Problem: A Lancaster, PA home handyman wanted to make his garage workshop warmer in the winter. Space heaters didn’t work that well and cost too much to run. Solution: Installed a single-zone mini split ductless system. It heats the entire garage while using very little energy. It also provides cooling in the summer.
Every home do-it-yourselfer dreams of a workspace that they can call their own. Our Lancaster, PA home handyman had such a dream. While his garage workshop was certainly workable in most temperatures, it was too cold in the winter to do all of the things that he wanted to do. Summer time was better, but the humidity could get brutal. He’d often drag in a space heater, but that would only keep a small pocket of the area warm. And, it cost a ton to run for hours at a time. He also considered a small, hanging gas furnace, but the installation alone would cost a lot. Being the handyman that he was, our homeowner kept researching until he found the right solution: A mini split for his garage. He learned that the installation would be fast and easy and he’d pay less money to use it than other solutions. It would require very little construction or disruption, and when it was done he would have total control over the temperature in his workshop without affecting the rest of the house. In this case study we will explore:
- How Ductless Works
- Benefits of Mini Split Heating and Cooling
- Ductless Mini Split Installation in Lancaster, PA
How Ductless Works![]()
As the name implies, ductless heating and cooling doesn’t require ductwork to heat or cool your home. That was important here, because there was no ductwork leading into our do-it-yourselfer’s garage. That meant no heat or AC at all out there.
You may be asking how this system works with no ductwork. The answer is in the name.
These systems are “split” between indoor and outdoor components that work together to provide you with heat or cooling whenever you need it.
Outside you have the heat pump, which is responsible for moving heat into your home in the winter and out of it in the summer.
Inside the house are air handlers that suck in air from the room and warms it or cools it – whatever is called for – and then recirculates it.
You’ll install one in each part of the house you want to treat. In this case, our homeowner only needed a single-zone system: One heat pump outside and one air handler in the garage.
The indoor and outdoor components work together using flexible piping with refrigerant liquid running in a closed loop between the two units. Heat warms or cools the liquid and travels between the components through the hidden piping.
Since the system only moves heat and not air, there’s no need for adding ductwork — a costly, messy, and complex process. And, the benefits of a ductless system don’t stop there!
More Benefits of Mini Split Heating and Cooling
Creating a whole new all-season workshop wasn’t the only benefit for this homeowner. His new mini split also provides:- Customized Temperature Settings
- Quiet Operation
- Easy Control
- Energy Efficiency