Ductless Mini Split · Liberty Hill, TX

Ductless Mini Split, Where Ducted Just Doesn't Make Sense

Garage conversions. Room additions. Sunrooms. Casitas. Workshops. Bonus rooms over garages. Mini splits cool and heat the spaces a central system was never going to reach efficiently. We install Mitsubishi, Daikin, LG, and Fujitsu - and we install them so the line set, condensate, and electrical look like they were planned, not strapped on.

Call (512) 200-1740 Request a Quote →
4brands
Factory-Certified Installs
1-8
Indoor Heads Per Outdoor Unit
22+
SEER2 On High-Eff Models
No
Ductwork Required
Where Mini Splits Shine

Eight Spaces Where a Ductless Mini Split Beats Ducted

A ductless mini split is not a replacement for a whole-home central system. It's the right tool when extending the existing ducts is impossible, expensive, or just dumb. These are the spaces we install in most often.

Garage Conversions

Extending central ducts into a converted garage almost never works - long runs, no return, dead-end airflow. A wall-mount mini split solves it cleanly.

Most Common Install

Room Additions

You added 600 square feet. Your existing AC is sized for the old footprint. Adding a ductless head is cheaper than upsizing the central system and replacing ductwork.

High-ROI Move

Casitas & ADUs

Detached guest houses and accessory dwelling units don't share ductwork with the main house. A self-contained mini split is purpose-built for this.

Texas Hill Country Standard

Sunrooms

Lots of glass, hard to insulate, brutal in July. A mini split sized to the actual heat load - not just floor area - turns a sunroom into a room you actually use year-round.

Load Calc Required

Bonus Rooms Over Garages

Always too hot or too cold. The duct run is long and unbalanced, the room sits over an unconditioned space, and the central system can't keep up. Mini split. Done.

Comfort Hot-Spot Fix

Workshops & Detached Garages

You're not running ductwork to the shop. A ductless mini split keeps tools, glues, and finishes within their temperature spec - and your time in the shop tolerable.

Workshop Favorite

Home Offices & Server Closets

Spaces with heat loads central systems weren't designed for. A small mini split dedicated to the office holds temperature within a degree even with a desktop and three monitors running.

Precision Control

Older Homes With No Ducts

1940s and earlier homes often have no central ductwork at all. A multi-zone mini split is far cheaper and less invasive than retrofitting ducts through plaster walls.

Whole-Home Solution
How They Actually Work

Two Pieces, One Refrigerant Line, No Air Handler in the Attic

A ductless mini split has two physical pieces: an outdoor condenser that looks like a small AC unit, and one or more indoor heads - usually wall-mounted, but also ceiling cassette and floor-mounted options. They connect through a single insulated line set that carries refrigerant, condensate, and power. No ductwork. No air handler. No attic equipment in 130-degree Texas summer.

The outdoor unit is an inverter-driven compressor, which is the key technical difference from a traditional AC. Instead of cycling on and off at full power, the compressor modulates - faster when the room is loading up, slower when it's just maintaining. That's what makes mini splits quiet, precise, and efficient.

Most modern mini splits are also heat pumps - they reverse to heat in winter. In Central Texas where we rarely go below 25°F, that's the only heat source most mini split rooms ever need.

Outdoor Condenser

Mounted on a pad or wall bracket outside. Houses the compressor and outdoor coil. One unit can run 1-8 indoor heads.

↓
Insulated Line Set

3-inch bundle through a single 3-inch hole in the wall. Refrigerant lines, condensate drain, and low-voltage control wire.

↓
Indoor Head

Wall, ceiling cassette, or floor mount. Quiet variable-speed fan. Independent thermostat per zone.

Single Zone vs Multi-Zone

One Head or Several?

Most installs are single-zone - one outdoor unit, one indoor head, dedicated to one space. But when you've got two or three rooms that all need help, a multi-zone system shares one outdoor unit across them and saves money on equipment, electrical, and roof real estate.

Living
Office
Bath
Bedroom 1
Bedroom 2
1 Outdoor Unit

Multi-Zone, One Outdoor Footprint

A multi-zone outdoor unit (also called a "multi-port" condenser) supports 2 to 8 indoor heads from a single piece of outdoor equipment. Each head is independently controlled - one zone at 68° for sleeping, another at 74° for the home office, the rest off entirely if you want.

The advantages add up fast in the right install:

One outdoor unit instead of two or three taking up yard space, electrical, and aesthetics
Shared compressor cost brings the per-zone equipment cost down vs separate systems
Per-zone thermostat control means you don't pay to cool unoccupied rooms
Single electrical drop instead of multiple breaker runs to the panel

The tradeoff: a multi-zone system has a single point of failure for all the rooms it serves. If the outdoor unit goes down, you lose every zone at once. For mission-critical spaces (server rooms, primary bedrooms), we often recommend a dedicated single-zone system instead.

Should You Skip the Mini Split?

Ductless Mini Split vs Extending Your Existing System

Sometimes the answer isn't a mini split at all. If your central system has headroom and the space can be reached with reasonable ductwork, extending the existing system is usually cheaper. Here's how the two stack up.

