About Best DIY Mini Splits

An independent publication covering ductless mini splits for homeowners. Sizing tools, brand comparisons, and install playbooks — no sponsored content, no paid rankings, no fabricated reviews.

Who writes this

Johannason Windmore researches, writes, and maintains the guides on Best DIY Mini Splits. He brings several years of hands-on HVAC experience focused on ductless mini splits — work that began after living in Asia, where mini splits hang in nearly every home. The obvious question followed him back to the States: why don't more people here use these? Closing that gap is the whole reason this site exists — honest, homeowner-first guidance for people who were never shown the option.

Every guide follows one consistent process — research, cross-reference against primary sources, write, edit, publish, and update each season. That process is spelled out on the methodology page.

Editorial principles

Homeowner-first. Every recommendation assumes you're putting one or two mini splits in a home you live in — not a 50-unit apartment complex. Advice is calibrated to that scale.
Spec-sheet over marketing. We quote numbers from AHRI filings and manufacturer submittal sheets. We don't repeat marketing copy like "works in cold weather" without verifying the rated capacity at 5°F.
Oversizing is a bigger enemy than undersizing. Most sales reps will push you toward a larger unit. Our sizing advice usually pulls in the opposite direction — because oversized mini splits short-cycle, fail to dehumidify, and die sooner.
DIY is legitimate. When the right answer is a pre-charged DIY unit you install yourself, we say so — no brand relationship changes the answer.
Transparency over polish. If we're unsure, we say so. If we're wrong, we correct it in place and note the correction.

How we work

Primary sources: AHRI Directory of Certified Product Performance, manufacturer submittal sheets, CEE / ENERGY STAR tier lists for state and utility rebate eligibility, DOE Energy Star Cold Climate database for cold-climate certification.
We read homeowner forums (Reddit r/HVAC, HVAC-Talk, Garage Journal) to catch reliability patterns that don't appear on spec sheets — premature compressor failure, board sensitivity, parts-availability lead times.
Every guide is reviewed at least twice a year — once before peak cooling season (late spring), once before peak heating season (late fall). Model years, efficiency ratings, and prices shift enough that stale guides become actively misleading.
When we make a factual error, we fix it and note the correction at the bottom of the article.

What we're not

We're not a manufacturer, contractor, or installer. We don't quote your install, diagnose your leak, or warranty a unit you bought elsewhere.
We don't run a thermal chamber. Real thermal testing requires an AHRI-certified facility that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to operate. Any site claiming independent lab testing is almost certainly lying. We report AHRI-certified numbers.
We don't accept paid inclusion, paid rankings, sponsored placement, or "in exchange for coverage" arrangements. Affiliate links are disclosed; rankings aren't influenced by them.

Corrections and tips

Spot a factual error? Know a model we missed? See a new regulation or tax-credit change that should update a guide? Email hello@bestdiyminisplits.com. Every email is read; corrections happen fast.

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