Posted-price cooling for the closet that cooks the rack
Updated September 2026
A closed closet packed with a NAS, a PoE switch, a UPS, and a small rack will overheat in Central Texas even when the rest of the house feels fine. Heat has nowhere to go. The hallway return never sees that box, so the central system keeps serving people, not silicon. Drives throttle, UPS batteries cook, and the network drops when the closet is hottest.
The price is posted up front, no standoffs. One zone is $2,000, two zones are $3,700, and three zones are $5,400, with four or more quoted individually. That figure includes equipment, labor, line set, standard electrical, refrigerant, testing, cleanup, and even a Home Depot run for touch-up paint, with no trip fees or upcharges. Licensed contractors perform new installs only, and this is not a repair or service-call price for a closet that already has a unit.
Why hallway air never saves the rack
Central air is sized and controlled for occupied rooms. A small closet with a shut door is its own climate. In summer the door stays closed for noise and dust, so supply air never reaches the gear. In winter the house may be in heat mode while the closet still needs cooling, which a shared system cannot do.
A mini split is a heat pump with its own indoor head and outdoor condenser. It cools through brutal Central Texas summers and still cools the closet when the rest of the house wants heat. Mild winters do not require a furnace for this room. Set the closet on its own setpoint and leave the hallway thermostat alone.
Size the head for watts in a box, not for people
Occupied rooms are planned around people, glass, and insulation, while a server closet is planned around the heat the equipment throws. Read the nameplate watts on the UPS, the switch, the optical gear, and the NAS, because nearly all of that power becomes heat behind a closed door. A true closet often takes one indoor head. A spare bedroom that is both office and rack may still be one zone, or two if you want a head on the gear wall and another at the desk.
Old West Minisplits does not install dehumidifiers, extra insulation, generators, or solar. If the closet sits in an unconditioned garage or a metal shed, insulation and any panel work beyond the included standard electrical are trades you arrange separately. Honest exceptions sit up front: a very long line set, a panel upgrade the house already needed, or unusually difficult mounting. An interior closet with no clean path to the exterior is the difficult-mounting case.
The install in a tight equipment room
The indoor head needs a stretch of wall that is not already covered in patch panels and cable managers. The line set runs to an outdoor condenser, and condensate has to leave the closet by a real drain path, not a bucket on the floor. Standard electrical is inside the flat price. A licensed electrician handles a panel upgrade the house already needed, which is an exception, not a buried fee.
Ductless installs in Central Texas commonly run $3,000 to $6,000 per zone on a custom quote after an in-home visit. Old West Minisplits posts $2,000, $3,700, and $5,400 for one, two, and three new zones and serves Killeen, Temple, Belton, Harker Heights, Copperas Cove, Waco, Salado, Jarrell, and nearby towns. Submit the form at /#quote with photos of the closet, the exterior wall, and the panel. Cleanup and the Home Depot paint run are part of the job.
How we compare
| Factor | Old West Minisplits | Portable and window units |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront Cost | $2,000 for one new zone, $3,700 for two, $5,400 for three, posted before anyone visits | A store-bought box looks cheap until it dies. Other ductless contractors commonly run $3,000-$6,000 per zone after an in-home visit |
| Cooling while the house is in heat | Heat pump cools the rack on its own setpoint through summer and a mild Central Texas winter | Central air cannot cool one closet in heat mode. Most window units come out for winter |
| Where the heat goes | Outdoor condenser rejects closet heat outside the building | A portable dumps exhaust into the hallway or fights a window hose, so the next room pays for it |
| Closed-door, 24/7 gear | Door stays shut. Dedicated zone. Licensed new install with cleanup and touch-up paint | Window units need a sash. Portables need a gap or a kit. Neither matches a locked closet |
Straight answers
Is the $2,000 one-zone price a service call for an overheating closet?
No. These flat prices are for new mini split installs only. Old West Minisplits does not price repairs or service calls. If the closet has never had its own head, a new one-zone install is $2,000 as posted. If you already have a unit that failed, this page is not that quote. Use the form at /#quote only for a new install.
Will one zone cover a network rack and a desk in the same small office?
Often yes if it is one room and the door stays how you actually use it. A true closet with a closed door is one zone at $2,000. A spare room that is both office and rack may still be one zone, or two zones at $3,700 if you want a head on the rack wall and another where you sit. Four or more zones are quoted individually.
What if the closet sits in the middle of the house with no outdoor wall?
That is the unusually difficult mounting case, and it is an honest exception stated up front, not a surprise on install day. A very long line set can also sit outside the flat price. A panel upgrade the house already needed is the third exception. Standard electrical is included. Submit photos through /#quote so the path of the line set is clear before anyone commits.
Do you add a dehumidifier, extra insulation, or a new electrical panel?
No. Old West Minisplits installs ductless mini splits. A mini split is a heat pump that cools the closet in summer and can still cool it in a mild Central Texas winter. Insulation, generators, solar, duct demolition, plumbing, roofing, and panel work beyond what is included are trades you arrange separately with the right licensee. Those items are not in the $2,000, $3,700, or $5,400 figure.
Related guides
Get the number today
No walkthrough, no sales pitch. Tell us the rooms and we'll tell you the price.
Get My Flat Price