What type of system would be best?
Buddy of mine wants central air in his house. I went over there on saturday to take a look. No attic, finsihed basement and on top of that he doesnt want any exposed duct work. He has a drop ceiling in the basement but only a couple inches to the studs, not really many options. I was thinking either a high velocity system or a mini split system. The problem with the mini splits is that the house doesnt have a very open concept, so i would need 2 seperate 4 zone systems to cool basement, first floor rooms and second floor bedrooms. The problem with both is the cost of either system. Is this a case of either spend a ton of money or no central air?
This post was edited by an admin on July 16, 2012 5:07 PM.
Ductless
If money is a factor, and it usually is. The ductless indoors can be added later.
Just pick a few choice areas and start with those units first.
I have been installing the Comfort star Allegria from R E Michels Co.. I believe they are the only seller of this new model.
I have been very pleased and the multi units allow for a large selection of mix and match.
cold air falls
If you cool the 2nd floor, a lot of that cool air will cool downstairs. So you won't need much cooling on the 1st floor. Cousin has a big old house. Ducted air was added in the 70s. Only a 3 ton which was lots less than some quotes they got. All rooms upstairs have large vents but Auntie would only allow 2 vents on the 1st floor and in lousy locations like the back hallway to outside. I've stayed there in 95° weather and the house stays very evenly cool on both floors. So they could start with a mini split system upstairs and as budget permits, put a unit or 2 downstairs. Or maybe a 2 head with 1 on the 1st floor and 1 basement.
Usually little cooling is needed in a basement anyway.
