COPYRIGHT 2016 JAMES DULLEY ( www.dulley.com/sea/ ) - August 2016 - (graphics ref. No. 211 at www.dulley.com/sea/column/2016-aug.htm )

"Mini-split ductless air conditioner (heat pump) to efficiently cool (heat) one room or entire house"

Dear Jim: Our heat pump does not adequately cool a second-floor bedroom. I need to decide between installing a window air conditioner or a mini-split system. Which works better and costs less to operate? - Larry H.

Dear Larry: Since cool air is more dense than warm air, it settles to the first floor leaving the second floor uncomfortably warm. Balancing the cool air flow using the manual duct dampers helps, but it is often not enough to even out the room temperature. Adding addition cooling capacity definitely works.

You correctly identified the two most effective solutions. Of these, a mini-split system is the better choice for comfort and lower operating cost. It may allow you to set your central heat pump thermostat a few degrees higher and reduce your current electric bills while improving comfort. Its drawback is it costs more than a window unit and cannot be moved to another room.

I have an efficient geothermal heat pump in my own home, but I still installed a mini-split unit in the master bedroom. It uses a variable-speed compressor to keep the room temperature steady. A variable-speed model allows you to select a larger capacity unit without typical overcooling issues. I selected a heat pump model to also efficiently heat the bedroom during winter.

In addition the high SEER efficiency rating of 28, a mini-split unit is quieter. A window unit has all the noisy components (compressor, fans, etc.) mounted in the cabinet in the window. Although the newer ones are fairly quiet, the sound can still be annoying at night. No matter how carefully you install one, there is going to be some air leakage around it.

A mini-split unit operates like a typical split system central air conditioner or heat pump. A small condenser/compressor is mounted outdoors. It can be located up to 100 feet from the room you need to cool. Since the unit is small, it can be mounted high on an wall so it is not in the way of any activity. Mine is mounted 10 feet high on a garage wall.

It does not require a ducted blower system like a regular heat pump. Small tubing carries the cold refrigerant to a fan unit mounted on the room wall or ceiling. One three-inch hole is drilled through the wall to run the refrigerant tubing, electrical wiring and condensate drain to the fan unit.

For homes currently heated without a ducted system, such as electric baseboard, hot water, wood stove, etc., a mini-split system can air-condition an entire house. Several condenser units can be grouped together outdoors with several fan units indoors. With natural air circulation, three units can comfortably cool an entire house.

By selecting a heat pump mini-split unit, it is possible to zone heat and cool your house for year-round savings. For example, there is no need to keep the entire house extremely cool when you are sleeping or the bedrooms cool during the daytime.

A compressor which uses inverter technology provides the greatest range of variable cooling. This is important so it can quickly cool down a bedroom and then automatically adjust to a slower, very quiet speed when you are ready for bed. This also is a plus on extremely hot days when maximum cooling output is needed to just stay comfortable.

Dear Jim: I bought a water-saving flapper valve for the toilet tank. I have to hold the flush lever for a while to make it flush properly or I often have to double flush. What did I do wrong? - Sandra H.

Dear Sandra: You may have purchased an adjustable water-saving flapper valve. These require more careful adjustment and may always require a slightly longer hold time. Even though replacing a flapper valve seems simple, study the instructions first.

Make sure the strap connecting the flush lever to the flapper does not have excessive slack and adjust it if necessary. There should be just a little slack when the flapper seals over the drain. If the flapper has adjustable air hole sizes, try different settings.

Send inquiries to James Dulley, Publication Name, 6906 Royalgreen Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45244 or visit www.dulley.com.