Are minisplit refrigerant lines better in a wall or outside?
walldocmp
| Posted in Mechanicals on
Will the heating efficiency of a mini split operating in a cold climate be effected by whether the refrigerant lines are run inside the walls and kept warmer vs running them down a chase on the outside?
Thanks,
Mike
GBA Detail Library
A collection of one thousand construction details organized by climate and house part
Search and download construction details
Replies
Mike,
Wherever they are located, refrigerant lines need to be insulated.
It stands to reason that if refrigerant lines can be installed inside a home's thermal envelope, there will be a slight performance improvement compared to refrigerant lines installed outside a home's thermal envelope.
My guess is that the difference in performance or efficiency will be slight, however.
The difference in efficiency is "in the noise", statistically speaking. With an exterior conduit it's easier to service, and there is less likelihood of pounding a nail or drilling through when hanging things on the wall later.
In new construction routing them in an interior chase (and not stud cavities) would be the best choice.