asking them,
but all they ever use is crappy leader duct


He,he,he, I know what mean about the cheapest route. Me and JH do a lot
of national contract work and one of the customers is an auto parts
store. When we install phone and point of sale equipment in the stores,
square PVC rain gutter drain pipe is often used in place of power poles
for bringing power and data/phone lines from the ceiling to the
counters. Heck, it works! ^_^

TDD

On Thursday, June 21, 2012 6:39:33 AM UTC-5, Ray wrote:
I'm considering getting one of those Mitsubishi mini-split air conditioning
systems as an alternative to central AC, with a single small external unit
serving three units inside the apartment.

This is also a heat pump.

I've been told that these systems require a lot of maintenance.

I'd be grateful if anyone could provide experience with these systems.
Thanks.

I'd just like to add another option to the discussion: PTAC (motel through the wall units). They are closer to the price of the window units, but closer to the performance of the Mini-split. They don't marry you to a service man, it it breaks, throw it away and get another, (I recently paid $700 to get a central air compressor changed, under warranty, after shopping around, the first guy wanted $1k). The downside is the original install requires a sizable hole in the wall, plus a sleeve and grille, but only once, after that you pop them in and out like toast in a toaster (150lb toast, but still..). They are also a bit ugly, to some, to me they are beautiful, they save me money and keep me comfortable year round. Just make sure to get the heatpump version, they always have a cheaper model with induction heat.

Thanks for the response. All of the questions you raise are either
inapplicable or have been resolved in my favor.



"The Daring Dufas" wrote in message ...

On 6/21/2012 2:47 PM, RBM wrote:
On 6/21/2012 7:39 AM, Ray wrote:
I'm considering getting one of those Mitsubishi mini-split air
conditioning systems as an alternative to central AC, with a single
small external unit serving three units inside the apartment.

This is also a heat pump.

I've been told that these systems require a lot of maintenance.

I'd be grateful if anyone could provide experience with these systems.
Thanks.

I just walked in the door having just completed the wiring of 3
Mitsubishi (Mr. Slim) mini splits, each feeding multiple blowers. We set
up a 4 ton unit with 4 line sets and blowers, a 2 ton with 3 sets and
blowers and a 1.5 ton with 2 sets and blowers. I've been wiring these
things (all brands) for years, and never heard of any maintenance
problems. Unlike central systems, these mini splits are all heat pumps
as well, they're very quiet and efficient. The running load on this 4
ton (48,000 BTU) unit is only 23 amps, which includes the 4 blowers it's
servicing. The downside in my opinion, is the ugly line sets on the
outside of the house, and a fairly large blower unit mounted on your
wall. As far as the function, reliability, and economy, I think they're
excellent.

Have you used the wire/line set duct system to cover the power and line
sets on any of your installations? The stuff is like big Wiremold and
makes for a much neater appearance since it can be painted to match the
walls. ^_^

TDD

On Thu, 21 Jun 2012, Jim Elbrecht wrote:

I could probably set up central air [I have hot air heat] for about
what a mini-split and 2 wall units would cost--- but there is still
that whole 'inefficiency thing.

It may not be as simple as adding a unit above the furnace. In older homes
the ductwork was designed for heating only. In such cases the returns are
on lower floors and the ducts get smaller as you go up higher floors. So
you may need to add a return at the top of the upper floor and have it come
down through closets.

In my 1891 4-story rowhouse I put a packaged unit on the roof to handle the
top two floors. I could have gone mini-split, but I was able to hide all
the ductwork and I have ducts in every room irrespective of its size. With
a mini-split one tends to skip the very small rooms.

To handle the bottom two efficiently I ran a return to high on the wall of
the second floor.

And be sure to get variable speed. The added comfort of getting the
humidity out is well worth the added cost.

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

On Jun 21, 4:28*pm, Jim Elbrecht wrote:
"Ray" wrote:
I'm considering getting one of those Mitsubishi mini-split air conditioning
systems as an alternative to central AC, with a single small external unit
serving three *units inside the apartment.

This is also a heat pump.

I've been told that these systems require a lot of maintenance.

I'd be grateful if anyone could provide experience with these systems.
Thanks.

Me too-- * * I cool 2 rooms about 10-20 *days a year. * The rooms are
one above the other. * *Been using 5-10K BTU window bangers forever.

I looked at installing a unit on a pad and mounting an interior unit
in each room.

Advantage- Rooms quieter; more attractive- doesn't plug a window;
easier- no more taking them out in the fall; more efficient?? [I
question that because I rarely run both rooms at once- so I'd be
running an oversized compressor most of the time. * Likely to be more
efficient than central air-- but it seems like the window bangers are
still cheaper to operate if only one is running.]

disadvantage-- * *Way* more expensive. * *I can buy about 6
wallbangers for the price of a minisplit. * *And any service calls
would cost as much as buying a replacement window A/C. *[and I could
replace the window unit in about an hour- and not wait for a service
call, etc]

I could probably set up central air [I have hot air heat] for about
what a mini-split and 2 wall units would cost--- * but there is still
that whole 'inefficiency thing.

