# What types of mini split indoor units are there?

> Mini split indoor unit types compared: wall heads, ceiling cassettes, floor consoles and concealed duct units by air throw, condensate, service access and cost.

URL: https://mesaminisplitsandiego.com/guide/mini-split-indoor-unit-types/

Decision Guide

Wall-mounted heads, ceiling cassettes, floor consoles and concealed duct units all do the same job with the same outdoor unit. They differ in how they throw air, where their water goes, how a technician reaches them, how they look and what they add to the price.

There are four types of mini split indoor unit: wall-mounted heads, ceiling cassettes, floor consoles and concealed duct units (also called ducted or slim duct air handlers). All of them connect to the same kind of outdoor unit. Wall heads are the simplest and least expensive; the others trade cost, condensate complexity and service access for appearance or air distribution.

[Mesa Mini Split San Diego](https://mesaminisplitsandiego.com/) installs every one of these types across San Diego County, from a single wall head to [ceiling cassettes](https://mesaminisplitsandiego.com/ceiling-cassette-mini-split-installation/) and [concealed duct systems](https://mesaminisplitsandiego.com/concealed-duct-mini-split-installation/), with the work done by licensed and insured contractors holding the California C-20 (HVAC) license. This guide compares them so you can see which fits a room before a site visit.

Key takeaways

- Every indoor unit is an air handler: a coil, a blower, a filter, a drain pan and controls
- Wall heads throw air across a room from high on a wall and usually drain by gravity
- Ceiling cassettes throw air in four directions from the ceiling and usually need a condensate pump
- Floor consoles suit low walls and attic rooms and release warm air near the floor
- Concealed duct units hide in an attic, soffit or closet and feed short ducts, at the cost of shared control and duct losses

## What every indoor unit is

Whatever it looks like, a mini split indoor unit is an air handler. Room air is drawn through a filter and across a refrigerant coil by a quiet blower, then blown back into the room. In cooling, the coil runs below the dew point, so water condenses on it and runs into a drain pan; in heating, the coil runs hot and stays dry. Each unit carries its own controls and talks to the outdoor unit through the communication cable that runs with the line set. The type changes where these parts sit and how the air leaves.

## Wall-mounted heads

A wall head mounts on a bracket high on a wall and throws air horizontally across the room, with louvers that swing up and down and, on many models, side to side. It is the default for [single-zone installations](https://mesaminisplitsandiego.com/single-zone-mini-split-installation/) because it needs no framing work: one penetration through the wall behind it carries the line set, cable and drain.

On an exterior wall, the drain usually falls to the outside by gravity. Service access is easy; the filters lift out from the front and the cover comes off for coil and blower cleaning. The downside is visibility: a white box on the wall, which some owners of older or carefully finished houses do not want.

## Ceiling cassettes

A cassette sits recessed in the ceiling with only a square grille showing. Most throw air in four directions, which suits large or square rooms, open-plan living areas and spaces where wall space is taken by windows or cabinets. Some models also come in one- or two-way versions for edges of rooms.

The cost is in the structure and the water. A cassette body fits between ceiling joists and hangs from threaded rods, so joist spacing, ducts, wiring and plumbing in the ceiling all matter; homeowners report having to add framing where the joists do not match the cassette’s frame. Most cassettes need a condensate pump, often built in, to lift water to a drain line. The ceiling above needs access for the line set and drain, which is easiest under an attic. Filters are reached from below by dropping the grille. Cassettes carry a price premium over wall heads for these reasons.

## Floor consoles

A floor console sits low on the wall, a little like a radiator, and blows air up and out from the top and sometimes the bottom. It fits under windows, in attic rooms where a sloped ceiling leaves no high wall, and in rooms where a high wall head would look out of place. In heating, warm air leaves near the floor where people feel it. The drain often runs out through the low exterior wall by gravity, and service access is as easy as a wall head. Furniture in front of the console blocks its air, so the layout of the room matters.

## Concealed duct units

A concealed duct unit is a compact air handler hidden in an attic, a dropped soffit or a closet, feeding short ducts to one large room or two or three neighboring rooms through ordinary grilles. No equipment shows in the room. This is the choice for owners who want a central-air look without full ductwork, and it is covered in depth on the [concealed duct installation](https://mesaminisplitsandiego.com/concealed-duct-mini-split-installation/) page.

The trades are real. Rooms served by one unit share one setpoint. Ducts in an unconditioned attic lose some heat and coolness through their walls, and duct design affects airflow and noise. In the City of San Diego, Information Bulletin 103 calls for a HERS evaluation where more than 40 feet of new ductwork is installed, so a long duct layout can add a field verification step. The unit needs a condensate path, usually a pump if it sits in an attic, and a reachable filter.

