Whether it’s your first time overseeing a home climate system installation or you’re an HVAC connoisseur, you may be curious about how a ductless mini-split gets installed.
Quilt’s installation process is transparent and seamless. In a few short days, you’ll be equipped with a home climate system that lets you decide what comfortable feels like. Quilt is designed to blend in with your home and work in harmony with your design sensibilities. Once installed, you’ll access the delight of room-by-room control by way of the Quilt app or by using the Quilt Dial.
We’ve detailed every step of the installation process that happens after your virtual or in-person site visit, so you can know what to expect when the Quilt team comes to your home. Once you’ve worked with your Quilt Advisor to configure and reserve your system, you’ll schedule a date for the installation (exciting!). Here’s what you can expect on the big day:
Step 1. Meet and greet your installation team
Your Quilt installation team will arrive on the scheduled installation day. Together you’ll review the installation plan, which you’ll have developed with your Advisor during an in-person or virtual site visit ahead of installation day.
You’ll confirm the exact locations for your indoor units and you’ll also do a perimeter tour with the team to confirm the placements of the outdoor units and the linesets.
You’ll also review your planned placement of the Dials; the 2.25-inch smart thermostat can be mounted to the wall or placed atop a table. Your installation team will help you make the best choice, noting that the Dial should not be placed in strong or direct sunlight, nor directly beneath the unit. If mounting the Dial to a wall, you’ll want to avoid exterior walls and, if possible, set the Dial close to a light switch.
Now’s a good time to ask any lingering questions you have about installation and unit placement.
Step 2. Sit back and let the team do their thing
Quilt’s installation team will drape protective cloth throughout your home to make sure nothing gets damaged or dirtied. To start the installation process, they’ll first mount the back plate and drill a hole — just under 3 inches, or smaller than the diameter of a soup can — in the wall. The team will then hang the indoor unit on the back plate. And don’t worry: The hole will be fully hidden by the indoor unit and sealed with foam or caulking. The team will repeat this process for each of your indoor units.
Next, the team will run the refrigerant lines, the condensate drain line, and the power line through the walls to power the indoor units. After this, they’ll install the outdoor unit(s), which needs to be placed on a stable surface; this could be flat on a pad, wall, or roof. The team will connect both the refrigerant lines and the power cable to the outdoor unit(s).
Now is the test phase. The team will pressure test the system with nitrogen to ensure the system is leak free. Once it’s clear that the pressure holds, they'll charge the system with refrigerant.
Things are looking good. It’s time to mount or place your Quilt Dials. The team may ask for some final input from you, the homeowner, to ensure placement is to your liking.
The team will also tidy up and, if you like, paint the line hide (and any other visible additions) to blend in with your home’s exterior with paint you provide.
Step 3. Get to know your Quilt
You’re on your way to having full control over the comfort of your home. The installation team will walk you through the process, but here’s the gist: You’ll download the mobile app (available for both Android and iOs) and pair both the indoor units and the Dials with the app. You’ll also set up occupancy detection, a feature that will allow your system to work at its best and most efficient.
With your Quilt app and Dial, you’ll be able to control multiple components of your Quilt system, including target temperatures, heating, cooling, fan, and the light bar. You'll be able to set custom schedules, enable and disable occupancy presence detection for individual rooms or the whole-home. You’ll be able to customize all of these features in your preferences.
With your Quilt system installed and your controls set up, you’ve officially entered the future of home heating and cooling.
Common Quilt installation questions
How long does the installation process take?
The process will vary by home and your system configuration. On average, it takes between two and three days. If you’re getting just a single indoor unit, the process will likely only take a day.
Do I need to be home or available for the installation process?
You won’t need to be available for the majority of the installation. Your team will review the necessary questions with you at the beginning of the project.
What factors should I consider when thinking about the locations where I want the indoor units, outdoor units, and Dials installed?
You and your Quilt advisor will talk best practices when it comes to installation locations, and the installation team will further review your selections with you before they do any drilling. Here’s an overview of our recommendations for hardware placement:
Indoor unit placement
- We recommend placing the indoor units on an exterior wall. These units generate condensation that requires draining to the outside of the house.
- The unit needs to be placed on the wall at least 2.5” below the ceiling for efficiency and serving reasons. To maximize efficiency, especially in larger rooms, the unit should be placed at least 4” below the ceiling.
- The indoor unit will need 6” of space on its right side for easy access during servicing and maintenance.
Outdoor unit placement
- The outdoor units are placed outside, either on the ground (recommended), on a wall, or on the roof.
- The outdoor unit will need to be placed a certain distance from the property line; our team will advise you here, as this will depend on your specific municipality.
- When placed on the ground, Quilt mounts the unit on a pad included with the system. When necessary, we can do some standard site preparation (leveling the location, light cleaning, brush and debris clearing).
- When placed on a wall, Quilt mounts the unit atop a bracket that gets screwed into the wall.
- When placed on a flat roof, Quilt mounts the unit on a pad. When placed on a roof that isn’t flat, Quilt will use a bracket or build a custom system, depending on the circumstances.
Dial placement
- Whether mounted on the wall or table top, the Dial should be placed out of direct sunlight. Since the Dial contains a temperature sensor, it should not be placed directly under the unit. Doing so could reduce its accuracy.
- When mounted on the wall, the unit should be placed on an interior wall. We recommend placing the Dial close to a light switch.
Where does the lineset run?
Our installation team’s goal is to have as little line hide on the exterior of the home as possible. If we have access to a crawl space or attic, we’ll run most of the lineset here. If not, we’ll put the line hide (approximately 4” in diameter) on the exterior wall and paint it with paint you provide.