<br>Thanks, John.<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Oct 12, 2010 at 9:37 AM, John Straube <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:jfstraube@gmail.com">jfstraube@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;">
Climate?<br></blockquote><div>Ah yes. This is in Portland, OR. Around 4,000 HDD. Few hours or days
below 10F. Most years I'd say none. The condo in question is quite
compact but one complaint has been that with an open stairway in the
middle all the heat goes up quickly. The status/presence/absence of
insulation in walls and ceiling and under the floor are unknown but
definitely something I'd like to investigate a bit more. <br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;">
The huge problem with mini-splits is there lack of distribution. How to spread the heat and cool around without causing discomfort in far corners of buildings.<br></blockquote><div><br>Sort of like a wood stove?<br> <br>
</div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;">
Second issue is capacity: most are limited to 24-36K.<br>
Systems with air handlers and higher capacity are available but their cost tends to skyrocket and the performance drops a lot.<br>
If many cases, a standard US brand air source heat pump is not a bad choice: a Carrier, Goodman or Trane SEER16 heat pump with an ECM air handler can be a great swap out for electric furnaces in homes with modest heating demand in climates without many hours below around 10 F.<br>
</blockquote><div><br>
An air source heat pump is going to sit outside, yes? Given that the
ducting radiates from a closet in the center of the unit would one
expect some new ducting to, say, run in a crawlspace to said closet
before tying into the existing system? <br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;">
<div><div></div><div class="h5"><br>
<br>
On 2010-10-12, at 12:32 PM, Reuben Deumling wrote:<br>
<br>
> I'm helping some folks replace their forced air electrical furnace (1970s condo, two level, 1,200 square feet) and from paying peripheral attention to electrical heating discussions here I understand that a mini-split system is the way to go if energy efficiency/low energy consumption per HDD is the top priority and wood and gas are not options.<br>
><br>
> I normally only work with wood and natural gas heating systems, so this is new to me. Any introductory tips? Advanced recommendations? Obvious mistakes to avoid?<br>
><br>
> Thanks so much.<br>
><br>
> Reuben Deumling<br>
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