I'd like to add a mini split unit onto the master suite of the house to give better temperature control to that room specifically. Central air does mostly fine, but would like to be able to run warmer or cooler without affecting the rest of the house. I also like the idea of a smaller unit that would allow heating/cooling in one room of the house on generator power without having to fire up the big compressor on the main unit.

Anything I'm missing here? Other options, flaws in my logic, etc.?

Sounds like a good plan to me.

The potential downsides are the placement of the outside unit in close proximity to the room(s) you are heating/cooling (i.e. you might not be able to easily hide it) and having a large indoor head unit to look at. There are "ceiling cassette" head units available that eliminate bulky wall-mounted head units, but they may require a certain amount of re-framing of the ceiling.

Be careful. We added a minisplit to our gameroom (converted garage, longest run from central HVAC, bad insulation, lots of sun) for the exact same reason. It would be 86 in there with rest of house in the low 70s. Now I want a mini split in every room of the house.

schwack schwack said:

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We've done the lolpoor version for years: a nice, quiet window unit in the master bedroom. Ours is on the back of the house, so not visible to anyone + cheap and easy to replace. We can get it down to meat locker degrees & we never need extra heat in the winter to sleep.

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Actually thinking about this as a proof of concept for now.. haven't looked at window units in years and they seem to be relatively efficient and quiet.

Tom Cardy said:

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schwack schwack said:

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We've done the lolpoor version for years: a nice, quiet window unit in the master bedroom. Ours is on the back of the house, so not visible to anyone + cheap and easy to replace. We can get it down to meat locker degrees & we never need extra heat in the winter to sleep.

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Actually thinking about this as a proof of concept for now.. haven't looked at window units in years and they seem to be relatively efficient and quiet.

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You can get mini splits with multiple zones. One compressor, multiple head units.

Tom Cardy said:

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schwack schwack said:

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We've done the lolpoor version for years: a nice, quiet window unit in the master bedroom. Ours is on the back of the house, so not visible to anyone + cheap and easy to replace. We can get it down to meat locker degrees & we never need extra heat in the winter to sleep.

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Actually thinking about this as a proof of concept for now.. haven't looked at window units in years and they seem to be relatively efficient and quiet.

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My parents have done this. They have a house for 5 people just to themselves and do not feel like conditioning the entire space when asleep. You may take a look at the "saddle" design window units.

I'm about to add ductless to my house, but at this point I have no AC whatsoever and just have had radiant ceiling heat in the 1957 house (whatever genius thought that concept up should be hanged)

Our house is 1,470sf and we are adding one outdoor unit (compressor/generator/whatever) and one unit in the living room, one in the master, and one in a secondary bedroom. It should almost be overkill for this house, but as a person that relocated from TX to the PNW, having no AC in the summer isn't a huge deal but having just the stupid ceiling heat in the winter sucks. My local provider offers a rebate and a 60-month zero interest loan for that ductless heat pump system so it really wont cost us much for the new system since our heating bills in the winter were really high (including firewood). Our electric bill in the summer is almost nothing due to no AC so that will go up, but in the end we will come out even-ish.

schwack schwack said:

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Quote:

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My parents have done this. They have a house for 5 people just to themselves and do not feel like conditioning the entire space when asleep.

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My parents did this when we were all still at home. Different times...... LOL

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Same. I slept on their floor many nights.

88agswin said:

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Ryan the Temp said:

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88agswin said:

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If any of y'all are in the greater Houston/Cypress/Tomball/Katy area I can help you with any of the AC needs that you have...I own Wise Guys Heating & Cooling....713-466-7555 office or my mobile is 832-347-0807...Jim class of '88 and my son Dylan class of '19

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I can personally vouch for the excellent service and that Wise Guys stands by their work. I had a service call go south once and they made things right, even at a substantial loss to the company. They will always be my first call.

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We aren't perfect...we are humans....but when we do have a mistake we 100% stand behind the work we do like Ryan stated.

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Wise Guys definitely stands behind their work.

Tom Cardy said:

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schwack schwack said:

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We've done the lolpoor version for years: a nice, quiet window unit in the master bedroom. Ours is on the back of the house, so not visible to anyone + cheap and easy to replace. We can get it down to meat locker degrees & we never need extra heat in the winter to sleep.

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Actually thinking about this as a proof of concept for now.. haven't looked at window units in years and they seem to be relatively efficient and quiet.

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Inverter windo unit is an affordable and quiet option.

Midea U-Shaped Smart Inverter Window Air ConditionerCools, Ultra Quiet with Open Window Flexibility, Works with Alexa/Google Assistant, 35% Energy Savings, Remote Control, 10,000 BTU, White https://a.co/d/i8RZD18

Like the Inverter window unit idea but can't share any experiences.
This worked well for us in M.Suite for nighttime, all glass Studio daytime when main HVAC wasn't engineered well ..
http://rb.gy/adz64
In Aggieland, no need for supplemental heat in winter (ignoring Feb freeze w/o power ERCOT politically compromized dumba**es)

Mini splits are ideal for areas that

• have an exterior wall/opeing to dump the condensate
• no qualms about unit aesthetics
• seldom used
• need ideal energy bills
• commercial area BTUH boost

3-4 years ago, I was headed out of town and our AC was acting up. My wife insisted I install a window unit in our master bedroom before I left.... It's running right now.

I've been considering doing the same thing as the OP. My house is 10 years old, and they built it with the master being the longest duct run by far. Every summer I think about supplementing the system, and I think I'm finally ready to take that plunge.

I've looked around this forum as well as the Metroplex forum, and I haven't seen much in the way of recommendations. If anyone here knows a good HVAC contractor that works in the Northwest quadrant of DFW, I would appreciate the referral.

Just buy a mini split online, pay an electrician to run a new circuit, and then an HVAC guy to install. If you wanted turn key, I'd get a bid from Enoch.

I'd imagine if you add the minisplit or a inverter window unit you'll want to close off the run from the air chiller to the room to isolate the systems.

Our furnace is also tied into those duct runs, so won't be closing them off for now. Maybe will shut the registers when it's warm out since I'll be starting with a window inverter and moving to mini-split down the road if we like it.

Ryan the Temp said:

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88agswin said:

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If any of y'all are in the greater Houston/Cypress/Tomball/Katy area I can help you with any of the AC needs that you have...I own Wise Guys Heating & Cooling....713-466-7555 office or my mobile is 832-347-0807...Jim class of '88 and my son Dylan class of '19

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I can personally vouch for the excellent service and that Wise Guys stands by their work. I had a service call go south once and they made things right, even at a substantial loss to the company. They will always be my first call.

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Just had them out for routine stuff and will also vouch for Jim and Dylan. We had previously used a small family owned outfit for years, but when they sold out and the new owner blatantly tried to scam us, they came to the rescue. Only issue is that the tech is a Longhorn fan --

I'd like to piggy-back on this. We have a lakehouse(nice double-wide) with an 18 year old unit that doesn't do a great job and isn't very efficient.
What are the thoughts about replacing the old system with a zoned mini-split or even 3 smaller units?

TMfrisco said:

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I'd like to piggy-back on this. We have a lakehouse(nice double-wide) with an 18 year old unit that doesn't do a great job and isn't very efficient.
What are the thoughts about replacing the old system with a zoned mini-split or even 3 smaller units?

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Perfect application