Jim

And wallbangers are contained within the apartment...
They are not placed outside on the ground and require
running wiring and refrigerant lines up the outside of the
building -- which is something only the owner of the
building can do as that is outside of the boundaries of
the "apartment"...

That issue is something the OP has never clarified as
of yet... Does he own the "apartment" ? Does he have
the legal right to install equipment located outside of
the "apartment" or does he need permission/approval
of someone else who controls/owns that area...

On 6/25/2012 2:58 AM, Evan wrote:
On Jun 21, 4:28 pm, Jim Elbrecht wrote:
"Ray" wrote:
I'm considering getting one of those Mitsubishi mini-split air conditioning
systems as an alternative to central AC, with a single small external unit
serving three units inside the apartment.

This is also a heat pump.

I've been told that these systems require a lot of maintenance.

I'd be grateful if anyone could provide experience with these systems.
Thanks.

Me too-- I cool 2 rooms about 10-20 days a year. The rooms are
one above the other. Been using 5-10K BTU window bangers forever.

I looked at installing a unit on a pad and mounting an interior unit
in each room.

Advantage- Rooms quieter; more attractive- doesn't plug a window;
easier- no more taking them out in the fall; more efficient?? [I
question that because I rarely run both rooms at once- so I'd be
running an oversized compressor most of the time. Likely to be more
efficient than central air-- but it seems like the window bangers are
still cheaper to operate if only one is running.]

disadvantage-- *Way* more expensive. I can buy about 6
wallbangers for the price of a minisplit. And any service calls
would cost as much as buying a replacement window A/C. [and I could
replace the window unit in about an hour- and not wait for a service
call, etc]

I could probably set up central air [I have hot air heat] for about
what a mini-split and 2 wall units would cost--- but there is still
that whole 'inefficiency thing.

Jim

And wallbangers are contained within the apartment...
They are not placed outside on the ground and require
running wiring and refrigerant lines up the outside of the
building -- which is something only the owner of the
building can do as that is outside of the boundaries of
the "apartment"...

That issue is something the OP has never clarified as
of yet... Does he own the "apartment" ? Does he have
the legal right to install equipment located outside of
the "apartment" or does he need permission/approval
of someone else who controls/owns that area...


Maybe the OP already knows the answer to that, which might explain why
he never asked

"RBM" wrote in message ...

On 6/25/2012 2:58 AM, Evan wrote:
On Jun 21, 4:28 pm, Jim Elbrecht wrote:
"Ray" wrote:
I'm considering getting one of those Mitsubishi mini-split air
conditioning
systems as an alternative to central AC, with a single small external
unit
serving three units inside the apartment.

This is also a heat pump.

I've been told that these systems require a lot of maintenance.

I'd be grateful if anyone could provide experience with these systems.
Thanks.

Me too-- I cool 2 rooms about 10-20 days a year. The rooms are
one above the other. Been using 5-10K BTU window bangers forever.

I looked at installing a unit on a pad and mounting an interior unit
in each room.

Advantage- Rooms quieter; more attractive- doesn't plug a window;
easier- no more taking them out in the fall; more efficient?? [I
question that because I rarely run both rooms at once- so I'd be
running an oversized compressor most of the time. Likely to be more
efficient than central air-- but it seems like the window bangers are
still cheaper to operate if only one is running.]

disadvantage-- *Way* more expensive. I can buy about 6
wallbangers for the price of a minisplit. And any service calls
would cost as much as buying a replacement window A/C. [and I could
replace the window unit in about an hour- and not wait for a service
call, etc]

I could probably set up central air [I have hot air heat] for about
what a mini-split and 2 wall units would cost--- but there is still
that whole 'inefficiency thing.

Jim

And wallbangers are contained within the apartment...
They are not placed outside on the ground and require
running wiring and refrigerant lines up the outside of the
building -- which is something only the owner of the
building can do as that is outside of the boundaries of
the "apartment"...

That issue is something the OP has never clarified as
of yet... Does he own the "apartment" ? Does he have
the legal right to install equipment located outside of
the "apartment" or does he need permission/approval
of someone else who controls/owns that area...


Maybe the OP already knows the answer to that, which might explain why
he never asked

------------------------------------------------------------------------

That is exactly right. All of the questions raised by various responders had
been fully resolved before I asked the question, could anyone share their
experience with mini-splits? Everything else is irrelevant.

I find the alt-home.repair group to be useful, but over the years I've found
a great tendency of responders to go off track and ask a lot of questions
that are, as I said, irrelevant.

I'll ask once mo

Does anyone have experience with mini-splits that they might share? Did it
meet expectations? Has it required service?