Mini splits instead of steam heat?

amother

Sun, Oct 24 2021, 4:19 pm

There's currently a program in New York that will install mini splits in your house for free. However, part of the program requires you to decommission your boiler, and use only the split units for heating. I'm worried that they won't heat my house adequately and that running them will end up being very expensive. On the other hand, we have window a/C's that we've been wanting to replace with split units, but at this time we cannot afford it. Has anyone in NY shut off their boiler completely and only used splits to heat their house??

Anon b/c cross posted.

lamplighter

Sun, Oct 24 2021, 4:33 pm

You don't need to use them instead of your gas.
I looked into this. Actually I should say I asked about it and was not told that this is a condition.
We use ours to supplement the gas heat.

amother

Sun, Oct 24 2021, 4:49 pm

lamplighter wrote:

You don't need to use them instead of your gas.
I looked into this. Actually I should say I asked about it and was not told that this is a condition.
We use ours to supplement the gas heat.

Apparently it's a prerequisite for this program. It's possible that there was another one that didn't require it, but this does.

amother

Sun, Oct 24 2021, 4:50 pm

happy12 wrote:

Split units are very expensive to run for heat.

That's my fear Sad

Maybe it's better for the environment, but right now I have to prioritize my own survival over the planet's lol.

amother

Sun, Oct 24 2021, 5:16 pm

It's the Con Edison Clean Heat program 2021. The fact that ConEd is my energy provider makes me extra wary- my home is currently heated by natural gas, and ConEd stands to benefit from my increased electric bills.

amother

Dimgray

Sun, Oct 24 2021, 5:19 pm

Our boiler died and while we're waiting for our appliance insurance to get around to fixing it we're using our mini splits. Takes a while to warm up the house if we turn them off overnight, but they do eventually bring the house to a normal temp. Haven't gotten an electric bill yet though

amother

Sun, Oct 24 2021, 5:24 pm

amother [ Dimgray ] wrote:

It's also not the winter yet... I'm wondering if it's sufficient for the NY winter.

amother

Aubergine

Sun, Oct 24 2021, 6:29 pm

No, do not do it.

I have mini splits that do both and I will tell you they are good for October, April and to supplement in one room that is always colder. They are not good as a main heat source. And gas is much less expensive than electric.

Also, I regret my mini splits. They are good for 5-10 years maximum then have problems. Big problems. Like getting moldy. Needing specialized repairs.

I would not do it again. I would stick to window units or central in the future.

amother

Nasturtium

Sun, Oct 24 2021, 10:24 pm

amother [ Aubergine ] wrote:

Oh my goodness, I never heard about them getting moldy. Is there anything preventative to do??

amother

Aubergine

Mon, Oct 25 2021, 1:18 am

amother [ Nasturtium ] wrote:

Oh my goodness, I never heard about them getting moldy. Is there anything preventative to do??

I think yearly professional cleaning with strong chemicals may prevent this.

amother

Sapphire

Mon, Oct 25 2021, 6:00 am

amother [ Nasturtium ] wrote:

Oh my goodness, I never heard about them getting moldy. Is there anything preventative to do??

Last time you run the A/C for the season, run the FAN ONLY for 8 hours to evaporate the rest of the water.

Run the fan more often in general.

Clean it periodically.

amother

Orchid

Mon, Oct 25 2021, 6:05 am

Another thing to think about is where it will sit in the room and how you will feel having hot air blasting in your face.

I know I hate it, it makes me very uncomfortable and dries my skin out.
Whenever we have stayed somewhere that uses the split systems for heat, I really didn’t like it.

amother

RosePink

Mon, Oct 25 2021, 7:36 am

Are you sure you have to completely not use boiler. I know someone who participated in this program and I doubt they turned off their boiler.

amother

Tan

Mon, Oct 25 2021, 8:39 am

Split units don't work below a certain temperature. I think they stop in the teens. So you would still need a working boiler on a really cold day.

I actually saw my split stop working last year on a freezing day so I've seen it first hand. And my father in law does HVAC so I know it's actually a thing.

amother

Cantaloupe

Mon, Oct 25 2021, 8:50 am

amother [ Tan ] wrote:

There are varying models of mini split units. The more economy-level split units shut off around 20 degrees. The more expensive units, like the one I have, work very well until -4 degrees outside. So it’s important when selecting the mini split system you want to purchase to fully research it to make sure it fits all your needs. And of course have gas heat as a backup.

amother

Mon, Oct 25 2021, 11:04 am

After my research/this post, I'm definitely reconsidering. We're trying to reach the contractor who would be installing to see if there's any way to do it without closing the boiler, but if that's a prerequisite I will not move forward.