Ductless mini splits in Columbia
A mini split puts heating and cooling into a single room or zone with no ductwork at all. Fixr's published install range is $4,577 to $8,328, averaging $6,357. In Columbia it tends to come up for additions, bonus rooms and the older houses that were never ducted.
Rooms and houses where one earns its keep
- The sunroom or the room over the garage that the main system has never kept up with.
- A finished attic or second floor that sits well above the downstairs temperature by mid July.
- An older home built without ductwork. 36% of the homes in our ZIP codes predate 1980 (Census ACS), and some of the oldest, near downtown and in the river towns like Rocheport and Boonville, never had ducts at all.
- An addition, where tying into the existing ducts would leave the original system short.
The parts of the system
A condenser outside feeds one or more wall or ceiling heads indoors. Refrigerant lines, a power cable and a drain tube pass through a hole about the size of a fist. Nearly all mini splits are heat pumps, so the same head runs in heat mode in January. For a Columbia winter, look at the model's rated output at low outdoor temperatures; the cold-climate versions are designed for it.
What to pin down on the bid
- The number of heads, and how the size of each was worked out.
- The route of the line set, and whether it gets a cover on the outside wall.
- Where the condensate goes. A head in a damp Missouri summer drains a surprising amount of water.
- The SEER2 rating, and whether it meets the City of Columbia Utilities rebate bar. Rebate rules.
What Boone County homeowners ask us
What does a mini split cost installed?
Fixr's range for a typical ductless job is $4,577 to $8,328, with a $6,357 average. Each added head and each extra foot of line set raises it.
Will a mini split keep a room warm in winter?
Most are heat pumps, so yes on ordinary winter days. For the coldest nights, check the unit's low-temperature output, and keep another heat source if the mini split is the only one.