Mini split heat pump in rental property thoughts?

[Preston Quinn]

Hey guys,

Here is my situation. I have a house in a class c neighborhood. I am renovating it now. The house has updated 100amp service, and a oil furnace. I had a quote for swapping it over to a heat pump. For $4200 I can convert it. That would include new duct work, and a 2 1/2 ton unit. To do this I would also have to change my service to 200 amp. My electrician gave me a quote of $1200. So I would be at $5400 for this. I don’t want to spend that much money. So here is my other option. My hvac guy told me he could do 2 mini split systems. One down stairs and one upstairs for around $27-2800 total. And I wouldn’t have to change out my service.

Have any of you used a mini split to cool/heat an older home with multiple rooms and only 1 zone per level? I am a little hesitant about doing this.

My other option is window units which would run me about $4-500 and leave the oil furnace that is 6 years old.

Thought??

[Joseph H.]

I had a duplex (over/under) renovated that is an older home. Duct was Not originally installed in the home and went with a mini-split unit upstairs and a window unit downstairs. The mini unit works well if it is the right size. From the research I have seen they do not do great below 32 degrees, but I cannot confirm this since this will be the first year we use it in the winter. Last winter when we first had it installed we needed to add more charge to the unit for proper use (about 8oz I believe). Now that it is charged it worked great over the summer, quiet, and cools the rooms accordingly with ceiling fans. Both units are a 2:1 and run around 800sq ft each. Do your research if you buy one and get one that is just bigger than you will need.