Is a Ductless Air Conditioner Best For Your Muskoka Cottage?

Your Muskoka cottage should be a relaxing summer getaway - not a stifling dungeon. But if you don’t have reliable air conditioning installed, stifling and humid are exactly what your vacation home will be!

In this article, we explore whether a ductless air conditioner is best for your cottage.

Will it help you cut down on energy costs?

Does it provide effective cooling?

How hard is it to get a ductless A/C installed?

Is it the cheapest cooling solution?

Keep reading to find out! Our Gravenhurst cooling technicians know all there is to know about air conditioners and cottage HVAC. In fact, lots of us have cottages ourselves! So feel free to ask us all the questions you’d like about choosing the best air conditioner for your vacation home.

If you have any questions about ductless air conditioners after reading this article, give us a shout! We are happy to come out and give you a FREE QUOTE!

What is a Ductless Air Conditioner?

Before we get into the nitty-gritty details of what a ductless air conditioner is, you should first know its many nicknames:

• Ductless
• Mini-Split
• Mounted Cooling System

Sound familiar? These names are all used interchangeably when talking about the ductless air conditioner. But, all-in-all, the best description we can give is in the name itself - ductless.

These types of air conditioners do not use any form of ductwork.

Why?

Because they have no use for it!

While central air conditioners rely on a network of ductwork and vents to carry forced air throughout your home, mini-splits use a much simpler process.

How Does a Ductless Air Conditioner Work?

A mini-split system can effectively cool a single living space using one outdoor unit and one indoor unit.

The indoor unit is also called the blower and evaporator unit. This is the equipment you see mounted on a high wall or ceiling.

The outdoor unit is also called the condenser. It mounts outside your home, parallel to the indoor unit.

And both these units connect via electrical wiring and refrigerant tubing.

How does a ductless air conditioner work?

Much like that of a central air conditioner!

Warm, humid indoor air from your home absorbs into the indoor unit and exits through the outdoor unit. Then, the now cold air returns to your living space!

What Are The Benefits of Choosing a Ductless Air Conditioner For Your Cottage?

Here’s the thing…

We’re not going to tell you that a ductless air conditioner is best for your cottage.

Why?

Because your choice of air conditioner relies on your:

• Lifestyle
• Geographic location
• Living space
• Family
• Budget…etc.

While a mini-split system may be perfect for one family, it might not be the right decision for another.

Instead, we'll give you all the information we can about the system so you can make an informed decision! Our HVAC team also provides expert advice, experience and free quotes. So if you’re unsure whether ductless is the way to go, give us a call!

Efficient Cooling

One of the top benefits of a ductless air conditioner is its energy efficiency.

With highly efficient inverter technology, mini-splits can continuously adjust their fan speed to save on energy costs.

This is hugely beneficial if you have an area in your cottage that's unused or infrequently used. Instead of paying to keep that room at prime temperature, you can moderate the temperature and lower your energy consumption.

Plus, if you select an ENERGY STAR ductless A/C, you can potentially cut your cooling costs by 30%!

Zoned Cooling

The ability to control the temperature of your cottage, room by room, is why many cottagers choose to go ductless. This feature offers complete, personalized comfort!

With a single mini-split system, you control the temperature of one designated living space. This could be a bedroom, an entire small cabin, a sunroom, garage, boathouse…etc.

Anywhere that requires specific temperature control is perfect for a ductless air conditioner.

You could also select a multi-zone mini-split system that offers four indoor units, each with its own thermostat! With this system, you can control the unique temperature of many rooms in your cottage!

Quiet Operation

Like we said at the beginning, your Muskoka cottage should be a relaxing vacation. But it’s hard to relax with buzzing, blowing and booming sounds surrounding your home.

With a ductless air conditioner, you never have to worry about waking up to a loud air conditioner powering up. Thanks to the inverter-controlled variable speed compressor, these systems operate quietly in the background! So you can enjoy your vacation in peace.

For an even quieter experience, u can even request a long refrigerant line to place your outdoor unit farther away from the cottage.

Great Indoor Air Quality

Although most updated HVAC systems have indoor air quality in mind, the ductless air conditioner offers a unique approach.

Here’s why:

You’ve probably heard us talk about duct cleaning at one time or another. After all, it is usually the #1 recommendation for a quick air quality fix. That’s because ducts can be home to unwanted dust, mould, debris, insects and rodents.

But, as you know, ductless air conditioners don’t rely on ductwork at all. And they have built-in, multi-layer filtration too! So there’s no place for dust and debris to settle. 

This helps improve indoor air quality and offers better humidity control.

Easy Installation

The installation of a mini-split system is super simple! In fact, you can basically install one in just three easy steps:

1. Mounting the indoor unit.
2. Connecting the wiring/piping through the wall.
3. Mounting the outdoor condenser.

And that’s it! Of course, if you choose a multi-zone system, there will be a few more steps involved. But not having to install ductwork throughout your cottage is a huge time and money saver!

Get a Free Quote On a Ductless Air Conditioner For Your Muskoka Cottage Today!

So, is a ductless air conditioner the right cooling choice for your Muskoka cottage?

Book a visit with our HVAC team today to get started! We’ll come out to the cottage ourselves and give you the information and options you need to make your cooling decision.

You can also reach us at (705) 687-3402 or info@gravenhurstplumbing.com!