By the team at Smoky Mountain Heating & Air
A room that stays cold while every other room is comfortable can often be heated and cooled by a ductless mini-split, installed in an existing home with no new ductwork. A short call about the room, then a visit, tells us whether a mini-split is the right fix or whether something simpler will do.
What makes one room colder than all the others?
By November, the space heaters come out of the closet. The thermostat in the hallway says the house is comfortable, and the north bedroom disagrees.
The rooms in this story are familiar ones: a bonus room over the garage, a converted garage gym, a home office used all day, an addition the original system never reached. A single central system can struggle to serve a space like that. Either it sits at the far end of the house, or it was added after the equipment was sized.
Sometimes the cause is something simpler than that, and we would rather find it and fix it first so you may not need new equipment. We work on existing homes across Asheville and Buncombe County, so a stubborn room is a situation we run into often and ask you to mention it during a regular maintenance visit.
How does a ductless mini-split heat and cool a single room?
A mini-split has two main parts: a slim indoor unit on the wall of the room and an outdoor unit. Refrigerant lines and wiring connect them, so no ducts are needed in between. That makes it a practical answer for a finished room in an older house, where adding ductwork is not on the table.
The unit runs on its own setting. You choose the temperature for that room, and your other rooms keep following the thermostat they always have. The same unit heats in winter and cools in summer, so the room that needed a space heater in January can stop needing a box fan in July.
What does a mini-split installation involve?
Before you call: a mini-split is a full installation. It requires an electrician and a permit, and it is a bigger job than setting up a window air conditioner and plugging it in. We install and service only equipment we supply and can back with manufacturer warranties, so we do not install or service the do-it-yourself kits sold online or at big-box stores.
If you are hoping for an inexpensive quick fix, we would rather say so now: this is a project. Plan for the electrician and the permit from the start, so nothing in the job comes as a surprise.
What you get in return is a room with its own climate control and no work done to your walls for ductwork. For the right room, that is a good trade, and for the wrong room we will say so.
Which rooms suit a mini-split, and which need a different answer?
Mini-splits fit accessory rooms and areas with poor coverage: a converted garage, a finished basement, a bonus room, an addition. Each is part of an existing home, which keeps the job inside the work we do.
When several rooms are uncomfortable, the system itself may be the real question. Our August guide, Repair or Replace? An Honest Guide to Your Furnace, AC, or Heat Pump, lays out the five factors we use to think it through. As a Lennox Dealer that services every brand, we can look at the equipment you already own and tell you which situation you are in.
What if my home heats with oil?
Some homes around Asheville still heat with oil. A mini-split conditions one room and leaves that furnace exactly as it is, so the furnace stays a separate question with its own timeline.
If the furnace is aging and a room is also stubborn, you can plan both in one conversation. First, we recommend a tune-up on your existing furnace to get it ready for this winter and check its condition. When you are ready to look at options, you can choose on purpose, before anything breaks, among a new furnace, a heat pump, or a mini-split for the room that never cooperated. The heat pump and mini-split choices both cool as well as heat. Replacement quotes are free, and we lay out each option for your house with no pressure to pick one.
How do I find out if my room is a fit?
Start by writing down what the room does: which room it is, when it is coldest, what you have already tried, and what sits above, below, and beside it. Two minutes of notes makes the first conversation quicker. We put those prompts on a single page, the Cold Room Checklist.
Then call us during business hours at 828-677-3006, Monday through Friday, 7:30 to 4:30. We talk through the room, and if a visit makes sense, we set one up. You get a straight answer on the mini-split, including "this needs a different fix" when that is the case.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you install mini-splits outside Asheville?
We serve all of Buncombe County, including Weaverville, Black Mountain, Swannanoa, Arden, Enka and Candler, Leicester, Woodfin, Alexander, and Fairview, plus Fletcher in Henderson County. Hendersonville and the counties around Buncombe are outside our service area.
What should I do about the space heater until then?
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission advises keeping portable heaters at least three feet from drapes, furniture, bedding, and other combustible materials, plugging electric space heaters directly into a wall outlet and never into an extension cord or power strip, and turning heaters off when sleeping. Treat it as a stopgap while you sort out the room's real fix.
Could something simpler be causing the cold room?
Sometimes. Check that the room's vent is open and not blocked by a rug or furniture, and that your filter has been changed recently. If those look fine and the room still lags behind, mention both checks when you call so we can start from there.
What does the warranty look like?
Manufacturer parts warranties commonly run 5 to 10 years, with longer coverage on compressors. Our workmanship carries a 1-year labor warranty. Terms vary by manufacturer, so ask us for the specifics on the model we quote.
This article was written by the team at Smoky Mountain Heating & Air, a Lennox Dealer providing residential heating and cooling service in Asheville and Buncombe County since 2004. The team services all brands and all standard types of residential HVAC equipment in existing homes throughout Asheville, Buncombe County, and Fletcher. Learn more at smokymountainheatingair.com/about-us.
