AC,
I honestly didn't know I would hit so close to home with this question.
What you had is exactly the kind of duct work I was speaking of: dryer-exhaust or furnace-stack sized ducts with tight bends leading to the furthest registers in the house. Maybe 8" round ducts leading from the plenum to the first branch. No balance in airflow whatsoever; the vents closest to the air handler get the lion's share of the flow.
Kentucky is an awesome place to use mini-split heat pumps. I have seen some installed, and the owners have nothing but good things to say about them for the most part. My hacked window unit holds its own down to about 30 degF, and it will carry my heating load for the entire home 95% of the time. If I had a larger heat exchanger outdoors, it would do even better.
I honestly believe if I purchased 2 tons worth of capacity in a multi-split unit, or maybe separate units, it would carry me for all but a couple of nights a year. Even then, thermal mass would probably carry me until 3 or 4 in the morning.
Last edited by jeff5may; 11-20-13 at 11:07 PM..
Reason: More words
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