Mini Split & Ductless AC in Estero, FL

I'm Derrik Speck, owner of True Care Air LLC, license CAC1824801, insured, and the only person who works on your house. Estero is mostly HOA communities, and that changes a ductless job before I ever pick up a tool. Miromar Lakes, Pelican Sound, Raptor Bay, The Brooks: most of these associations have rules about where an outdoor condenser can sit, how far off the property line it has to be, and whether it has to be screened from the street or the neighbor. I plan the line-set route and the condenser location around those rules first, and I'd rather find out what your association requires before the install than after. Background on the equipment itself is on my Southwest Florida ductless page.

What I get called for in Estero

  • Second-floor bonus rooms and lofts the main system never reached, which is the single most common call I take here.
  • Dens and offices at the far end of a long duct run in the larger Brooks and Raptor Bay floor plans.
  • Enclosed lanais on the lake and golf course side.
  • Garages in Pelican Sound and Miromar Lakes where somebody wants a gym or a workshop.
  • Guest suites that need their own thermostat during season.

Working inside HOA rules

A mini split condenser is small and quiet, which helps, but small and quiet is not the same as approved. Some associations want it on a specific side of the house, some want it hidden behind landscaping or a screen, and some require an architectural review form before anybody starts. I'll tell you what I need to put on that form, and I'll set the unit where it meets the rules and still gives me a clean, short line-set run. A short run installed properly is also fewer places for a leak to show up later.

Sizing a second-floor bonus room

A room over a garage or under a roof deck takes on far more heat than its square footage suggests. It's also the room people most often oversize. An oversized mini split short cycles, never dehumidifies, and leaves the space cold and clammy, and I've been called out to replace plenty of them. I measure, look at the glass, the ceiling and what's above it, and size to what the room actually does. These are inverter systems, so the compressor modulates and runs long at low capacity, and that long low run is what gets the humidity out.

Equipment I install

I'm an authorized American Standard dealer, which is what I install on living space. For a garage or a workshop where you want a sensible price, I carry a second line of 17 SEER2 R-32 mini splits.

When a mini split is the wrong answer

If the whole house is uncomfortable, a mini split is the wrong answer, and I'll say so instead of selling the easier job. Whole-house discomfort is a sizing, duct or equipment problem. In these Estero homes the bonus room and the far bedrooms usually go cold because of undersized or leaking duct, which is duct repair and replacement work, or because the original system was never big enough and needs a proper AC installation in Estero. Fixing the duct often solves the bonus room without a mini split at all.

Ductless repair, including other people's installs

I repair ductless systems I didn't install. The residential diagnostic is $109 and it's credited toward the repair when I do the work. Central system trouble goes through AC repair and HVAC service in Estero. What fails most:

  • Condensate pumps
  • Outdoor control boards
  • Refrigerant leaks at the flare connections
  • Blower wheels caked with dirt, fastest in a garage unit

Estimates and financing

Estimates on new installs are free. There's 0% financing through Wells Fargo for qualified buyers, explained on my HVAC financing page. Call (239) 810-2500 or book online.

True Care Air LLC | License CAC1824801 | Serving Estero, FL | (239) 810-2500 | TrueCareAir.com