Can I install a minisplit heat pump away from the house?
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| Posted in General Questions on
We have been planning on installing a mini split in our small 1890’s New England home we are energy retrofitting. But we are looking at some significant barriers to putting the heat pump on any of the sides of the house (set backs, DPW regulations on the width of the driveway, and future renovations on the other sides.) Can we put the minisplit on the side of a shed across the driveway and run the lines to the house underground? One contractors suggested this, but others are offering different reactions to its possibility. I am not sure what advice to take on how to go about this. Insights?
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Replies
Marie,
As far as I know, what you propose is possible. Install a conduit or pipe to protect the buried refrigerant line and electrical cable.
I would certainly contact the minisplit manufacturer and get advice from a technical advisor on this type of installation before proceeding.
It's simply a function of the length limitations for the refrigerant lines. If the lines become unduly long the capacity and efficiency drops a bit, but all of that can be calculated by the system designer/installer. This is all spelled out in the engineering manuals, which the installers should be familiar with. If you're only adding another 25' it probably won't be a problem, but adding another 100' probably would require doing the math.