I'd put it on the angled wall of the bedroom(?) facing into the living room & kitchen, and adjacent to the bedroom hallway.

I would prefer that a compressor be mounted up higher, under an eave where will stay dry from both direct rain/snow and splashing. On the other hand, I've heard near ocean sites say that the rain is critical to washing off the salt.

I'm with Bob_I on placement.

For the compressor under eaves is good, but under rake is better. In a central OR location depending on exact location/elevation there is some potential for significant snowfalls and cornice build-up on eaves, with a greater liklihood of a massive drop below eaves than below rakes.

You could always put a dog-house over it then dig it back out after it snows, as Hobbit had do to this winter, learning the hard way that wall-mounting beats ground mounting, and under eaves isn't as good as under the rake in a snowy location:



He has since mounted snow-anchors on his roof to limit the amount that can come down all at once.

We are planning on putting it under a 2 1/2 foot eave, with southwest exposure on the unit and raised off the ground. Yes we can get signififcant snow, as we are in a microclimate that has a lot of snow.
As I mentioned the HVAC guy recommended we place the inside unit at one end of the house which, I am questioning over a more central location.

Bob I, that is probably the only wall that is off limits (wife)

I have been following this thread for a while and find it interesting. When designing my addition HVAC the main room that I want to heat and cool is simply one big room. At R19 on all the walls I am coming in at a 11000 btu heat load. However, I will actually have walls that are closer to R25 and with no thermal bridging due to the double stud build. The software cant take that into account but I am sure that the Mitsubishi 30.5 seer 10000 btu unit will be sufficient. I was originally concerned about air flow but when looking at the vents in the existing house and comparing the air flow (more control on the ductless) I dont see it being an issue. Especially since I am sure we will have at least one ceiling fan. I would think the heat gain in the summer will be minimal since it stays 80-90s here most of the summer with only a few 100deg days. Most of the heat load on the existing house comes from the attic which has a south facing roof and up until December only had about 3 inches of fiberglass on the floor.

How does this relate to this post?

I also looked at putting split systems in the existing house eventually. Something to the tune of one every 6 months or so. If I buy from a dealer on amazon I could easily get the 6 month no interest plan. I could cut out a few hobbies and get a much more efficient system than my current two 14.5 seer single speed heat pumps with 7kw strip heat. That being said, in my design of that heating and cooling system I have never once operated on the illusion that if I were to get rid of the traditional ducted system that I would not need a heat pump in each bedroom I intend to ever occupy. Back when my house was a one zone two story system the only venting in the bedroom was the supply vents. The return vents were located in the dining room (now home theater) on the first floor and the main hallway on the second floor. The master bedroom got really stuffy with the door closed and the temp was way different than the rest of the house. I fixed this is short by adding a jump vent. Ultimately, the problem was completely fixed when I added a 14inch supply vent to the bedroom when I split the floors into two different units. I also placed the second floor thermostat in the master bedroom since as of then and now I have no kids to worry about in other rooms. Guests will just have to deal with a 1-3 deg difference.

Now I am thinking of putting a split in the main living room on the first floor and master bedroom on the second first and filter in from there when I get kids. I will use the existing HVAC system for time to come. I see the splits in the short term as a way to increase comfort and get rid of strip heat in the winter. I would have to relocate the bedroom thermostat to the hallway or on of the other bedrooms. Yes I also understand that I would probably cause the units to short cycle from time to time but it wouldnt be worse than them running close to 100% all night long in the coldest parts of the winter. Thoughts?

Also, I find the masonry stoves interesting. I would also be interested to construct one that works on the principle of the small nuclear reactors that they put in mars rovers and lighthouses using peltzier technology and grid tied inverter.