If it’s time to schedule a preventive maintenance service appointment for your ductless mini split, and you want to avoid the pitfalls of failing to maintain your system, here’s what your technician will do to keep it in top working condition:

• Change the system’s air filter regularly.
• Clean the evaporator and condenser coils, ensuring that dirt buildup is removed so that the system can achieve optimal efficiency. Using a specialized brush or cleaning solution, the technician will gently clean the coils, and make sure they are buildup-free.
• Check the drain pan to be sure it’s free of moisture. The presence of water could indicate a clog inside the system, and fixing any problems early on can help you ward off larger problems later.
• Assess the air handler, and balance and clean the fan wheel and blower.
• Check the entire condenser unit, located outside of your home.
• Inspect the refrigerant lines, testing for leaks and looking for dents that could indicate problems with the system’s operations. The refrigerant lines are insulated, so the technician should also check the condition of the insulation.
• Test the equipment’s airflow, ensuring the air handler is set to manufacturer’s specifications.

The experts at Jon Wayne Heating & Air Conditioning are happy to help you with ductless mini-split maintenance. Just give us a call today, and you’ll see why countless homeowners in greater San Antonio have chosen the Jon Wayne experience, time and again. We have been proudly serving the greater San Antonio area since the mid-1970s.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Jon Wayne Heating and Air Conditioning services  San Antonio and the surrounding communities of Seguin, New Braunfels, Bulverde, Boerne, and Comal County.  Visit our website to see our special offers to get started today!

Image via Shutterstock.com

A ductless mini split is very similar to a central air conditioner, as it has a condenser and indoor handler as its primary components. The difference in the two systems is that a central A/C uses ductwork to distribute cool air from a central air handler, whereas a mini split requires that you install a separate air handler in the rooms where you desire cool air.

Here’s a rundown of the benefits of using this type of system, over an A/C system.

Space requirements

The largest ductless mini-split systems can generally cool a space of up to about 1,200 square feet, making them ideal for cooling individual rooms. However, if you have an addition, for example, that allows the free flow of air (i.e., without closed doors) you can use a mini split to cool several smaller spaces.

Older homes

Ductless mini splits are a good solution when adding cooling to spaces in older homes. Most older homes have limited ceiling space, and in order to add ductwork to such a home, you need about 12 feet of ceiling height. Ductless mini splits don’t use ductwork — problem solved.

Lower costs

However, even if your home would allow for retrofitting ductwork, this is an expensive endeavor, which requires modifications to your home, an expense in itself, along with costly duct materials and installation costs.

Efficiency

Ductless mini splits are a heat-pump system, which gets efficient results — just as efficient as a central A/C system; however, because an A/C is susceptible to energy losses through ductwork leaks, longer duct runs and energy losses at registers, mini splits often reach higher efficiencies in the long run.

For help assessing your home’s requirements or to evaluate ductless mini splits, give the home-comfort experts a call at Jon Wayne Heating & Air Conditioning. We are committed to helping San Antonio homeowners maximize home comfort and save energy.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Heating and cooling image via Shutterstock

Ductless systems are very similar to a traditional air-conditioning system: they have an outdoor unit that houses the compressor and condenser and an indoor unit that comprises the air handler. A central conduit line connects the two systems, and it contains the power cable, refrigerant line, and condensate drain tubing.

If your plans this summer include adding on to your home, creating a new space over a garage or closing up a porch and turning it into a sunroom, ductless mini splits are an ideal choice. For homes with forced-air systems, extending ductwork into your new space can be costly and your existing system may not be able to handle the additional load. Using a ductless system allows you to install heating and cooling in your new room without that expense. If you don’t have a forced-air system, ductless models are also ideal for homeowners with other heating and cooling methods, like hydronic, radiant or space heaters (such as propane).

The flexibility of mini splits allows you to address comfort throughout the home, especially if you decide to add heating and cooling to a second space. Outdoor mini-split systems can be connected to as many as eight indoor handlers, so you can install one in your new space and use the additional air handlers in one or more rooms that need a boost. Sometimes, forced-air systems can’t comfortably heat and cool every room in the house, leaving you with overly hot or cold rooms in your home. Using several indoor units in these zones creates the flexibility and convenience to address comfort issues. Many consumers have opted to remove their traditional forced air ducted systems in favor of these ductless multi zone systems.

For new spaces, ductless mini splits offer homeowners a way to provide conditioned air to the home, regardless of the current HVAC system. Their flexibility and comfort are ideal. Talk to the comfort technicians at Jon Wayne Heating & Air Conditioning. Our expertise and experience is second to none in the San Antonio area, and we offer a wide range of cooling systems from which to choose.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about ductless mini-splits  and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Jon Wayne Heating and Air Conditioning services  San Antonio and the surrounding communities of Seguin, New Braunfels, Bulverde, Boerne, and Comal County.  Visit our website to see our special offers to get started today!

Ductless mini splits:

• Offer far less energy loss.  With common ductwork, energy loss can account for 20 percent of the energy consumption in air conditioning your home.
• Are flexible and small in size, meaning it is easier to cool specific spaces in your home such as rooms that you frequently use.  Each unit is controlled by its own thermostat, so you don’t have to cool rooms that are not in use.
• Are less noisy than central units or window air conditioning.  Because the refrigeration takes place outside, you can expect quiet operation.
• Offer more design options for your home.  Because air handlers can be mounted flush in to a drop ceiling, placed on a wall or even suspended from the ceiling, you have options that are suitable to the design of your home.
• Help you save money on energy costs over time; even though initial costs for ductless mini splits are a bit more than a wall or window air conditioner, you can recoup the additional costs quickly and experience substantial savings each month.

Jon Wayne Heating and Air Conditioning services San Antonio and surrounding communities.  Our goal is to help educate homeowners about home comfort and energy issues (specific to HVAC systems).  To learn more about ductless mini splits and other HVAC topic, we invite you to download our free Home Comfort Resource Guide.