Mini splits, filters? Mold?

Question

Hi, I am wanting to hear if anyone has had problems with mold in their mini splits?

I’ve got to put in new hvac and two hvac guys suggested I use mini splits.

I have been looking them up and seeing that some filter needs to be replaced every two weeks, and they are likely to get moldy.

Pittsburgh, where this duplex is at, has high humidity. I can’t imagine what the headache could be in getting these installed in the long run.

Does anyone in this part of the country where the humidity and temperature is high, have these mini splits? And do they cause a headache? And do you change the filter every two weeks!?

I have central heat and air in my residence and run into no problems.

I have an air purifier that requires new filters every six months and I’m never on it enough to comply. And that’s every six months not two weeks?!s

Sheesh

David Coleman · Answer

I clean the filter on mine once or twice a year.  They’re maintenanced by the installation company one time a year.

Good luck!

Account Closed · Answer

@Aaron Schrader thanks so much for sharing your experience.

Was this in a South Dakota house?

If so, did it heat and cool well during the extreme season temperatures?

I have heard they aren’t great for those low, low and high, high temps. thank you,

Frinee

Account Closed · Answer

@David Coleman i was looking at Mitsubishi and Diakin.

How often do you clean yours? And, when you do, is it quite the job?

We have family in Europe who have the cassette type mini splits, but they are in a considerably drier climate.

@Billy Daniel I wonder if it is one if those issues that aren’t noticed until it gets so bad that you can’t ignore it?

Mini splits are super convenient in the way they save space, compared to central systems.

My place is gutted right now, so I could go with either.

Thanks for the responses.

Mello DePalma Pennington · Answer

I didn't read the whole feed, so I'm not sure if you got a response from an HVAC technician but that I am. I have found that many splits need to be ran constantly especially in the summer with it pulling the humidity out of the air. The water that goes out the drain line sits in that little pan (in turn causes mildew on the fan) options are to always leave it ON at no less than 78 in the summer or invest in some good drain line tablets for mini splits, The tablet will help some.

Aaron Schrader · Answer

It was in Central Oregon which is high desert country.  Drier there for sure, although here in SD lots of people have mini splits.  You are correct though on the cold temps, mine struggled in Oregon under 15º, even though they were rated down to 5º.  In that county in Oregon they required an alternate source of heat per county code, to serve as a backup.  Wasn't a problem on hot temps though.  It handled the AC responsibilities just fine.

Aaron Schrader · Answer

I had a mini split system in my personal residence.  Here's my experience:

Brand- Daiken

Unit was a 30,000 BTU capable of doing three head units, but I only had two.  One unit was on an exterior wall and one was on an interior wall.  They create condensate and that has to be dumped somehow, so the interior wall one was a pain because the installers created a little pump scenario that would pump it out every so often (like a sump pump but smaller) and it would have been better if they figured something else out like a drain tube down the wall into the crawl space and out, or something like that.

The units themselves were awesome, quiet, efficient.  They've been using these in Europe for decades so they have a long history.  The filters on mine were a fine removable filter that could be rinsed, and I found that an easy task to do as the homeowner and living there.  If renters were tasked to take care of it, forget about it.  Now, there are lots of guys installing these units in extremely dirty environments like wood shops and they're building an extra box above the unit with traditional filters on it, so it pull air through these filters first before getting to the unit.  This seems to be something that's working, just check out "mini split filter box" on YouTube.  These shop guys are also using them for heating/cooling bigger shop spaces and in humid places and they're working well.  I've never experienced mold with mine and had them for 3 years before I sold and moved.  I like the room-to-room zoning you get as well, not having to heat and cool rooms you aren't using.

I absolutely would put mini splits in again if I needed to.

Billy Daniel · Answer

I live in Arkansas, so I'm pretty familiar with the high humidity issues.  While I don't own any mini-splits at the moment, I know other investors who do and they all seem to like them.  I'll be installing two in a property I just got under contract.  I've never heard anyone mention mold issues.  The only problem I hear is they are not maintenance/repair friendly so repairs can be expensive.

David Coleman · Answer

I have two ceiling cassette-style LG mini-splits installed in my personal home.  Never had an issue with mold or frequent filter changes.  What brand/model of mini-split is supposed to get moldy?

Are they “hotel” style mini-splits?

I’ve run into mold problems with mini-splits in Brunswick, GA.  Otherwise, in the northeast,I’ve never had issues.

Mini splits, filters? Mold?

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