Della Optima TP Series Mini-Split AC Review: Cheap, Smart, and (Mostly) Reliable

Ductless mini-split air-conditioners person risen successful popularity dramatically successful caller years. One survey present pegs their home marketplace stock astatine much than 40 percent compared to larger-scale HVAC units—and the smaller systems are adjacent much fashionable successful Asia and Europe than successful the US.

Mini-splits marque a compelling clime power solution for a fig of reasons. They are overmuch smaller and easier to instal than HVAC systems, they’re acold little expensive, and they’re quiet. Many are sold astatine big-box stores and online, and enterprising DIYers tin surely instal 1 without nonrecreational help, provided they person the required electrical connections. (Some mini-splits run connected 115 volts, but others necessitate 220-volt wiring, which volition apt mean a telephone to an electrician.) They’re besides progressively outfitted with astute features similar mobile app support, tricks that you can’t bash connected HVAC units without a fancy thermostat.

Bringing successful the Pros

Della invited maine to trial its Optima 048-TP-12K1V-23S-IN mini-split, which offers 12,000 BTU of cooling and 12,400 BTU of heating capacity. Maximum powerfulness gully is 960 watts from a 115-volt circuit, and it's rated to screen 550 quadrate feet, oregon 1 tiny room. The shaper offered to screen the outgo of nonrecreational installation, and I was anxious for the pro instal help. My location had a reasonably recent-model mini-split installed erstwhile we bought the place, intelligibly picked up astatine Costco and acceptable up by the owners themselves. The portion died wrong 2 years of our moving in, apt owed to installation mistakes, according to the professionals who removed it.

Like astir mini-splits, Della’s merchandise arrived successful 3 boxes, 1 for each superior component: The indoor aerial handler (the portion you spot connected the partition inside), the compressor (the larger constituent that lives extracurricular and circulates refrigerant), and the conduit that connects the 2 (including refrigerant lines, drain lines, and electrical wiring). Inside the home, the aerial handler is mounted to a metallic bracket that’s besides included. A template successful the container directs installers wherever to connect the bracket to the partition and wherever to drill the conduit hole.

While the Della Optima costs lone $921 (with coupon connected Amazon), nonrecreational installation volition tally you considerably much than the hardware. A section supplier present successful Austin quoted $3,600 for the work.

On the time of installation, a unit of 2 spent astir 5 hours removing the aged mini-split and installing the caller one, a process that was mostly unremarkable but for the request to drill a caller conduit hole, since the aged unit's spread was successful a somewhat antithetic spot.