[Fred McNickle]

We have recently enclosed our lanai and now we find out that to provide a/c we must convert the lanai to a room of the house by raising the floor adding electrical outlets etc at a huge cost whereas previously you could just add to your existing a/c system. Has anyone else encountered this and is there any more reasonably priced options?

[Villager Joyce]

We have a portable room a/c. Not perfect, but works. Roughly $600.

[Hoosierb4]

You might get by with a fan at the doorway between the living room and lanai. Look for tower fan in Amazon...less obtrusive.

[justjim]

Codes changed a few months ago. You know, Government knows best!

[Nucky]

We tried two different tower units with the hoses running to the window. Expensive and useless. The tower and the window units are very noisy also. Our son has a Mitsubishi unit that hangs on the wall and a free standing unit outside. When I saw this unit on the wall I kept my mouth shut, I figured the kid had to learn for himself and that he made a mistake. Well the student is now the teacher. That wall unit is the way to go, quiet, works great, installation about 4 hours with 2 men but pretty expensive. Very clean looking installation.

[JMike]

Originally Posted by Fred McNickle

We have recently enclosed our lanai and now we find out that to provide a/c we must convert the lanai to a room of the house by raising the floor adding electrical outlets etc at a huge cost whereas previously you could just add to your existing a/c system. Has anyone else encountered this and is there any more reasonably priced options?

If your existing A/C can handle the additional load, you can run a duct off your main supply trunk. This can be done without making any other modifications.

If you want or need a separate unit like the Mitsubishi Mini-Split then yes there are a lot of things to consider. Did you have Low E 366 glass put in, if so and your house is block and you have a 4" clearance between the ground and the concrete or 6" if it's frame you don't have to raise the floor. But.... the room will have to be brought up to a Class 4, which means added electrical outlets and blown-in insulation. All of this will have to be inspected as well. With the rule changes Sumter put into effect this year, it's much harder than before.

[villagetinker]

Be careful here. The building codes changed, and there are some specific requirements if this space is used a living space. My suggestion, go to the county office (Sumter is in Pinellas Plaza) and ask questions. No idea what happens if and when you get caught.....

[Barry1]

If you are taking out your Sliding Lanai doors, yes, if not you don't have to raise floor. Take this to the bank. Want to save money keep the sliding doors. That's it.

[jnieman]

Originally Posted by Barry1

If you are taking out your Sliding Lanai doors, yes, if not you don't have to raise floor. Take this to the bank. Want to save money keep the sliding doors. That's it.

Seems like that is the answer I got when I called. They said I'd have to put down a product called ditra to seal the floor before I put in tile. You're best to call Sumter co. It was pretty easy getting answers. We were told our furnace couldn't handle the extra space, but then in the same breath the furnace people were trying to sell me the $4000 Mitsubicci unit.

[jimbo2012]

Originally Posted by JMike

If your existing A/C can handle the additional load, you can run a duct off your main supply trunk. This can be done without making any other modifications.

If you want or need a separate unit like the Mitsubishi Mini-Split then yes there are a lot of things to consider. Did you have Low E 366 glass put in, if so and your house is block and you have a 4" clearance between the ground and the concrete or 6" if it's frame you don't have to raise the floor. But.... the room will have to be brought up to a Class 4, which means added electrical outlets and blown-in insulation. .

I wish people would stop with this raised floor requirement.

The only ones that say it's required are contractors that don't know the code or just want to rip you off.

What is stated above is correct.

I think extending the Hvac should be tried first it should work on most homes for a few hundred dollars.

Insulation should be done no matter what, it cost about 2-300$$$

A mini split should cost $3,000 not $4,000 keep shopping......
Those cost a contractor $1,000-$1200. So I think $3,000 gives them enough profit.

By the way a mini can be done as a DIY it comes precharged takes about 4 hours to install. They can be bought online for $1100 a 9000 btu unit.


I went with 270 glass which is more solar friendly to heat the room in winter (I have a south facing room).

But the 366 is great also.

The problem many folks will have in upgrading to code will be if they have aluminum framed windows in two respects.

The low e glass and either wood, vinyl or fiberglass window frames are now required.

Therefore, if you have aluminum it will not pass the code.



Now many folks do take the sliders out on the QT.
.

[Villager Joyce]

Originally Posted by villagetinker

Be careful here. The building codes changed, and there are some specific requirements if this space is used a living space. My suggestion, go to the county office (Sumter is in Pinellas Plaza) and ask questions. No idea what happens if and when you get caught.....

This guy knows what he is talking about. He doesn't BS. He doesn't get involved in BS threads. Listen to him.

[joldnol]

Originally Posted by Villager Joyce

We have a portable room a/c. Not perfect, but works. Roughly $600.

Same here

[Gordon82]

We have a 450 square foot lanai, and did not add a duct to the lanai and it cools just fine when we had it enclosed. We keep the original sliders open all the time and keep the lanai sliders closed most of the time, but open them when the temperature is in the low 70's or lower. It was done in May so we have been through a summer with it. We thought we might have to add a split unit, but were happy to find out we didn't. The bill went up $40 to $50 per month in the hottest months, and maybe $20 in the cooler fall months.

As far as code, all the contractor had to do was make sure there was a vapor barrier. That was satisfied when we put Chattahoochee River Rock down as the flooring, but other surfaces would have been fine as well.

My advice is make sure you get high rated doors and windows when you do your enclosure, and make sure plenty of insulation is added above the lanai. If that is done properly, you may not need a new unit at all, especially if you lanai faces north or east.