before we decided to downsize dramatically and move to this cute little place we had a few chats about what we could do make this transition a little easier on us. turns out we were oblivious to a major situation and didn't even consider needing a whole house ac unit.
when we would hang out with Russ + Terrie, before they sold, we had experienced their portable window ac and it kept the whole place nice and chilled. we also knew there was a permeant window ac in the loft and in the bedroom [which is now our closet room]. so we figured we'd be good on temperature control for the summer. we were wrong.
it only took a few short weeks of living here to realize we'd be investing in a ductless ac unit called a mini split. our friends, and unofficial party coordinator, had one installed last year so we did minimal research knowing they'd asked all the questions. we got a quote, booked our install date and had clean, quiet, consistently cold air almost effortlessly. the installers had it done in one day and we were immediately happy with our decision. here's why...
1. the mini split helped prioritize removing the window ac units
although there were window ac units to use, they were really old and they just looked and felt pretty filthy. don't get me wrong, I'm not opposed to window ac, we've been using window ac at our cottage for the past seven years. the difference for me now was using it for a weekend lake trip vs everyday living. I've got my preferences and using super old and pretty filthy ac unit for daily living didn't make the list.
the major hurdle about using the loft ac unit was that is was about six inches from our head while sleeping. we could see outside through the ac unit and we wondered what kind of critters might have made this unit home over the years. the last straw was how impossibly loud it was when it rained. as the rain drops, acorns and sticks would fall and hit the metal ac unit it sounded like we were inside a steel drum. sleeping became less than ideal during those nights.
the portable ac worked like a charm when we used it. it was also pretty bulky taking up a considerable amount of space in the kitchen. it was fairly loud too and the vent hose would sometimes fall out of the window if we bumped it. not huge stuff but enough that I didn't want to deal with those things everyday in the summer.
once we had the mini split ductless ac unit installed we had no reason to keep the other window units. our first weekend of not hosting guests we ripped the one in loft, right out. we didn't know what we were getting into and it was so worth it. I couldn't wait for it to rain and enjoy the relaxing sound vs the marching band vibes we were used to. even with the current plywood patch job it already feels a heck of a lot cleaner in our loft.
next up is to remove the unit in our closet room. depending how long the siding repair takes I might get another chance to make a modern barn quilt project.
2. we sleep like babies in a much cooler loft
we were oblivious to how much hotter the loft would be than the living area and since we had turned the loft into our bedroom this was a big deal for us. for a while there we would procrastinate on going to sleep at night because we knew we'd be going up to a space that was 10-15 degrees hotter. the times we didn't feel like dealing with the portable ac unit we'd regret it as soon as we laid down. some nights were worse than tent camping because we didn't have any airflow in the loft. although there's a window, it doesn't open and the fans were only swirling hot air around. stick-y!
once we had the mini split going we were back to being excited about going to bed. the mini split has an adjustable, swinging vent. after dinner we angle it to shoot right into our loft and its the perfect chilled temp when we go up to bed. we sleep like babies and if for some reason we wake up hot, we grab the remote and adjust the temp just like the volume on the tv. its a beautiful luxury.
3. its so quiet we don't even know the mini split ductless ac is on
there's two parts to the mini split, one part, the head, mounts inside the house that blows the air around. the other part sits outside right next to the house, like a traditional ac unit, and houses the cooling equipment/technology.
right before we called to get our mini split installed quoted we stopped by our neighbors to see how theirs worked. Bob and I were both completely amazed at how quiet the system was. both parts, inside and out, were virtually silent in comparison to traditional cooling methods. we were already leaning towards getting one and this might have sealed the deal for us. sometimes we have to look and see if the system has the vent open to know if its even on.
4. remote with lots of mode options
the four things I love about our mini split are in no order because I'd have a hard time ranking them against each other...especially this one. I love that I don't have to get out of bed to adjust the temp in the loft. I can fumble for the remote in the dark, feel where the buttons are and adjust as needed.
the other two features we use all the time are the LED button, which turns the digital numbers off...crucial when were trying to sleep because that thing is bright! the second is the humidity option and it's what we use 95% of the time. when we select this, the system operates at a much less intensity, using less energy, less freon and in turn is quieter...if that's possible. the focus on humidity option is taking the moisture out of the air so it's kinda like a middle ground between windows open and freezing ac air.
I also love that the remote has the option for a timer so we can have the system turn on or off at certain points through out the day. there's also a decent amount of other features on the remote that we haven't played around with. like the 'follow me' setting which sounds both creepy and intriguing.
our mini split was a great decision solely based on the ac features. it can do heat but we have a furnace and will most likely use that during the really cold months for best use of energy and money. this wasn't an anticipated update to our home and we're absolutely smitten it happened.
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