If you're looking to install new air conditioning in a cabin you visit mostly in the summer months, you may be considering all of your choices. Window air conditioning is probably out since whole-house comfort is better and window air conditioners can be a security risk when your house is vacant. The best choices are central air conditioning and a mini-split heat pump. Here's how these two air conditioning installation methods compare.
Central Air Conditioning Installation
If your cabin already has a furnace and ducts, then a central air conditioner makes sense because it can share the ducts and blower in the furnace. You'll need to install the condenser outside and an evaporator coil in the air handler. You'll be able to control the temperature in your house from a single thermometer and have cool air blow from registers positioned around your house.
You'll be more comfortable than just using window units. However, if you don't already have ducts and a furnace, you need to consider if you have space for ducts and an air handler when the air conditioning installation is done. These might be in the way if you have a small cabin and the ducts might need to be visible. Central air conditioning might be what you're used to in your main house, so you may feel more comfortable having it installed in your cabin if you have room.
Mini-Split System Installation
This air conditioning installation process is different from central air conditioning since a mini-split system doesn't need to use ducts. You'll need to install blowers on the wall though. The blowers may look out of place in a cabin, but they won't look as bad as exposed ducts. This system is worth a close look because it doubles as a heater since it has a reversing valve. You'll be able to have heat as well as cool air in a system that needs no air handler or ducts, so it's a good choice for a small cabin.
Another good point about a mini-split is that each blower is controlled by its own thermostat using a remote control. If your cabin has an upstairs, you won't need to cool it unless you have company or plan to sleep up there. You can buy the size you need for your cabin, and that determines how many blowers you can install. Blowers are usually put in the main living and sleeping areas so the whole house stays cool as a result, but you can operate one blower at a time if you want to save money.
The air conditioning installation process involves connecting refrigerant, electrical, and drain lines through the wall of your cabin to connect with the blowers, but the condenser stays outside and mounts on the ground, wall, or roof of your cabin.
Contact an air conditioning installation contractor to learn more.
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