Mini Split Installation in Waukee, IA
A new system here will heat from October through May and cool from June through August every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Dallas County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
What a mini-split in Waukee has to handle
Winter nights here average 15°F from December through February, and homes need heat from October through May, eight months of the year. Summer afternoons average 83°F, and homes need cooling from June through August. Between the two, a mini-split is doing the work for 11 months, with only a short stretch of the year when it can sit idle.
Any mini-split installed new has to meet the federal minimum of 14.3 SEER2 for cooling and 7.5 HSPF2 for heating, since it counts as a split-system heat pump under the standard. With most homes in the county still heating with gas, a mini-split going in now is often taking on cold nights a furnace used to handle alone.
- 8 months
- October through May, your system heats
- 3 months
- June through August, it cools
- 15°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 83°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Iowa requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board issues that license, and it covers the contractor rather than the job itself. Once a contractor holds it, they can take on mini-split work anywhere in the state without a separate sign-off for each installation.
For a mini-split, the license tells you the contractor was tested and is on record with the state. On top of that, most cities and counties in Iowa require a permit for this kind of installation, along with an inspection once the work is finished. That inspection is a separate check on the finished job, done by the local building office rather than the state board.
Sources: Iowa Legislature · Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing
- Is a mini split worth it?
- For a lot of homes here, yes, especially a room or addition that never gets even heat from the main system. A mini split gives you heat and air conditioning from one unit, with no ducts to run. Waukee winters drop to 15°F on average overnight in January, so check that the model you're looking at is rated for cold climate heating before you count on it as your only heat source in that room.
- How many rooms can a mini split cover?
- A single indoor unit is built for one room or one open space. If you need to heat or cool several rooms, a multi-zone system runs more than one indoor unit off a single outdoor unit, with each zone controlled on its own. How many zones a house can support depends on the outdoor unit's capacity and the layout of the rooms, which is something a contractor will work out for the specific house.
- Can a mini split heat a whole house?
- It can, but it takes the right setup. A single indoor unit only heats the space it's in, so a whole house needs either a multi-zone system with a unit in each main area or ductwork paired with a ducted mini split. Homes here need heat from October through May, so whatever system goes in has to be sized to keep up on the coldest nights, not just handle the mild ones.