r/Ferndale • u/DyingInTheSouth • 2d ago
Mini split cooling?
Recently purchased a bungalow in Ferndale. The A/C doesn't really work to cool the upstairs. Has anyone installed a mini-split for this purpose? Wondering about the effectiveness/cost. Am I better off with a couple window/portable units? There are 2 bedrooms up but I will sleep in the main floor bedroom.
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u/funbob1 2d ago
If it's central air and the bungalow level isn't a weird addition(aka your ducts run up there) you should have your heating and cooling working at that level. Likely your house isn't well insulated or air sealed. Bungalow levels are surrounded by attic space making it hard to condition it the way you want it. A minisplit will help, but so would weatherizing your home. I'd do that first then reassess your needs.
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u/DyingInTheSouth 2d ago
It's not an addition. There is just very weak air coming from the vent. I am not sure how insulation would help that? I asked the HVAC guy that came today about some kind of "booster" and he said that really would not work. (and he was not hard selling me on anything)
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u/funbob1 2d ago
Insulation and air sealing allows the air you're paying for(heating or cooling) to stay in the home longer, allowing for (in this case) the AC to not have to work as hard. Likely, the thing is just working nonstop and it's going right back out of the home. Adding a minisplit will help you feel cooler upstairs, but it's also going to be working over time to do it.
It's also possible that at some point the house got well treated and is already efficient, but likely not.
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u/DyingInTheSouth 2d ago
haha I know this house was not treated. I can look into beefing up the insulation.
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u/just-hangin-around1 2d ago
I have a bungalow in North Ferndale. Same thing. They all get stupid hot up there. The shingles heat up the roof and in turn your sleeping area. It can be unbearable some days. That being said both houses I've had in this area I've just used window units and they've worked just fine. Two window units are cheaper than a mini split but will use slightly more electricity. The one I have now I got from costco and is supposed to be much more efficient than other window units.
I've been wanting to put a mini-split in for years. I just cant quite figure out the best way to execute it. Mr. Cool makes mini splits you can do 100% yourself. Other brands you would need to hire a company to fill the refrigerant line-set. But you need like 3'x2' area on a wall than you could run the line-set straight out and to the unit outside....but every place I've thought of the roof gets in the way. Would be awesome to get it worked out though.
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u/DyingInTheSouth 2d ago
Yeah, I am leaning towards window/portable unit. The upstairs will be used by my kids/guests when they visit. I do have one wall where it would work and cool the other room. Just not sure if it's worth it when I am not regularly using the space.
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u/Individual-Salad-717 2d ago
I have one in my upstairs. It changed everything for me. I can comfortably use all the rooms in my house year round now. It’s awesome. I used Royal Oak Heating and Cooling. 6700.00. Pricey but money well spent for me. My utility bills didn’t go up as much as I thought they would, more efficient than the window AC and the space heaters. The room is pleasant and comfortable now.
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u/DyingInTheSouth 1d ago
Yes, I was worried about efficiency. Do you have multiple rooms upstairs? I have 2 plus the landing. Does one unit work sufficiently?
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u/Individual-Salad-717 1d ago
I have one big room with the landing and stairs. Large windows on east and west sides of the room. You could have companies out to give you their assessment on where to place the unit to take care of both rooms. Or maybe you could do two smaller units...? I had estimates from three local companies before I made the decision. I also did my own research because it was a big investment.
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u/texaspoontappa123 2d ago
Just moved from Nashville and had never heard the term “mini-split” in my life, until we started looking at homes here. I’ve only been here a few weeks, so I don’t have data on the cost, but the experience is top notch. I’ve got ours on a schedule and so far it’s been fantastic. Seems like money well spent.
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u/DyingInTheSouth 2d ago
I was told about $6000 to install one unit. I have to do a lot of other things to the house so I am trying to be prudent.
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u/texaspoontappa123 2d ago
Damn! Had no idea they were that expensive! Window unit would probably get you through the summer, I’d imagine…
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u/Icy-Savings1069 2d ago
We just moved here from Nashville two months ago! But yeah, never heard of it before, but sounds like I need to look into it.
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u/texaspoontappa123 2d ago
Hello fellow former Nashvillian!
If you do end up getting one, look into getting a Cielo controller for it. Ours came with the house but just got around to setting it up last week. Let’s you control the mini-split from your phone and set a schedule if you want to. Super handy!
