minisplit in conjunction with furnace

IronicOutlook · 08-29-16, 05:27 PM

My wife and I just bought a mobile home that had a ton of renovation/efficiency improvements before our purchase.
However the furnace is original to the unit, so it dates back to the mid 80s.
I have had several consultations and the general consensus is it is in good working order.
We just wanted to know what our options were for reducing propane usage.
The coleman unit we currently have is 85% efficient and most who came out to talk to us recommended spending as much as we spent on the house to install a new 85% efficient unit.

However one local retailer said that because of how little change mobile home furnaces have had over the years a spare burner, or blower will be available for a long time if we need them.
He recommended the installation of a minisplit. Then using the furnace with a smart thermostat when it gets below the minisplits minimum temperature point of 15 below.
We like the thought of this because it is a whole lot cheaper. And cooling would be way cheaper than our gigantic window unit.

Anybody on here in the extreme temperature zones doing this?

jeff5may · 08-29-16, 10:06 PM

take a look around this heat pump forum and you will find dozens of people who have installed them. General consensus is that they will do the job you describe well and drastically reduce your heating bills. Low temperature operation depends mainly on the unit you employ. Just remember that the more complex the unit operates, the higher the possibility of failure of expensive control systems.

A ground loop and some digging would kill the low temperature concerns.

08-29-16, 05:27 PM	#1
IronicOutlook Lurking Renovator Join Date: May 2015 Location: Nebraska Posts: 1 Thanks: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	minisplit in conjunction with furnace My wife and I just bought a mobile home that had a ton of renovation/efficiency improvements before our purchase. However the furnace is original to the unit, so it dates back to the mid 80s. I have had several consultations and the general consensus is it is in good working order. We just wanted to know what our options were for reducing propane usage. The coleman unit we currently have is 85% efficient and most who came out to talk to us recommended spending as much as we spent on the house to install a new 85% efficient unit. However one local retailer said that because of how little change mobile home furnaces have had over the years a spare burner, or blower will be available for a long time if we need them. He recommended the installation of a minisplit. Then using the furnace with a smart thermostat when it gets below the minisplits minimum temperature point of 15 below. We like the thought of this because it is a whole lot cheaper. And cooling would be way cheaper than our gigantic window unit. Anybody on here in the extreme temperature zones doing this?

08-29-16, 10:06 PM	#2
jeff5may Supreme EcoRenovator Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: elizabethtown, ky, USA Posts: 2,428 Thanks: 431 Thanked 619 Times in 517 Posts	take a look around this heat pump forum and you will find dozens of people who have installed them. General consensus is that they will do the job you describe well and drastically reduce your heating bills. Low temperature operation depends mainly on the unit you employ. Just remember that the more complex the unit operates, the higher the possibility of failure of expensive control systems. A ground loop and some digging would kill the low temperature concerns.