Most people are familiar with centralized heating, the method where a home has a furnace—usually located in the basement—that commonly uses natural gas to heat the air. The warm air is then sent through a series of ventilation ducts that feed into every room in the home, coming out through vents in the floor, ceiling, or wall. In the summer, those same ducts carry chilled air that comes from a condenser unit outside, which then sends the air through those same ducts.
But there’s another method, known as ductless heating and cooling, that eliminates the need to build vents under the floor and in the walls, leading to every room. Since it’s a more recent innovation, there are a lot of myths and misconceptions about how ductless heating works, but we’re going to dig into the truth now!
Myth #1 – Ductless Heating Systems Are Dirtier
One major misconception is that ductless heating systems have poor health and safety levels. That stems from the mistaken belief that because an HVAC system has a filter—usually located in the furnace—this means that the air is cleaned out and rendered safe when it goes to the rest of the home.
The reality is that every unit in every room of a ductless heating system has its own filter! Every room is being “scrubbed,” and, unlike a central system, there are no vents where contaminants can get lodged. For example, if mold develops in the vents of a central system, it’s already bypassed the filter, and every room is being hit with mold spores. Ductless systems “quarantine” individual rooms for better health and safety.
Myth #2 – Ductless Heating Units Break Down Faster
There’s also the myth that because ductless heating systems use individual units in individual rooms, these systems are more prone to breakdowns or inefficiencies than an HVAC solution. In truth, how you treat a ductless heating system has the same impact on performance as your treatment of an HVAC system would.
If you take care of your HVAC system, for example, and conduct yearly inspections and maintenance, you can probably expect about 15 years of trouble-free operation before you start to see a serious drop in performance. If you practice the same care with your ductless heating system, you can enjoy 20 years!
Myth #3 – Ductless Heating Is Only Good for New Homes
This myth is totally untrue. The beauty of ductless heating systems is that you don’t have to tear up floors and install ventilation ducts. So, older homes lacking an existing HVAC infrastructure benefit from ductless heating because setup doesn’t require an expensive renovation! Ductless heating and air conditioning is a perfect solution for people who don’t want to alter the structure of their home drastically.
Thinking of Going Ductless?
If you’re convinced that a ductless heating system is something you want to invest in for your home, we’re here to help! Just contact us for your free consultation. We’ll assess your home and find out what kind of ductless heating solution is going to give you the comfort and control you want!