VRF Systems · Commercial and large homes
VRF system installation and maintenance
Heating and cooling in different rooms at the same time, with the heat moved where it is needed. Designed, installed and cared for by the crew that sets CITY MULTI rooftops.
Chapter 01
One building, two weather reports
Walk a three-story office in October and you can feel it: the south offices sit in full sun and want cooling, the north side is cold, and the server closet runs hot no matter what the thermostat says. A ducted system or a standard mini-split can only heat or cool at one time, so somebody is always uncomfortable and the system keeps fighting itself.
Retail spaces with big glass fronts, multi-story apartments, medical suites and large sprawling homes all have the same problem. The sun and the equipment load in one zone have nothing to do with the shade in the next. VRF, short for variable refrigerant flow, was built for that mismatch.
A row of Mitsubishi CITY MULTI VRF condensers on a rooftop installed by ACT
How VRF works, and how we put it in
VRF moves heat around the building instead of throwing it away, and the refrigerant flow follows the load.
A VRF system looks like a ductless design: indoor fan coil units in each zone, outdoor condenser units, and refrigerant lines between them. The difference is that the system regulates temperature across many zones by adjusting how much refrigerant flows to each one. Because VRF can heat and cool simultaneously, it recovers heat. Excess heat from a sunlit room or a room full of heat-generating equipment is pulled out and moved to a cooler area, which cuts the extra energy needed to hold every space at temperature.
ACT designs, installs and maintains these systems for commercial work and for larger homes. Our crew has set Mitsubishi CITY MULTI condenser rows on rooftops. The components take less room indoors and out than ducted and ductless designs, and the system is modular, so you can add zones later without reconfiguring what is already in place.
Chapter 03
Keeping a VRF system running
A VRF system is quiet, and quiet is how it gets ignored until something stops.
These systems do not run flat out all day. They hold temperature under partial load, so they see less operating strain and fewer service calls than equipment that cycles hard. That does not make them maintenance free. The condensers, the coils, the fans, the refrigerant lines and the controls still need a scheduled look, and a rooftop installation needs that look more than most.
We service and repair the systems we install, and we repair other makes too. If a zone stops responding or a condenser alarms, call (509) 388-2997. The office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm, and 24 hour emergency HVAC service covers the rest.
Mitsubishi Double Diamond dealer. Licensed, bonded and insured. Commercial and residential since 2011.
What you get for the investment
Is VRF the right system for my building?
VRF carries a higher initial investment than a ducted or ductless system. The payoff shows up over years, in the energy bill and in how the building feels.
What it does well
- Long-term energy savings. Refrigerant flow adapts to the load, so the system does not waste energy on constant full output.
- Zoned comfort. Heat and cool any area at once, and let each person set their own space.
- Design flexibility. Smaller footprint, more zones, and room to grow, from multi-story apartments and retail to large homes.
- Quiet operation. Near-silent running and fewer outdoor units suit places where noisy equipment would hurt the look or the neighbors.
- Fewer breakdowns. Partial-load operation means less operating strain.
A smaller building or a single addition usually does better with a ductless mini-split. A large or mixed-use property sits closer to our commercial HVAC work, and a build in progress belongs with new construction. See what we have set on our projects page, then ask for a quote on a VRF design for your Yakima, Union Gap, Ellensburg, Richland or Pasco property.
Yard and rooftop installs of Mitsubishi CITY MULTI equipment, set by ACT.