Ductless Mini-Split Systems in Silver Spring, MD

Shemtov Systems designs, installs, and services ductless mini-split systems across Montgomery County, MD and the Washington DC metro. Ductless units add efficient heating and cooling to additions, older homes without ductwork, and individual rooms, with zoned comfort control. Family-owned since 1981. Call 240-355-3333 for a free ductless assessment in Silver Spring and nearby.

Ductless systems

Shemtov systems offers a wide variety of ductless air conditioning and heat pump systems to include:

We Service

The following areas for HVAC, Heating & Air Conditioning Services for both Commercial & Residential

A ductless mini-split is a small heat pump: an outdoor compressor unit and one or more indoor heads, joined by a refrigerant line set that passes through a wall opening of roughly three inches. With nothing carried in duct, it can condition a room the central system never reached without opening ceilings. Shemtov Systems installs and services single-zone and multi-zone ductless equipment in Silver Spring, Wheaton, and Kemp Mill. Call 240-355-3333.

Key takeaways

A mini-split is a heat pump, so one machine cools in summer and reverses to heat in winter.
Every head has a minimum output, so an oversized head is the common comfort mistake.
ENERGY STAR grants its Cold Climate designation only to units holding a COP of at least 1.75 at 5 degrees.
An indoor head filters through a washable screen, not MERV-rated media, so it is no substitute for whole-house filtration.

How does a ductless mini-split actually work?

The outdoor unit holds the compressor, the condenser coil, and an inverter board that varies compressor speed instead of switching it on and off. Each indoor head carries a coil, a variable-speed blower wheel, and washable screens. Between them runs a line set: two insulated copper lines, control wiring, and a condensate drain through one wall sleeve. Reverse the cycle and the hardware becomes a heat pump for winter heating.

Where does a mini-split fit alongside central air?

Usually at the end of the duct system, where airflow has run out. Adding registers to a trunk already at its limit moves air away from the rooms on it, so the new sunroom stays warm and the bedrooms upstream get worse. A mini-split zone leaves the central system alone. For a whole-house comparison, read Compare ductless with central air or our air conditioning services in Montgomery County.

How is a multi-zone system sized and metered?

A multi-zone outdoor unit lists a maximum number of heads and a total capacity, and refrigerant reaches each head through a branch box or its own line set. The limit that bites is at the bottom: a head sized above its room cannot turn down far enough, so it overshoots, cycles, and stops removing humidity. That is a different mechanism from damper zoning on a ducted system.

Do ductless heat pumps keep up in a Maryland winter?

Montgomery County is in climate zone 4A, and the ENERGY STAR county design guide lists 14 degrees for winter design here, inside what cold-climate ductless equipment is built for. For the Cold Climate designation, a unit must hold a COP of at least 1.75 at 5 degrees and keep 70 percent of its 47-degree heating capacity there. Heads rarely carry backup heat, so each is sized to its room's heating load.

How efficient is ductless equipment?

Cooling is rated in SEER2, heating in HSPF2. ENERGY STAR heat pump split systems must reach 15.2 SEER2, 11.0 EER2, and 7.8 HSPF2, and the Cold Climate tier raises non-ducted heating to 8.5 HSPF2. Part of the ductless advantage is the test itself: a non-ducted unit is rated with no duct attached and no static pressure against its fan. Maryland EmPOWER utility incentives may apply, and we confirm current amounts when we quote.

What does a ductless installation involve?

A room-by-room load calculation sets each head's capacity. Placement is chosen for air throw and service access, and the wall sleeve is pitched so condensate drains outdoors by gravity. The outdoor unit sits clear of roof drip lines, on its own circuit and disconnect. Field joints are flares, formed with a flaring tool and torqued to the manufacturer's figure, pressure tested with dry nitrogen, then evacuated under a micron gauge.

What maintenance does a ductless system need?

Rinse the indoor screens every few weeks in cooling season and let them dry before refitting. Keep leaves and mulch off the outdoor coil. The part no homeowner reaches is the blower wheel inside each head, which picks up a biofilm through humid summers and begins to smell. Those need periodic professional cleaning.

Frequently asked questions

Does a mini-split need a permit in Montgomery County?

Yes. The county requires a mechanical permit to install, replace, or remove air conditioning and heat pump equipment. Its exemption list stops at portable cooling units and self-contained systems rated at 12,000 Btu or less, and a split system is neither.

Can a mini-split replace window units?

In most rooms, yes. One head covers a similar floor area, runs quieter, leaves the window closed and lockable, and heats the room in winter. Capacity comes from the room's load, not the unit removed.

How long does a ductless system last?

Plan on the heat pump range, roughly 12 to 15 years, since a mini-split works in both seasons. Our guide to how long HVAC systems last breaks the ranges out by type.

Talk to Shemtov Systems

To talk through head placement, zone count, and permit paperwork for your house, call Shemtov Systems at 240-355-3333.

Homeowner guides

Straight answers to the questions we hear most from Montgomery County homeowners.