Ductless Mini-Splits

A mini-split is a heat pump that heats and cools a room without ductwork. An outdoor unit feeds one or more indoor units through a line set – two refrigerant lines, a condensate drain and a control cable – that passes through a hole in the wall only a few inches wide. Each indoor unit has its own controls, so you heat or cool only the rooms you are using.

With no ducts, there is no leaky ductwork baking in the attic. Most mini-splits use an inverter compressor, one that speeds up and slows down to match the room instead of slamming on and off. Sized correctly, it holds a steady temperature, runs quietly and runs long enough to wring moisture out of the air, which matters as much as temperature in a humid Central Texas summer.

A single-zone system pairs one outdoor unit with one indoor unit. For one room or one open area – a garage, an addition, the bonus room that bakes every afternoon – it is the simplest setup and usually the most efficient.

A multi-zone system runs several indoor units off one outdoor unit. It saves space in the yard and conditions several rooms without ducts, but each indoor unit has to be matched carefully to its room.

Get that match wrong and you feel it: an oversized unit in a small bedroom short-cycles, shutting off before it pulls the moisture out, and leaves the room cold and clammy. In some homes two single-zone systems beat one multi-zone, and when that is true of yours, we will show you why.

• Wall-mounted: the most common style, mounted high on the wall and usually the most economical choice.
• Ceiling cassette: sits nearly flush in the ceiling and blows air in several directions. It needs room in the ceiling or attic above.
• Floor-mounted (console): sits low on the wall. Handy under windows, in rooms with sloped ceilings and in rooms where heating matters most.
• Ducted (concealed or slim duct): a compact air handler hidden in an attic, closet or soffit that serves one or a few rooms through short duct runs, so you see only grilles.

Mixing styles on one multi-zone system is common: a cassette in the living room, say, and wall units in the bedrooms.

Yes. A mini-split is a heat pump, so the unit that cools in August heats in January by pulling heat from the outdoor air and moving it inside. Heating efficiency is rated in HSPF2, cooling efficiency in SEER2.

Cold-climate models, such as Mitsubishi Electric’s Hyper-Heat line, hold on to more of their heating capacity as the outdoor temperature drops. That is worth weighing for a room that has to stay warm through a hard freeze. Read Can a Heat Pump Keep Up With a Texas Freeze? for more, or see our heat pump services.

Sizing by square footage alone is how mini-splits end up oversized. We run an ACCA Manual J load calculation for each room being served, counting windows, sun exposure, insulation, ceiling height and how the room gets used. A west-facing bonus room over a garage needs a very different unit than a shaded bedroom in a 1930s bungalow.

Right-sizing matters more in Austin than in most places: an oversized unit cools the air fast, then shuts off before it pulls the moisture out. We also plan the details that decide how the system looks and how long it lasts: where the line set runs and how it is covered, where the condensate drains, how the outdoor unit is mounted and where the new electrical circuit comes from.

Gold Eagle Services is a Mitsubishi Electric Diamond Contractor. Diamond is the top tier of Mitsubishi Electric’s contractor program, reserved for contractors who meet the manufacturer’s training and program requirements. In practice, the crew installing your system is trained on that equipment and has direct manufacturer support when a question comes up. More on our Mitsubishi Electric partnership.

We are also a GE Elite Dealer, so GE ductless systems are on the table too. Which brand fits comes down to your room, how you use it and your budget, and we will put the two side by side.

Already have a mini-split that won’t cool, blinks an error code or drips water? Our ductless mini-split repair and service page covers that. We repair and deep-clean all major brands, not only the systems we install.

No two ductless jobs cost the same. The price comes down to:

• The number of zones and indoor units
• Indoor unit style (cassettes and ducted units take more labor than wall units)
• Line set length, routing and covers
• Electrical work, including whether your panel has room for a new circuit
• Efficiency level and cold-climate features
• Permits and any wall, ceiling or attic work

To get a quote for your room, call 512-489-4653 or schedule online. High-efficiency systems may qualify for utility rebates; our rebates page lists current programs, and terms change, so check them before you buy.

Weighing a mini-split against zoning, or one indoor unit against three? These Resource Center guides go deeper on each choice.

• Exploring Different Types of Mini-Split Systems
• Multi-Head Mini-Split Units: Versatile Comfort for Your Home
• Why Mini-Splits Are a Good Alternative to Zoning
• Enhancing Home Comfort With Mini-Splits
• Why Mitsubishi Electric Is a Leader in Mini-Split Design
• Can a Heat Pump Keep Up With a Texas Freeze?

See every guide in the Resource Center