# Mini Split Installation in Aloha, OR

> Mini split installation in Aloha: 1970s split-levels and ranches, a head on each level, Washington County permits and Energy Trust incentives. Typical ranges.

URL: https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/service-areas/aloha/

Service area, Oregon

Mini split installation in Aloha: 1970s split-levels and ranches, a head on each level, Washington County permits and Energy Trust incentives. Typical ranges.

(971) 458-4515

Last Updated: November 12, 2026

29.4%

of Aloha homes were built in the 1970s, its biggest decade (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year)

70.6%

of Aloha housing units are detached houses (ACS 5-year)

Permits

Washington County Building Services

Electric utility

PGE

## Rooms that need help in Aloha

### A split-level from the 1970s

Three floor levels half a story apart. Heat pools at the top and the lower family room stays cold, whatever one heater does.

### Not in Beaverton, despite the address

Aloha is unincorporated. Homes can use a Beaverton mailing address, but Washington County issues the permits.

### Baseboards and frosty mornings

West-side nights freeze about twice as often as Portland's. Baseboard bills peak in exactly those weeks.

## One heater, three levels, three temperatures

A cold family room downstairs and hot bedrooms up top: in an Aloha split-level, the fix is a head on each level, not a bigger heater.

Aloha is where the 1970s building boom on the west side shows most: nearly three in ten homes here date from that decade, more than any other. [Firlands Portland Mini Splits](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/) plans mini splits for those houses level by level, because that’s how they heat and cool.

### Why split-levels behave this way

The levels sit half a story apart and share open stairs. Warm air climbs to the bedrooms, cool air settles into the lower family room, and a wall heater or baseboard in one room can’t move heat to the others. Each level needs its own source.

Project

## Inside a 1970s Aloha split-level, three heads

### The problem

The lower-level family room stays cold until mid-morning, the upstairs bedrooms overheat in summer, and baseboards run in every room. The bills are highest in December and January, when the west side's frosty mornings drag on.

### The house

The split-level has three floor levels a half story apart, with the panel on the lower level. The attic covers only the upper level, and the lower level sits partly below grade, with its outside walls on the back and one side.

### What we decide, and why

One 12,000 BTU head on the main-level living room wall, and 9,000 BTU heads in the lower family room and the primary bedroom upstairs. A head on each level matters because air doesn't move up and down a split-level on its own. The two small upstairs bedrooms keep their baseboards for now, and the outdoor unit is sized with room for a fourth head later.

### The work

The upstairs and main-level line sets run through the attic and down one cover on the side wall; the lower-level head goes straight through the wall behind it. The outdoor unit sits on a stand by the side wall, with a 30-amp, 240-volt circuit from the lower-level panel. The lower-level head is below the outdoor unit, so we check the vertical separation against the maker's limit. Nitrogen test, vacuum below 500 microns, and three drains water-tested.

The family room head drains by gravity to daylight through the side wall because the wall clears grade by 20 inches there; the back wall sits below the yard and needs a pump.

### What it changes

Each level heats and cools on its own, the main living space comes off baseboards, and the house qualifies for Energy Trust's ductless incentive.

Location

Aloha, south of Tualatin Valley Highway

House

1974 split-level, about 1,750 square feet, electric baseboard heat

Equipment

Three heads (12,000, 9,000 and 9,000 BTU) on one 24,000 BTU cold-climate outdoor unit

Price

$14,300, permits included

Time on site

3 days, then the final inspections

## A Beaverton address, a Washington County permit

Aloha isn’t a city. It’s unincorporated Washington County, so the county issues and inspects mini split permits here.

Washington County’s own jurisdiction table notes that Aloha homes can use either Aloha or Beaverton as the mailing address. The permit office follows the land, not the mailbox, so a Beaverton address in Aloha still means a county permit.

| What | Who handles it in Aloha |
| --- | --- |
| Mechanical permit (heat pump, line set) | Washington County Building Services |
| Electrical permit (new circuit, disconnect) | Washington County Building Services |
| How to apply | The county’s online application portal |
| Inspections | County inspectors, booked through the portal |

We file both permits, schedule the inspections and close the job out with the final. The fees are in your price. [Mini split permits](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/guide/mini-split-permit-portland/) explains what the inspector checks.

## How many heads an Aloha house needs

Count the levels and rooms you actually live in, then size each head from that room’s heat loss, not its square footage.

### Split-levels

Usually three heads: the main-level living room, the lower family room, and the primary bedroom on the top level. The two small bedrooms keep their baseboards until you decide otherwise.

