using baseboard heater circuit/wiring for mini split?

[afox]

House was built in 1980 with 220v electric baseboard heat in every room. The baseboard heaters are on their own circuits (one circuit per room generally) and are controlled by a line voltage thermostat on the wall in each room. Id like to use one or more of these circuits/wiring for mini splits.

Could I simply reroute the wire going into the baseboard heaters to an outdoor disconnect leaving the wall thermostats in place and using them as a power disconnect?

Ive read that many mini splits use 15w when off/phantom draw so if they are not going to be used for days I could interrupt their power via the line voltage thermostats. If I rewire at the thermostat I would need a blank junction box at the thermostat location which would be unsightly IMO (these are typically adjacent to the light switch in a room). Not sure if keeping the wiring the same and using the line voltage thermostats as a power shutoff is harmful to the mini splits or to code. Alternatively, I could replace the thermostats with a 220v switch but seems like that would be more confusing to a user that doesn't understand the system than the thermostats.

I cant be the first one that has replaced baseboard heat with mini splits and used the baseboard heat wiring for their mini split!

 

[SparkyJJO]

Honestly I would think a thermostat that simply just cuts power to a mini split to be more confusing. "Why when I set it to 70 and it is 75 in the room the AC doesn't work?!"

Just put a blank cover. No, it isn't pretty, but it isn't confusing at least.