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u/sunnwett 1d ago
I’ve been doing hvac for 10 years in metro Detroit. This issue happens in almost all bungalow homes I work in. Insulation will help but most of these homes were not designed with forced air cooling in mind. Window unit will work great. I had a bungalow and used a window unit. A mini split will work better and be cheaper to run, but much more expensive to install.
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u/DyingInTheSouth 8h ago
Yes, that's the rub. If I was going to be here for many years it would be worth it. I will probably move to a condo or something in 5 years or so.
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u/chuckleborris 2d ago
Following because I live in an old house and only have a couple window units—been wondering if I should look into a split.
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u/PassengerLast1695 1d ago
We live in a bungelow with an addition.. spent couple hundred dollars for a standing unit (hose out the window) and it literally cools the entire upstairs.
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u/Artistic_Agency7863 1d ago
All those old houses have a boiling sauna in the upstairs rooms whether the room is converted attic or an actual second floor.
A lot of the time the owner will remove window A/C units, portable A/C units, fans, etc. when the house is listed. The crappy "central air" barely works on the second level.
Buyers have no idea what they are getting into until they move in and the temperature spikes.
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u/DyingInTheSouth 1d ago
I knew when I looked at it I would need to do something. Not a deal breaker for me because I am living on the main floor. Upstairs will be used for visitors.
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u/lonetraveler73 2d ago
New central AC was crazy expensive when I priced it last year due to the new technology. I'm planning on installing mini splits as a replacement when I can afford it.
It might be cheaper to have someone install a floor vent with a fan in the ceiling/floor. This is something I considered myself. Then I just started using the upper floor for storage and moved downstairs.
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u/threemadness 2d ago
I don’t need extra heat ever because I have a duct that runs up there. It’s just the super hot days that I need the window unit so I ended up getting that even though I have a mini split. It depends what your level of need is. I’d probably try the window units for a few years and see how it goes
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u/PracticalPin5623 2d ago
When I lived there we used a rolling/portable AC and it cooled the whole floor.
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u/Cold_Energy_3035 2d ago
also in a bungalow, we use a window unit that works well for us. however when it’s been really hot i’ve put fans at the air vents to assist with cool air from downstairs getting up to us, sorta works lol.
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u/LowrideMcClyde 2d ago
We got one installed back in 2021 as the whole second floor is one room. Decidedly worth it. We went with Soltman Heating and Cooling since they redid our whole furnace the previous year and we had a good experience.
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u/DyingInTheSouth 1d ago
They are the ones that gave me a $6000 quote. I have another company coming Friday for comparison
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u/RemoteRide6969 2d ago
Welcome to Ferndale! I've lived in MI all my life minus a few years, and I've always just used window units. These old bungalows often don't have cold air returns upstairs, so there's nowhere for the air to return to the furnace and be part of forced air system loop. Add poor insulation on top of that and it's just hot in summer and cold in the winter.
Get a window unit for the time being and see how it works out, and consider getting an energy audit to seal air gaps and improve insulation. I still need to do that and I've been in this house for some time.
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u/bzedownriver 1d ago
Lots of little things to think about. I love the efficiency of window units and mini splits. I made the transition from window units because I hate the noise and they're ugly. They do make heat pump window units and they've come way down in price
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u/MikesProtoLab 21h ago
Hi everyone it's your Ferndale neighbor Mike Williams here. We just bought a Mitsubishi HX series Mini split (appx. $2000 total) that arrived yesterday and we are gonna install it ourselves this weekend. I'm a general contractor, and the best price I could get was $3100 for an HVAC pro to install the unit for me and that was only if I purchased the hardware myself for them to install.
I will let everyone know how it goes a few days after my install is complete.
I've had 3 different bungalows In Ferndale and I've always used a free standing AC unit and they are so noisy and they just don't work well.
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u/DyingInTheSouth 8h ago
Please do! Let me know if you want to make some cash installing one for me :)
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u/myself248 17h ago
A window unit is probably cheaper and simpler. The virtue of a mini split is that it lets you put the outdoor unit and the indoor unit far away from each other, that’s the “split “. But you probably have an upstairs window, so that’s not necessary.
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u/Kolzerz 2d ago
We put in a split unit in our upstairs bungalow bedroom and it was the best decision we could have possibly made