Ductless A/C

How would anyone use this in an apt? Maybe I am confused about the a/c but isnt there a component of the ductless that has to be outside of the apt?

A friend of mine had a unit like those portable heaters but it was an air conditioner & there was a vent like a dryer vent which had to go out the window to exhaust the heat. Perhaps this is what this person is talking about?

No I am sure this is not what the op is talking about. It's a unit that is a small rectangular unit that gets mounted on an inside wall of the apartment. It has a very small tube that goes to a a/c unit compresser that is mounted either outside of the apartment building or on a roof. Of course this sort of set up is amazing but most co-op boards will not allow it.

I am pretty much sure my co-op wouldn't allow that even though I am on the top floor. That is why I posted the other chain about portable a/c units. I would like to know if they really work. Anyone with experience please chime on in. Thanks.

As #6 said...A ductless split system has an inside unit, which is has the fan and controls, and an outside unit with the compressor. Some do a/c, some do heat and a/c. You must have rights to install the outside unit on the roof (or in your backyard if you have one of those).

These are now pretty common, and there are even inside units which you can hide above the ceiling, and just run very short local ducts...

FWIW, they are common in townhouses and smaller apt buildings, not large apt buildings.

Can the compresser on one of these units get mounted on an exterior wall? (Back of building?)

sure. definitely not on the front of a building. people mount them on the rear all the time. the exterior units don't weigh too much. you just need a mounting bracket.

"sure. definitely not on the front of a building. people mount them on the rear all the time. the exterior units don't weigh too much. you just need a mounting bracket."

i suppose you would just need to run the cooling pipe (3in thick) to the mounted unit on the side of the apt building or drill a small hole to the outside...

How noisy are these things? I can remember walking in upscale neighborhoods in Los Angeles & hearing the outside machinery from the street, not the sweetest sound. In NYC the noise may not be as big an issue.

One of the huge benefits of these units is that the compressor unit outside is very quiet. It's fairly large, but you can barely hear them. And the inside units allow temperature control per room, rather than by section.

they are quiet and they are very efficient. check the SEER ratings. most of the japanese systems have been around for a long time and are very evolved designs. the typical ice-cap ptu (thru-the-wall) is one of the least efficient designs. they use big american motors, and usually require service every few years. i've has a sanyo ductless split for eight years and all I do is wash the filters.

you might check the thread under "Renovations" on "adding AC to historic loft building" -- it has some good info. One thing to point out about these ductless systems is that they work like a car AC by recirculating the interior air, which is more efficient (since it has already been cooled) but is less fresh. Car manufacturers, for instance, recommend that you not recirculate air for extended periods, since it diminishes oxygen levels and can produce fatigue. You have to remember that the compressor will need regular maintenance! So don't put it sonewhere where you can't access it easily. You'll probably need permission from your building to mount it outside on a back wall, and you'll definitely need permission to drill a small hole through the wall to the outside so that you can run the necessary pipes (which carry chilled air/freon/probably water drainage) to the blower units mounted inside. These pipes are copper, and they must be insulated; depending on how picky you are / the look you're going for, the pipes + insulation can look a little ugly if they're exposed, so you'll probably want to 1. build soffits to hide them or 2. lower the ceiling a little to hide them. Some people mount these units just outside a window, install a panel in the lower part of the window, and run the pipes through the panel -- this obviates the need to drill through the wall and provides easy access (but still probably requires approval). IF you're willing to give up most of a window and you have the space inside (like in a closet or over a dropped-ceiling bathroom, you can install a regular central AC system, mounting the compressor IN the window and running the (somewhat larger) pipes to a central air handler, which distributes through ducting (which you have to add, again hiding in soffits or leaving exposed, as in some industrial applications, which can look pretty good).