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Air conditioner question

Fahzz

Addicted to Fun and Learning
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Nov 27, 2020
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Looking for recommendations for a quiet air conditioner 10000 to 12000 BTU's for my living/listening room. Anyone have any brand suggestions? Thanks
 
You probably want one with an inverter compressor. I have this one in my listening room.:

 
The quietest air conditioners are split systems. The compressor is outside, and the air conditioning unit is inside. The fans and filters eventually clog up with dust, which lowers the cooling efficiency and increases noise ... so it is also important to regularly clean out the filters and the fans (if you have access to them). I get the air-cond maintenance guy to come over every 4-5 of years to inspect the air cond outside.
 
Don't know about recent up to date ones. About 5 years ago some Frigidaire units were quieter than others. Most of those have a remote control. They are quieter running, plus there is a mode where they barely move a bit of air and then turn the blower on more when they come on to cool. They cost a little bit more.

The other units are those mini-split units. Sort of a mini version of central air only running off 120 volts for a room or two plus they don't have ducting, just one coil and ventilation unit inside with all the other stuff fully outside. Most also can do heat like a heat pump. They would be much quieter than a window unit, but more involved to install and three times as expensive.

The u-shaped units mentioned above should be quieter than any other window unit, more efficient and don't seem to cost much extra. That is what I'd look at for a window unit now.
 
Ductless mini-split heat pumps by Daiken are the way to go. However, as Blemlein 88 states above, they aren't the cheapest solution, but they are whisper quite and very cost efficient to operate.

They have three minimal-size penetrations in your wall: two refrigerant lines and a condensate line to take condensate out. I've installed about 12 of these in the current commercial development I'm working on and I'm set to buy around a dozen more by the end of the year.
 
You probably want one with an inverter compressor. I have this one in my listening room.:

I second the Midea suggestion, unless of course a mini-split system would work for you.
 
Window units will never be quiet. Ductless mini split is your only alternative. Aside from noise, ductless is efficient and comfortable. Yes, you will pay much more. Don't fall for cheap diy junk. Obtain quotes to avoid ripoff. Japanese ductless are most reliable. They invented ductless. Senior citizen apartments in my home town have original Fijitsu mini splits still working for 30 years.
 
I have a Fujitsu minisplit. A friend also recommends Mitsubishi units. Not only do you move the noisy part outside, but you can get rid of the ducts to the rest of the house to reduce noise transmission (both ways).
 
I have a Fujitsu minisplit. A friend also recommends Mitsubishi units. Not only do you move the noisy part outside, but you can get rid of the ducts to the rest of the house to reduce noise transmission (both ways).
Ductwork is less efficient. has balance issues, is often improperly installed, accumulates dust, etc.
 
My son is a Sales Engineer for Trane, and he says Mitusbishi is at the top for mini-split systems, and Daikin is also good. Years ago, he got us an LG mini-split for our bedroom; it works, but it's not the best quality and not as quiet as I'd like, especially if I raise it above the low fan speed.
 
These guys offer a free service to help you choose, solar panels, whole house backup batteries, heat pumps etc. without having any suppliers contact you directly. They happen to be running a webinar on heat pumps this week. I chose my solar/backup system with their help and I will say they are professional and are not selling anything but clean tech. They worked as intermediary with my installer with issues I had.

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I installed a two zone Mitsubishi ductless mini split in my attic bedroom (hot in summer) and basement media room (freezing in winter) a couple of years ago. Some of the best $8k I’ve ever spent.
 
Another vote for Mitsubishi mini-split for a listening room.

That being said, mini-splits are great for countering heat load, so if you have a lot of equipment or just a spot in your house inundated with sun. They don't provide fresh air and they're not great at dehumidification. (Equipment that is, tends to be noisier.)
 
Another vote for Mitsubishi mini-split for a listening room.

That being said, mini-splits are great for countering heat load, so if you have a lot of equipment or just a spot in your house inundated with sun. They don't provide fresh air and they're not great at dehumidification. (Equipment that is, tends to be noisier.)
With our mini-split in the bedroom, at night in the summer, we set the rest of the house at 75 and set the bedroom at 68-70. The main unit will still run some, so we get a bit of air pumped into the room. But you're right about the minimal de-humidification. And it gets a mold build up inside it.
 
+1 for a mini-split/ductless. Very happy with our Mitsubishi Mr Slim AC/Heat Pump - installed in 2012.
We air condition due to heat, not humidity in Colorado, so dust is more of an issue than mold. The heat pump performs supplemental heating duties very respectably down to freezing. Newer models have optimized low temperature performance.
 
Note that the Mitsubishi aircon to get is Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, they're a different company from Mitsubishi Electric.
 
The humidity issues are related to oversized indoor head units. Also, might be issue with extremely efficient mini splits. Internet is all over the map on efficiency issue. I know with conventional duct ac, unit should run continuously on historical hottest day of year. I put duct ac in attic last year. House 100 years old and ductwork in conditioned space was too intrusive. Attic had no ventilation. Original shake roof provided ventilation. AC could not keep up last summer. I drilled two 3 inch holes between each rafter at soffit and installed gable vents. Also, stapled perforated radient barrier under roof. The radient barrier dropped attic temperature 25 degrees. Lowe's carried the 3 inch vent covers in stock. Radient barrier special order. Lowe's had cheapest price on radient barrier. About $75 for 500 square feet.
 
The humidity issues are related to oversized indoor head units. Also, might be issue with extremely efficient mini splits. Internet is all over the map on efficiency issue. I know with conventional duct ac, unit should run continuously on historical hottest day of year. I put duct ac in attic last year. House 100 years old and ductwork in conditioned space was too intrusive. Attic had no ventilation. Original shake roof provided ventilation. AC could not keep up last summer. I drilled two 3 inch holes between each rafter at soffit and installed gable vents. Also, stapled perforated radient barrier under roof. The radient barrier dropped attic temperature 25 degrees. Lowe's carried the 3 inch vent covers in stock. Radient barrier special order. Lowe's had cheapest price on radient barrier. About $75 for 500 square feet.
Watch the first 13 minutes of this Ask This Old House video there may some answers there
 
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