PTAC oor mini split systems - help needed

[Code54]

We are adding a 250 Sq foot sun room on and need to heat/cool it year round. We live in WV (winter lows 0, mostly at least in the 20's) and summer we can hit 100 once in a while but we do have humidity. The room has a LOT of windows )7' wide, 36' long with 6 4'x5' windows and 2 2'x3' end windows and two 36" doors with glass in them.
My question is will a PTAC do this area in the winter when it is cold out. Do PTac have heat strips or something in them to help with the real cold days? How noisy are the units (going to be installed in the wall), any thing I need to look for or avoid?
Would the mini split have an advantage (other than having a remote compressor, etc). I was concerned about them not having enough heating ability more than anything plus the cost is UP there.
There was also some suggestions on enlarging the whole house system but I am concerned that will not work (we have a loft, basement with bedrooms, etc) and it is all on one zone with one thermostat so I feel adding a sunroom to the mix will just give us one more area that temp will be different and not real comfortable (now the loft is hot, basement cool, etc...)
Also we may add another PTAC unit to the upstairs loft to help balance the entire house out while we are doing it?
Please tell me your thoughts and experiences - any thoughts and ideas will help!
THANKS

 

[gsganzer]

What's a PTAC? I have a 600 ft2 living space that I'm planning to control with a heat pump mini-split. The mini-split seems like it would be perfect for anything my size or smaller.

 

[montyhp]

I think PTAC stands for Packaged Terminal Air Conditioner, it is what is in most hotel rooms. I think one of the advantages of a mini-split is that it only takes a 3 inch hole through the wall, where a PTAC takes a hole approximately 2 x 4 feet.

I have an 800 sf shop at the back of my garage that I am looking at putting a mini split in. It is insulated (although minimally) and has a very high peaked roof (about 30 feet at the center). I am looking at about 28000 BTUs.

Montyhp

 

[Charlesaf3]

mini splits are pretty great these days. Really high efficiency, down pretty low. Take a look at Daikin and Mitsubishi.

I'd guess they are your best option, but get a Manual J calc done

 

[aczlan]

I work for a 60 room hotel, we have PTAC units in ~50 rooms and (due to building design) mini splits in the others.

We have had no end of problems with the mini splits, the biggest (installer issue) was that the @#$%^& installer used compression fittings on the high pressure line, so they leaked out the freon and the oil (you could see oil dripping off the fittings.
They had the maintenance contract and one day when they were doing filters, I asked "So, I was told when I worked for a HVAC guy that compression fittings on freon lines were a no-no" he responded that they hadnt had any problems with them. Some time after, we put the contract out for bid and the company that did the maintenance for our refrigerators not only underbid them, but are providing MUCH better service.

Otherwise, we have also had issues with the mini splits (which are on the roof) not cooling the rooms below 78 when it is over 80 out.

In the PTAC units, we have had bad boards (enough that we order them 5 at a time), a clogged unit (the unit is right under the dryer vent, so it got lintefied) and a bad overheat sensor on the compressor. We do not consider the boards to be a huge issue as I can (and do) replace them myself, but when a split unit goes down, we have to call in the professionals.

This is in a 5 year old hotel in Upstate, NY.

Aaron Z

 

[anojones]

I ended up using a PTAC in a finished studio space in our shop. It's a pole barn with metal siding and is insulated with fiberglass and sheetrock on the inside- a couple of windows, about 400 square feet with twelve foot ceiling. I looked at mini-splits but at the time there were limited options and it was pretty expensive. The PTAC works great, I bought a 15k btu Amana. It is a heat pump with a heat strip back-up and AC and plugs directly into a 220V 30A outlet (or can be hardwired), I have it wired to a remote programmable thermostat. It heats and cools the space without any difficulty (similar weather to you, but without the humidity). The disadvantage is having a hole/appliance in the wall but should it break down is easy to replace, just slide another one into the metal sleeve. The other disadvange is it is a bit loud, when it's working it's like having a window AC unit in the room, it doesn't bother me but it does make noise.

 

[ustmd]

I put in a Mitsusbishi Mini Split in my home office to heat and cool it. While expensive, it has been some of the best money I have every spent.

My office is in an attic space that was converted and has a cathedral ceilding with 2 skylights. While insulated, it is still has 3 walls which ajoin the attic space that gets well over 150 F during the high Texas summer.

So far the Mni split has had no problems keeping up and has been trouble free.

Also, it is very quiet.

 

[Code54]

The mini splits do seem a little expensive so I am sort of leaning towards the Ptac. Is there any Ptac's I should avoid, any better than others. How are they on energy and how do I read the energy ratings to know what ones are more efficient?
THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP AND INFO!