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Concealed air handlers for mini-splits

Way2Rich | Posted in Energy, Heating & Insulation on December 6, 2013 01:56am

I’m planning to retrofit a mini-split heat pump in a 1,200 square foot house that currently has very inefficient baseboard heaters. To improve eventual resale value, I want to conceal the air handlers as much as possible. I suspect the era of bulky air handlers hanging on every wall is already on its way out, except in very low-budget housing and difficult retrofit situations, such as concrete block construction — but that’s another story.

Anyway, yesterday I spoke with a technician at LG who strongly advised against installing a ceiling cassette for two reasons: 1) the service access is from the top, which would be difficult in a house with a 3:12 roof and maybe 3 feet of attic clearance at the ridge line, and 2) the condensor coils should be kept clean, which is difficult in a dusty attic environment.

I was surprised, frankly, but can’t think of any motive for the guy to try and talk down the ceiling units, so now I’m looking at alternatives.

The best one I’ve found was shown in a picture on Pg. 54 of the September FHB. It shows a grill embedded in a bookcase, with the rest of the air handler concealed. I would do a similar installation but inside various closets, with only the grill exposed in each room. There’s no mention of a manufacturer, however, and I can’t find this type of unit from any of the online distributors.

Anybody know who makes that unit and/or where I can find one?

Thanks in advance,

RJ

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  1. FHB Editor
    rwotzak | Dec 09, 2013 12:17pm | #1

    Hi RJ,

    The unit in the photo is made by Mitsubishi. I believe it may be one of the horizontally-ducted ones on this page: http://www.mitsubishicomfort.com/en/consumer/product-solutions/product-showcase/indoor-units

    If you have specific questions about choosing and installing mini splits, there are a lot of folks on the GreenBuildingAdvisor.com forum (our sister site) who have extensive experience with these HVAC systems:  http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/qa

    There are also quite a few good articles on GBA about mini-splits:

    http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/guest-blogs/installing-ductless-minisplit-system

    http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/just-two-minisplits-heat-and-cool-whole-house

    http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/heating-tight-well-insulated-house

    Hope this helps.

    Take care,

    Rob

    Rob Wotzak

    Web producer

    FineHomebuilding.com and GreenBuildingAdvisor.com

  2. copyowner | Dec 14, 2013 11:09am | #2

    LG ceiling cassettes x 5, now you have me worried

    I have installed 5 of the LG ceiling cassettes. I chose them precisely because three of them are going to be way up near the peak of a 3:12 roof with just an inch over the minimum clearance above. There is no way I will be able to service them from the top. Another is in more accessible attic space, and the fifth is in accessible "pinished" space. But I don't understand the LG rep's concerns. First off, my attic should not be dusty. I'm insulating above it so as to avoid having to vent that little bit of attic, which will be inside the envelope. The units are pretty tight, too, so I don't see how dust from above would affect it even if, over the years, it accummulated an inch thick. In the event the whole thing had to be serviced, I will have to remove it from below. Finally, it seems a bit odd that LG would design a unit that is promoted with specs for minimum clearances above it and then have a tech tell you LG is blowing smoke because it is a bad idea to install according to the spec?  I'll hope for the best. 

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