### Single-level ranches

Often two heads: one in the living room that throws heat down the hall, and one in the primary bedroom. A ranch with a long hall may need a third for the far bedrooms.

### Two-story houses from the 1990s and 2000s

These often have a gas furnace and ducts. One head for a hot upstairs room, or for a converted garage, is usually the whole job.

[How many mini splits do I need?](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/guide/how-many-mini-splits-do-i-need/) and [mini split sizing](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/guide/mini-split-sizing/) walk through the count and the load.

## Getting line sets between levels

In a split-level, the hard part isn’t the heads; it’s getting three line sets to one outdoor unit without three covers down the front of the house.

### Upper and main levels

These usually share a route through the attic over the upper level, then drop down one cover on a side wall. Two line sets fit in one wide cover, with their drains alongside.

### The lower level

The family room head goes straight out the wall behind it, close to the outdoor unit. Because it sits partly below grade, we check that its drain can fall to daylight; where the wall is below the yard, it needs a pump.

### The outdoor unit

We put it beside the lower level, where the runs are shortest, and check the vertical separation between the highest head and the unit against the maker’s limit.

## Gas-heated Aloha houses

Most Aloha homes heat with gas, and in those the decision is about cooling, not replacing the furnace.

A sound gas furnace can stay. Heads go in the rooms that overheat, usually the top level of a split-level or the upstairs of a two-story house.

### Why the furnace stays

The heads also heat those rooms in spring and fall without firing the furnace for the whole house. The Energy Trust ductless incentive doesn’t apply here, because the main living space keeps its gas heat.

## West-side cold and what it means for the outdoor unit

Aloha sits between Beaverton and Hillsboro, and its winter mornings run closer to Hillsboro’s: frequent frost, still air, the occasional night in the teens.

Hillsboro’s airport averages about 64 nights a year at or below freezing, roughly twice Portland’s. For the outdoor unit, that means:

- **Size for the cold end.** We size heating to Washington County’s 27°F design low and check output well below it.
- **Raise it.** A stand keeps the coil above frost and lets defrost ice fall clear.
- **Drain the defrost water.** Gravel or open ground below, never a walkway.
- **Keep backup.** Baseboards left in the rooms without heads cover the coldest nights.

[Do mini splits work in cold weather?](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/guide/do-mini-splits-work-in-cold-weather/) covers cold-climate equipment.

## The cost of an Aloha install

Firlands’ typical range for one head is $4,000 to $8,500, and two heads on one outdoor unit run $6,500 to $12,000.

A split-level with three heads falls in the $9,000 to $18,000 and up range for three and four heads; the line routing between levels and the outdoor unit size set where in that range. Each extra head on a multi-zone system typically adds $2,000 to $4,000. [Mini split installation cost](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/guide/mini-split-installation-cost-portland/) breaks down the pieces.

### The Energy Trust incentive

Aloha is PGE territory, so Energy Trust of Oregon’s ductless incentive applies when the new system replaces electric resistance heat in the main living space:

- $800 for a detached house
- $1,800 for attached homes, rentals and income-qualified households
- the application is signed by the installing contractor and filed within 60 days

A gas-heated house adding cooling doesn’t qualify. [Mini split rebates in Oregon](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/guide/mini-split-rebates-oregon/) has the full list of conditions.

## Replacing an older mini split

If your Aloha house already has a ductless system that’s 15 years old or more, the question is whether to repair it or replace it.

If the line set passes a pressure test and holds a vacuum, and the circuit is right for the new unit, a like-for-like replacement typically runs $4,000 to $8,000. If the lines or the location need to change, it’s more. [Mini split replacement](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/mini-split-replacement/) explains how we decide.

## Reedville to Cooper Mountain

Aloha stretches from the Tualatin Valley Highway corridor north toward the MAX line and south up the slopes of Cooper Mountain.

- **Along TV Highway and Reedville.** 1950s to 1970s ranches and split-levels. Where one still has baseboards, a [baseboard conversion](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/baseboard-heat-to-mini-split/) cuts the bill the most.
- **Around 185th and Farmington.** 1970s and 1980s subdivisions with a mix of gas and electric heat, split-levels among them.
- **Toward Cooper Mountain.** Newer two-story houses. Where one has ducted gas heat, a [single-zone head](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/single-zone-mini-split-installation/) handles one problem room.

