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Case Studies

Mar 3, 2020 7:00:00 AM by Ron Musser

Ductless Mini Split Replaces Window ACs, Radiators in Elkins Park

PROBLEM: An older home in Elkins Park, Pa. used radiators for heat and through-the-wall air conditioners for cooling. Our homeowner couldn’t add central air without ductwork. 

SOLUTION: ECI installed a Mitsubishi Hyper-Heat Ductless system. The setup provides customized comfort throughout the home in the summer while keeping every room warm in the winter.

When our homeowner in Elkins Park decided she was due for a heating and cooling upgrade, she didn’t know where to start. There were elements of her current setup that she liked and others that she didn’t, but she couldn't add central air without ductwork in the home.

Older home in Elkins Park upgrades their HVAC system with ECI Comfort


Problem: An older home in Elkins Park, Pa. used radiators for heat and through-the-wall air conditioners for cooling. Our homeowner couldn’t add central air without ductwork. 

Solution: ECI installed a Mitsubishi Hyper-Heat Ductless system. The setup provides customized comfort throughout the home in the summer while keeping every room warm in the winter.


Ductless Mini Split Replaces Window ACs, Radiators in Elkins Park

Our homeowner didn't have issues with heating. This older stucco home used radiator heat, which is still somewhat common in this neighborhood. While she sometimes did have to wait a while for the place to warm up, she didn’t get that dry heat people often equate with forced-air vent systems. 

However, summers were a different story. 

Since radiators use pipes, the home didn’t have ductwork. Without the ability to have central air, she used through-the-wall air conditioners for years. They could keep a room or two cool, but they were inconvenient and costly. 

So with another summer approaching, our homeowner thought again about making her home more comfortable. But how? 

She called ECI Comfort, hoping there was some solution she didn’t know about yet. Thankfully, there always is!

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When our homeowner called ECI Comfort, we made a few suggestions on how to upgrade her HVAC systems. The idea she loved the most, hands down, was a ductless heating and cooling system. Ductless sounded like an excellent idea for a few reasons.

First, she could treat her entire home with one system, year-round. The same equipment handles heating in the winter and air conditioning in the summer— no more switching between radiators and separate AC units. 

Next, she could get all this without installing ductwork in the house. This strategy saves hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. And, there wouldn’t be any major construction in the house. 

Finally, this system would offer her a whole host of benefits that she hadn’t even considered yet! 

We’ll get into all those features in a little bit. For now, let’s take a quick look at how these work. 

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How ductless mini-splits work

People often call ductless systems “mini-splits” because they consist of air handlers inside the home and a heat pump on the outside. Put together, the system transfers heat into the house in the winter and moves it out during the summer. 

This transfer takes place in the heat pump. Even in the winter, there’s heat, or thermal energy, in the air outside. The outdoor unit draws in that thermal energy and amplifies it. Then, it sends it inside to the air handlers. Each indoor component circulates that warmth through the area where we installed them. 

In the summer, this works in reverse: The air handlers draw in hot air and sends it to the pump, which gets rid of it outside. 

That’s a quick summary. You can read more about the process here

But, the trick to it is how we connect the components. Instead of ducts, we only need a small lineset that runs a refrigerant line and a few other items between the indoor and outdoor units. 

The heat travels through the refrigerant to where it needs to go. It’s efficient and takes up very little room. 

Installing a mini-split in an Elkins Park home

For this home, we went with a Mitsubishi Hyper-Heat model mini-split. Unlike standard systems which are more for cooling, this one is strong enough to heat the home even when it’s negative thirteen degrees Fahrenheit. That’s colder than the record lows for the Philadelphia area. 

Installing the air handlers was also much easier than knocking huge holes in various walls for through-the-wall ACs. 

Instead, we mounted the air handlers on the inside of exterior walls and drilled small holes — less than six inches around — to run the lineset. Then, we ran them down the side of the house to meet the heat pump. 

Inside, you don’t see any wires, just the units on the walls. Each one has a built-in thermostat, so every indoor unit controls the temperature in the zone where it’s located. Now, our homeowner can finally get the temperature she wanted in every room in the house. 

Ductless mini split system in Elkins Park, Pa and outdoor unit against the house.

And that’s not all. 

Quiet, efficient heating and cooling

Our Elkins Park homeowner is more comfortable than ever. And, her home system is more peaceful and much less expensive to run. 

We mentioned other benefits of the new system. In particular, our homeowner was interested in how quiet it operates and how energy-efficient it is. 

We refer to these systems as “whisper-quiet” because they never make a sound louder than people speaking in hushed tones in a library. Compare that to the incessant roar of those old ACs! 

Next, they use a fraction of the cost of those old units. Thanks to that heat transfer process, the unit doesn’t burn through fossil fuels to generate heat. Instead, it uses what’s available. 

Then, the sensors and fans on the air handler direct the treated air precisely to where the room needs it. That eliminates hot and cold spots and gets the room to the temperature you want very quickly. 

Finally, the system spends most of the time in low-power mode. It maintains the temperature rather than waiting until the thermostat drifts from the setting and then turning on to course-correct. 

This all adds up to a more comfortable, peaceful, and energy-efficient home.


If you’d like to learn more about how a ductless mini-split can update the feel of your home without affecting the look of it, click the button below or give us a call today to schedule your free consultation. 

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This entry was posted in Elkins Park, PA