What Does a Mini Split System Look Like Installed in a Home?

PARTS OF A MINI SPLIT

1. Heat Pump
2. Air Handlers
3. Lineset

HEAT PUMP

The ductless unit starts outside with the heat pump. This is a condenser that conducts the heat transfer, and pushes the conditioned air to the indoor air handlers inside. It attaches to the lineset that runs to the handlers. Each heat pump can run to several different indoor units, and it’s tucked neatly against your wall outside.

Depending on how many air handlers you have inside, you may need more than one condenser, but usually you need no more than 2. A traditional AC system has a pretty large heat pump outside that takes up a decent amount of space, where a ductless system takes up much less, and is far quieter as well.

AIR HANDLERS

The more familiar part of the ductless system is the air handler. This is the unit that’s inside your home, doing all the cooling. These aren’t very big, usually a few feet wide, and about 12–18 inches vertically.

It’s a box that typically hangs high on the wall, out of the way. You’ve probably been in homes and restaurants that have them and haven’t even noticed. The air handler is what blows the cooled or heated air into your home.

These air handlers come in different colors and sizes like we mentioned before, which makes it easier to blend into your home décor. It’s not a metal box mounted onto your wall. It’s usually white or black plastic, but we’ve even seen someone with a brown wooden aesthetic.