## Indoor unit types compared

| Type | Air throw | Condensate | Service access | Looks | What pushes the cost |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall-mounted head | Across the room from high on a wall | Gravity on an exterior wall; pump on interior walls | Easy: filters and cover from the front | Visible box on the wall | Interior-wall locations, long line-set routes |
| Ceiling cassette | Four ways (or one or two) from the ceiling | Usually a pump, often built in | Grille drops from below; attic access helps | Flush grille only | Framing, ceiling work, pump, attic access |
| Floor console | Up and out from low on the wall | Often gravity through a low wall | Easy from the front | Low, compact box | Fewer models; furniture layout |
| Concealed duct | Through ducts and grilles to one or more rooms | Usually a pump in an attic | Through an attic hatch or access panel | Grilles only | Ductwork, attic or soffit work, pump, verification |

No public price figure exists for each type’s premium; the [installation cost guide](https://mesaminisplitsandiego.com/guide/mini-split-installation-cost-san-diego/) and [cost estimator](https://mesaminisplitsandiego.com/tools/mini-split-cost-estimator/) give the San Diego ranges by number of heads.

## How airflow decides comfort

A room’s comfort depends on where conditioned air reaches, not just on capacity. Air from a wall head travels a limited distance before it slows and mixes; a long, narrow room or an L-shaped one can leave its far end warm even when the head is sized correctly. A cassette in the middle of a square room spreads air more evenly. Closed doors stop air from reaching other rooms, which is why one head rarely conditions a whole floor and why a [multi-zone system](https://mesaminisplitsandiego.com/multi-zone-mini-split-installation/) puts heads where rooms are used with doors closed. Not every room needs its own head either; a hallway or a rarely used room can borrow from a neighbor with the door open. The [sizing guide](https://mesaminisplitsandiego.com/guide/mini-split-sizing/) covers how loads and room use set the head count.

## Choosing and placing a head

Start with the room: its shape, which walls are free, whether there is attic space above, and where people sit and sleep. A wall head goes high, with a clear path across the room and out of the direct line of a bed or desk. A cassette goes near the center of the space it serves. A console goes where its air is not blocked. Every location also needs a drain route, which the [condensate drainage guide](https://mesaminisplitsandiego.com/guide/mini-split-condensate-drainage/) explains, and the outdoor end of the line set has its own rules in the [placement guide](https://mesaminisplitsandiego.com/guide/mini-split-placement/).

On a multi-zone system the head types can be mixed, within the combinations the manufacturer lists as compatible with the outdoor unit. A site visit checks the joists, the attic and the walls before a type is chosen; call or request an estimate to book one.

Pick the head that fits the room

A site visit checks the walls, ceiling and attic so the indoor unit type is chosen for the room, not the catalog.

## Questions about this guide

### Which type of mini split indoor unit is easiest to service?

Wall-mounted heads and floor consoles. Their filters lift out from the front, the cover comes off for coil and blower cleaning, and the drain connection is close at hand. A ceiling cassette is serviced from a ladder through its grille, and its pump adds a part to check. A concealed duct unit is reached through an attic hatch or access panel, so the filter location and the access route are worth settling before installation rather than after.

### Does a wall-mounted head have to go high on the wall?

It is designed to. A wall head draws room air in through its top and throws conditioned air out across the room, so it needs some clearance below the ceiling and a clear path in front of it. Mounted low, it blows into furniture and people and mixes the room poorly. If a wall has no room up high, as in an attic room with a sloped ceiling, a floor console is the unit built for that position.

### Is a floor console better for heating than a wall-mounted head?

It can feel better in heating mode. A floor console sits low on the wall and releases warm air near the floor, where people feel it, while warm air from a high wall head has to be pushed down against its tendency to rise. In cooling mode the advantage reverses slightly. In mild San Diego winters the difference is modest, so floor consoles are chosen mostly for walls with no room up high, such as attic rooms with sloped ceilings.

Want this answered for your house?

Call with the rooms you want cooled and your ZIP code.

## Related service

Ceiling cassette installation

A recessed ceiling head that disappears into the room, planned around the framing, the attic and the drain.

## More guides

- Decision Guide [Mini split outdoor unit placement: where should it go?](https://mesaminisplitsandiego.com/guide/mini-split-placement/)The outdoor unit's location sets the line-set route, the noise a neighbor hears, how long the coil lasts near the coast and which permit path applies. Here is how to choose it, and where the indoor head should go once it is chosen.
- Learn [How does a mini split condensate drain line work?](https://mesaminisplitsandiego.com/guide/mini-split-condensate-drainage/)Every indoor head makes water when it cools, and humid coastal San Diego makes plenty. Where that water goes, by gravity or by pump, decides whether a mini split stays dry for years or drips down a wall.
- Learn [What size mini split do I need?](https://mesaminisplitsandiego.com/guide/mini-split-sizing/)Mini split size is a load question, not a floor-area question. This guide explains BTUs and tons, what a Manual J calculation measures, why inverter turndown matters as much as maximum output, and how the same room can need different equipment at the coast and inland.
- Decision Guide [Single zone vs multi zone mini split: which layout is right for your home?](https://mesaminisplitsandiego.com/guide/single-zone-vs-multi-zone/)One outdoor unit per room, or one outdoor unit for several rooms? The answer turns on how the rooms are used, how their loads compare, how much yard there is for equipment and how much a single failure would matter.
- Learn [Mini split noise levels: how loud is a mini split?](https://mesaminisplitsandiego.com/guide/mini-split-noise/)Inverter mini splits are among the quietest ways to cool a room, but a published decibel rating is a test-lab number. What you and your neighbor actually hear depends on distance, walls, mounting and the hours the unit runs.