Mini split and low ceilings?

[Dripdrip]

Hi, I'm thinking of installing a mini split in my mom's kitchen which has low ceilings.

All of the installation manuals I've looked at imply that you cannot install one in a room with a 7 foot ceiling. Is this true or just not ideal? And does the wall unit really need to be 6 inches under the ceiling?

Thanks!

 

[WorthFlorida]

The bottom of the cassette or wall unit would be around 6’ or less from the floor posing a hazard. In the dark or during a smokey fire, someone could hit there head on it.

The 6” is to allow for proper airflow and maintenance access.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Dana]

Floor mounted cassettes, or mounting a high-wall coil near the floor works fine, and is done fairly often in heating dominated climates (such as Nebraska) since it's more efficient in heating mode when nearer the floor.

<high wall coil mounted low

^^floor mount coil mounted higher than most)^^

 

[Stuff]

A bit more carpentry but you could do a mini split ceiling cassette.

 

[Dana]

Most ceiling cassettes are wider than standard 16" on center US joist spacing, making it less suitable for retrofits. (Some can do a tight-squeeze in 24" o.c. joists, with a bit of shoehorning & grease.) It would also be potentially punch a hole in your homes pressure boundary if the space above the kitchen is an attic rather than an insulated, conditioned room.

Mitsubishi makes some ceiling cassettes designed to fit between 16" o.c. joists, but they are (so far) only compatible with their multi-zoned compressors, and do not modulate with load the way single zone mini-splits can.