Are Mini Split Air Conditioners Worth It? - Top 5 Pros & Cons

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So worth it. Installed 18,000 btu unit and two head units, one for master bedroom and one for Livingroom below, and is fabulous with heating in the teens and single digits, and cooling in 110 degree weather. Installed in addition because didn’t want bulkhead to cover ducting. No regrets. Easy on the electric bill as well. Brand is Perfectaire btw. I highly recommend.

The single most important reason to install a mini-split is that they are way more efficient than a traditional ac system given the variable flow refrigerant nature of the minisplit.

My heating bill went from 700 a month to 150..that's all you need to know..get one that heats to -20 below..senville 240 volts..they should be paying me for this info..

He left out one incredible benefit from split systems. If you go to the Mitsubishi line of split systems, you can find seer ratings that are unheard of, like 33 seer, as opposed to conventional systems. You also get a long warranty on the compressor like 15 years, after properly installed by a licensed installer, you can get an extended warranty over parts and labor! I think this young man means we'll, but has not had the experience in Mitsubishi split systems!

I had a Mini Split System installed in my home 2 years ago. I had 4 units installed, 3 9k/1 18K Mitsubishi MLZ Ceiling cassettes cause I didn't want to see wall units in every room, or the holes in the wall. I do have a wall unit that I purchased used that cools off my entire basement. After 3 yrs it was low on freon and I had to top it off, otherwise its never given me any issue. I'm having a 4th 9K installed in a couple of days for my kitchen. I installed it over a conventional system because I saw no purpose in air conditioning bedrooms that were unoccupied all day, most days, or cooling an empty living/dining room all night. When there's no one home, the CAC is off I've had zero increase in my electric bill. I LOVE my system and how it works. When its bed time I turn off the Living room unit and turn on the bedroom unit. At 1st I'd turn it on 5 mins before I went to bed to cool off the room. I stopped doing that because cold air comes out with 20-30 seconds of turning on and cools the room in 3-5 mins. the units are whisper quiet. Even though my system provides heat, I prefer to use my gas heated cast iron baseboards in the winter. So far I am 100% satisfied with my mini split system.

Great video, Ben .We built a passive solar, net zero home 5 years ago. The main reason we have 2 mini splits is that we can both heat and cool with the same unit, and they are super efficient whether heating or cooling. Cheers!

Just installed ours in our bedroom since it’s always 12-15 degrees hotter than the rest of the house. I love my mini split. It wasn’t as easy to install for us, because we had to extend the side yard dense to make sure outside unit was safe and covered. But the rest was pretty easy. I can sleep with a quiet unit. We got the Pioneer 110 v

First time I saw a mini split was at a friend's house in Monterrey Mexico. I have now come across multiple MS setups, and they are by far waaaay more practical the a regular refrigerated system. The monthly cost is about half and any given room will be as comfortable as you want....they are amazing!

WITHOUT DOUBT the installation of a dual zone mini was THE SMARTEST thing I did when I did the renovation of my 1949 built house!!! There are NO CONS IMHO

I have been in the HVAC industry for about 14 years. We still have units we installed when I started and are still running great. Maybe you should switch company you are using. We mostly use Fujitsu and if you know what you're doing it's very easy to service. Mitsubishi is also great but more expensive. Parts on both of them we usually can get within a few days. Some parts can take a week. If a unit is installed right and maintained, it will run great for a long time.

Good video. We renovated an 1880's farmhouse on the coast of Maine, and our 5000 BTU Daiken unit heats the house easily most days (2 floors, 1072 sq ft total) for the past 2 years. It was our sole source of heat until 6 weeks ago, when we had a used propane fireplace with wall vent installed as a back up/supplement. We like a cooler temp (low 60's) and because we're pretty well air sealed, we manage pretty well. Only on the coldest and most windy of days do we light the propane. Also, I believe Daikens are made in Texas now.

I learned about minis in Iraq and Afghanistan. We used them more than anything else. Hot extremely dusty environment 120 degrees and more heat outside. All were run by large diesel generators with the voltage constantly varying and going out. They worked great. The only problems were the condensate pans clogging and leaking into the room and if someone was dumb enough to install one on a roof due to extreme heat they didn’t last long. Got home and built a cabin and I run a mini. I had issues with mold clogging the condensate pan. I use tablets to keep that under control and have learned that if I use high fan speed instead of automatic fan I don’t have that issue. Should last me a long time.

Another pro point: on minisplit you usually have more independent system (one unit usually feeds from one to three inner "splits" so on a house you have usually at least two units) this means that if a single unit fails the home isn't totally out of air conditioning, on a central system if something fails, you have to hope hvac tech comes quite soon. As a note: my grandma has a 2002 mitsubishi twin-split and today it still in great shape. A downside is that you have to pull a condensate pipe to every inside split to drain the condensate properly.

I've gotten Mitsubishi's From home depot Multiple times easy to install and someone now have lasted over 10 years And I've had no trouble getting parts

I had one installed in my Tucson garage three weeks ago and it is WUNNERFUL!!!

Mini splits were always one of the fastest installs I’ve done over the few years I did hvac. Going ductless will be the future and only become more efficient then central. Biggest pro of a mini split with a zone in each acquired room will have a return to prevent poor air circulation. This will control humidity and proper temperature. I have a 1960 single wide with poor air return especially with bedrooms on each end of home with doors shut just won’t return the air in a timely matter since furnace is in the middle. Like I said having a return in each room has a list of benefits more so then was mentioned.

I've had my mini split for only 2 weeks and it is a life changer! My entire upstairs is like heaven now. I can live and run my business in comfort now, especially in this near 100 degree weather. I wish I had installed it sooner!

A few other considerations: individual room temperature control results in significant energy savings (i.e. no need to cool your living room while you're asleep in your bedroom). The condenser (outdoor unit) is typically smaller and more quiet on a mini split system, so if you're pressed for outside space that's a plus. Also, the effectiveness of heating operation depends on the outside temperature. Colder outside temperatures are harder to extract heat from, so keep that in mind if you plan on using the system for both coming and heating and live in a cold climate. They definitely have their place.

I’m planning to install a Lennox mini split system… a friend recommended and and the family really likes it