Ductless Mini Split

New ductless system for the space

Independent equipment, dedicated to the room
Best forGarages, additions, casitas
Ductwork neededNone
Zone controlIndependent thermostat
Visual impactWall head + outdoor unit
HeatingBuilt-in heat pump
Adds to existing system?No - standalone
Pick this when: the central system can't reach the space, or extending ducts would require running them through unconditioned attic for long distances. Also when you want true zone control.
Extend Central System

Add ducts & supply registers to the new space

Use your existing AC and air handler
Best forAdjacent rooms, short runs
Ductwork neededNew trunk/branch + register
Zone controlShared with main house
Visual impactOnly the register
HeatingWhatever the central system uses
Adds load?Yes - existing unit must have capacity
Pick this when: the central system has spare capacity, the new space is adjacent to existing ducts, and the homeowner doesn't want visible indoor equipment. We always check the original load calc before recommending this.
Ductless Mini Split Q&A

Common Questions, Honest Answers

Are mini splits actually as efficient as people say?
Generally yes, with caveats. A modern inverter-driven mini split running at 20+ SEER2 is far more efficient than the entry-tier ducted equipment most homes have - and even more so when you factor in zero duct losses, since there's no ducted path for cool air to leak out of. The asterisks: a mini split is only as efficient as its install, and a poorly-sized one (oversized is the usual sin) short-cycles and never delivers the rated number. That's why we load-calc every install.
Can a ductless mini split actually heat a Texas home in winter?
For Central Texas, almost always yes. Modern mini splits are heat pumps that deliver rated capacity down to around 17°F, with extended-range models going below 0°F. We rarely see weather here that pushes one outside its range. One caveat: a mini split is sized for a specific space - if the room has bad insulation or massive heat loss (sunroom with single-pane glass, uninsulated garage), you may need a slightly oversized head to handle the worst Texas cold snaps. We size for the worst case, not the average.
Do those indoor heads look as bad as they sound?
Honest answer: opinions vary, but modern wall heads are sleeker than they used to be. Ceiling cassettes (recessed flush into the ceiling, only the grille visible) and floor-mount low-wall units (look more like a baseboard heater) are both options if a wall head bothers you. We bring photos to the consult so you can see the actual mounting options before deciding. In a workshop or garage nobody cares. In a primary bedroom, we usually go cassette or low-wall.
How loud are they?
Indoor: very quiet on low fan, around 19-25 dBA - quieter than a whisper. Even on high they're typically under 45 dBA, comparable to a refrigerator. Outdoor: 45-55 dBA at typical operation, which is quieter than most central AC condensers. The inverter compressor is the reason - it doesn't have the slam-on-slam-off cycle of a single-stage compressor. You'll hear it ramp up gently and then settle in.
Can I put a ductless mini split in myself?
There are DIY-marketed kits with pre-charged line sets. They're tempting, and we've been called to fix several of them. The honest issues: EPA certification is legally required to handle refrigerant, manufacturer warranties on most major brands (Mitsubishi, Daikin, etc.) are void if not installed by a certified installer, the electrical work needs a permit in Texas, and the proper evacuation and pressure test of the line set is something a DIY kit can't replicate. We've seen DIY installs work fine for 5 years then fail catastrophically because of a slow refrigerant leak nobody caught. Up to you, but we recommend factory-certified install for anything you want to last 15+ years.
How long does a ductless mini split installation take?
Single-zone, straightforward installation: usually one day. We arrive, mount the outdoor unit, mount the indoor head, run the line set (typically through a single 3-inch hole), pull a deep vacuum, charge to spec, commission, and document. Multi-zone systems with multiple indoor heads take 2-3 days depending on head count and line set routing.
Do mini splits need maintenance like a central AC?
Yes - less invasive than central, but real. The indoor heads have a washable filter that should be cleaned every 4-6 weeks (5-minute job, no tools). The indoor coil should be professionally cleaned every 2-3 years to keep efficiency up. The outdoor unit needs the same once-a-year visual inspection any AC needs. We include mini split tune-ups in our maintenance plan - same fixed annual price as a central system. Skip maintenance, lose efficiency and lifespan. Same rules as ducted.
Which brand do you actually recommend?
We're factory-certified on Mitsubishi, Daikin, LG, and Fujitsu, and we have honest opinions about each. Mitsubishi is the consensus quality leader, particularly for cold-climate performance and very quiet operation - and they price like it. Daikin is similar quality at a slightly better price and excellent dealer support. LG offers strong value, great app integration, and good warranty terms. Fujitsu tends to win in extreme conditions and has the best engineering on multi-zone systems. We'll recommend based on your specific install - not based on which one we have the best dealer rebate on.
Real Google Reviews

What Customers Say

Verified 5-star Google reviews from real Texas Legacy Services customers.

★★★★★

"Peter is awesome. Best AC technician ever."

Elad D.Google Review
★★★★★

"Super nice and helpful, was showing me things about my AC unit I never knew about. Will be contacting again if needed."

Joseline R.Google Review
★★★★★

"Peter came the very next day and was able to fix the issue. Very happy with the level of professionalism and service. Highly recommend to all."

Corey S.Google Review

Got a Room the Central
System Can't Reach?

Free in-home ductless mini split consultation. We'll look at the space, load-calc it, and tell you whether a mini split is actually the right call - or whether something else makes more sense.

(512) 200-1740Request a Quote →