Small hvac / Skypak III

[homeowner5]

I'm putting on a third storey addition to a small house. The new floor is only about 500 sq. ft. Given the limited floor space I was hoping to put a high efficiency unit in the attic but the pitch of the roof is not going to allow for this - at least for a typical sized unit.

I am looking for a smaller than usual unit that will fit in the attic or some other solution. One heating contractor has recommended a Skypak III, which I understand takes up less space as it has no return ducts - only a return grill. It sits partially in an outside wall and vents directly outside. They were apparently designed to retrofit old townhouses and small homes.

Has anyone had any experience with the Skypak III? Does anyone know of a really small unit for a small attic space or some other solution? Everyone so far has warned me off electric baseboard heating. Is forced air gas the way to go?

[BaldLoonie]

Even the smallest forced air gas furnace may be too big for your space. How about a heat pump & small air handler?

Never used the Skypak. Armstrong's Magic Pak has been around for some time and very common in condos & apartments for a long time, same principle.

[vintage76]

I have recently seen a large Skypak installation. I have also seen the Magicpak. Personally the skypak looks better built, little taller, and i preferred the looks of the outside grille. Anyway as far as what I heard about skypak, the mechanical contractors at this job told me they worked with both types and really had a liking to the skypak installation. Either way they are basically a through the wall type unit, meaning you need to have a hole to the outside wall. The magicpak is more square the skypak is narrow and tall.
Now the Skypak 3, going to there website, http://www.skymarkinternational.com is interesting, it says it's a downflow and I don't remember the Magicpak having a downflow. For attic space that would be ideal.
Let us know how it works out.

[johnsp]

What heats the rest of the house now? The skypak unit seems very tall, over 5 ft tall. I would think it would be easier to get an updraft unit that has the return on the floor (the ceiling of the new floor) and then duct out to supply registers.

[beenthere]

What about a HV system, heat pump.