## Services in Aloha

- [Service**Multi-zone installation** Multi zone mini split installation: two to five rooms on one outdoor unit, each head sized to its own room and set to its own temperature.](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/multi-zone-mini-split-installation/)
- [Service**Baseboard to mini split** Replace baseboard heat with a mini split: ductless heads take over in the rooms that use the most heat, and add cooling.](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/baseboard-heat-to-mini-split/)
- [Service**Whole-house systems** Whole house mini split installation: every room heated and cooled by ductless heads, planned as one system with a winter backup plan.](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/whole-house-mini-split/)
- [Service**Single-zone installation** Single zone mini split installation: one indoor head and one outdoor unit for the room the furnace never reaches, sized to that room.](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/single-zone-mini-split-installation/)
- [Service**Replacement** Mini split replacement for an aging or failed system, reusing the line set and circuit only when they pass the test.](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/mini-split-replacement/)

## How a job usually runs in Aloha

### The call

You tell us the rooms and send a few photos; we give a rough range.

### The visit

We measure each room, look at the walls, the panel and where the outdoor unit can go.

### The estimate

A written estimate: each head, the line-set route, drains, circuit, permits and price.

### Install and handover

Pressure test, vacuum, startup, a walk-through, and the permits closed out.

## Neighborhoods, landmarks and routes

- Reedville
- Cooper Mountain
- Aloha-Huber
- Kinnaman
- Farmington Road area
- Tualatin Valley Highway corridor
- 185th Avenue corridor
- Willow Creek

### Landmarks

- Cooper Mountain
- Aloha High School
- Aloha Swim Center
- Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District trails
- Willow Creek Transit Center

### Getting around

- Tualatin Valley Highway (OR-8) east-west
- Farmington Road
- 185th Avenue north-south
- 209th Avenue
- MAX Blue Line along the north edge

[Open Aloha, Oregon in Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Aloha%2C%20Oregon)

## Aloha: questions

### How much does a mini split cost in Aloha?

Firlands' typical range for one head is $4,000 to $8,500, two heads on one outdoor unit $6,500 to $12,000, and three or four heads $9,000 to $18,000 and up. Washington County permit fees are included, and the written estimate after the visit sets your price.

### Who issues mini split permits in Aloha?

Washington County Building Services, because Aloha is unincorporated. That holds even when the mailing address says Beaverton. The county takes mechanical and electrical applications through its online portal; we file them and book the inspections.

### How many heads does an Aloha split-level need?

Usually one per level you live on: the main-level living room, the lower family room and the primary bedroom upstairs. Small bedrooms can keep their baseboards or share a head later if the outdoor unit is sized for it.

### Can an Aloha baseboard house get the Energy Trust incentive?

Yes, when the mini split replaces the baseboards in the main living space and the home is on PGE, as Aloha is. Energy Trust of Oregon pays $800 for a detached home and $1,800 for attached, rental or income-qualified homes, applied for within 60 days.

### Does a mini split keep up on a cold Aloha morning?

A cold-climate unit sized to the house keeps heating below Washington County's 27°F design low; Hillsboro's airport, a few miles west, reached 13°F in recent winters. We pick outdoor units by published low-temperature output and keep baseboards in small rooms as backup.

## Nearby service areas

- [Oregon**Beaverton** Mini split installation in Beaverton: wall heaters and baseboards replaced room by room, townhouse layouts, City of Beaverton permits and typical ranges.](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/service-areas/beaverton/)
- [Oregon**Oak Hills** Mini split installation in Oak Hills: cooling post-and-beam houses with radiant floors and no attic, lines kept off exposed beams, Washington County permits.](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/service-areas/oak-hills/)
- [Oregon**Hillsboro** Mini split installation in Hillsboro, Oregon: outdoor units set for frosty west-side mornings, bonus rooms in newer houses, and City of Hillsboro permits.](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/service-areas/hillsboro/)

## Guides for houses in Aloha

- [Learn**How many mini splits do I need?** Count the rooms you close a door on, not the square feet. Then group the heads onto outdoor units.](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/guide/how-many-mini-splits-do-i-need/)
- [Learn**What mini split rebates are available in Oregon?** What Energy Trust pays, which homes qualify, how state and city programs work, and what's changed for the federal credit.](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/guide/mini-split-rebates-oregon/)
- [Learn**Do you need a permit for a mini split in Portland?** Which permits a new or replacement mini split needs, what they cost, and which office issues them outside Portland.](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/guide/mini-split-permit-portland/)
- [Learn**How do you size a mini split for a Portland room?** Mini split sizing in BTUs: design temperatures, the load calculation, and why two rooms the same size can need very different heads.](https://firlandsportlandminisplits.com/guide/mini-split-sizing/)

## Get an estimate in Aloha

Tell us which rooms aren't working and where the house is in Aloha.

(971) 458-4515