What is a ceiling cassette?
It's the indoor half of a split system, built to sit in the ceiling. The outdoor unit is the same kind you'd see with a wall split, joined to it by refrigerant pipes. Mitsubishi Electric says cassettes are designed for spaces with limited wall or floor space, and suggests them for offices, commercial settings and large open-plan areas.
The ACT Government's guide lists the cassette as one of the indoor unit styles for both single splits and multi-head systems, so a cassette can be one room on a multi-head.
Plenty of brands treat cassettes as commercial gear. Daikin lists its cassettes under light commercial, and Gree and Haier both list ceiling cassettes for commercial use. Others, including Samsung and Rinnai, show cassettes in their home ranges. Check the model you're quoted is sold for homes, because that can change the warranty.
Cassette or wall-hung split?
| Ceiling cassette | Wall-hung split | |
|---|---|---|
| What you see | A grille in the ceiling | A unit high on the wall |
| Space it needs | Depth in the ceiling space, clear of joists and fittings | A clear stretch of wall |
| Airflow | Spreads out from the ceiling | Blows across the room from one side |
| The install | Cutting the ceiling, with pipes and drain run through the roof | A small hole through the wall to the outside |
| Cleaning the filters | From a ladder under the grille | From a step or short ladder at the wall |
What happens up in the roof
The body of the unit sits above the plaster, so the installer needs to see the roof space before quoting. Joists, downlights, existing ducts and a low roof pitch all affect where a cassette can go.
The water a cassette takes out of the air has to drain away from up in the ceiling, and the pipes to the outdoor unit run through the roof too. Ask how both will be routed, and whether a condensate pump is part of the plan. Our page on brackets, covers and pumps covers that kit.
Leave the roof space to them. WorkSafe Victoria has warned about workers falling through plaster ceilings in roof spaces, and tells them never to step on the ceiling material.
Licences and the warranty fine print
A single-head cassette under 18 kW can be fitted by someone with the ARC's restricted splits licence (RSS03) or the full RAC01. A cassette on a multi-head needs RAC01.
Read the warranty for the cassette itself, not the brand's headline figure. Samsung's card gives wall-mounted single splits a 10 year compressor warranty, but cassette compressors get 5 years parts and labour. Seeley's extra warranty promotion on Braemar systems leaves cassettes out altogether.
Height matters for servicing as well. MHIAA's warranty terms, as one example, require the unit to be safely reachable with a 1.7 metre ladder, so a cassette in a high or raked ceiling is worth checking against the brand's conditions. Our warranty guide covers what else can void cover.
Questions before you choose a cassette
- Have you looked in the roof space, and is there room for this model?
- How will the condensate drain, and is there a pump?
- Is this model sold for home use, and what warranty applies in a house?
- Can the filters be reached safely with an ordinary household ladder?
- Where will the outdoor unit sit?
- Which licence will the person fitting it hold?
What's yours, and what's theirs
You can
- Switch the power off before cleaning, as Mitsubishi Electric's instructions say.
- Clean the grille filters as the manual describes, from a stable ladder you're comfortable on.
- Keep tall shelving and furniture out of the airflow.
- Switch it off and call someone if water starts dripping from the grille.
Leave to a licensed installer
- Cutting the ceiling and fixing the unit to the structure.
- All work in the roof space, including the drain and any pump.
- Refrigerant pipework and the electrical connection.
- Cleaning inside the unit and checking the drain tray.
What we'd do
Our take
We'd only choose a cassette when a wall unit really won't work: no suitable wall, a wall of glass, or a big room the air won't cross. If that's your home, ask for an installer who fits cassettes regularly, has been up in your roof space before quoting, and can show you the home-use warranty terms in writing.
