Know your remote. A lot of a mini-split’s functionality is hidden in the remote control. Just as you know your own TV remote and have to figure out a hotel’s.
Mode selection is key. Mini-split heat pumps have both indoor units (an air-handler sometimes called a “head”) and outdoor units (the compressor/condenser). You can have two or three indoor heads connected to the same outdoor compressor, but all the heads need to be on the same mode. For example, if you have two bedrooms connected to the same compressor but each with its own head, you can’t have one on heating mode and one on cooling mode. But you can have different cooling setpoints, such as keeping a bedroom or workout room cooler than the rest of the house. Changing the mode is as easy as pressing the “mode” button and watching an icon change from sun (heat) to snowflake (cool).
Cleaning is important, but it doesn’t have to be difficult. Once a quarter, you should remove the filters and gently wash off any debris. If they look really dirty, you can do this more often. Be careful using any pressure-washing devices on the delicate “fins” of your unit as they can be easily damaged if you are too aggressive. Heat pump technicians have specially calibrated pressure washers. Do not spray any chemicals into the indoor or outdoor units. A professional cleaning once a year will help keep your system running efficiently and identify maintenance needs so you don’t get stuck with a malfunction in cold or hot weather.
Protect your heat pumps when you work on your house. Many contractors — HVAC or otherwise — are not yet familiar with heat pumps. If you are having work done on your house, even something basic like painting, take simple steps to protect your indoor units from dust and debris. Covering them with a plastic bag or sheet should work fine.
Leave it on or off. Heat pumps use the most electricity when working hard to get a room to temperature. Once that temperature is achieved the unit then only has to work to maintain it. When you shut your heat pump off what happens is the room temperature will drop. Then when you turn the unit back on the system will need to work hard once again to bring it back to temperature. While there are a few dollars a month in savings to be had by turning the unit off and on for comfort purposes we advise leaving it on all the time.
Should I shut it off IF it’s going to be raining/snowing/ice storm. For rain there isn’t a need to shut your unit off, unless there is an expected flash freeze after the rain. For heavy snow and/or ice storms it can be a good idea to shut your unit off as well. This is to protect the fan from pulling too much snow through the outdoor unit and causing a snow/ice build up behind the unit. This snow and ice build up can result in the fan motor burning out if the unit was to become consumed by snow or ice. While this isn’t the risk that we run with every storm it’s a good idea to tun then unit off.
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