Quote:
Originally Posted by idlewild
We recently had our ~300 sq ft. south-facing lanai enclosed with single pain / non-insulated glass on our ~1900 sq ft home. The wife wants "open living" (i.e. to keep the doors to the lanai open) and thought we could do it after we blew insultation into the lanai.
I'm concerned that not only are the new windows and door not double-paned (i.e. no insultation) but also the added space will strain our AC unit In fact, when I saw the price of a mini-split I figured we might be able to extend the existing ductwork into the lanai after insulating, but I was told from multiple contractors that this would strain the AC and is not to code.
Questions: even if we blew insultation, how much cool air would we be bleeding from the single-pain glass? With this leakage and new 300 sq feet to cool, how much of a load/strain would leaving the doors to the lanai open place on our AC unit and is that comparable to having the ducts directly into it?
My idea of "open living" is not keeping the doors open, but rather using the lanai occasionally with the doors open (i.e. air conditioning from the home) but mostly using it later at night with windows open for a breeze to naturally cool it, but I supposed we're going to have to minimally both blow insulation and get a mini-split if my wife wants to keep the doors open all the time, correct?
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I enclosed my lani with sliding glass doors and added ceramic tile on the floor. I had insulation blown into the roof area and then tinted the windows. We use the lani during the day and it’s warm, not hot with the ac on and the sliding glass doors to the lani open. I did not install the mini split as to the costs. I’ve not had any issues. It’s nice leaving the living room which is cold to the lani where it’s comfortable. When I enclosed my lani on my Iris it added an extra 300 feet of living space.