Electrical vs Oil heat
- Thread starter Dmitry
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No experience with a mini-split but I had central air installed a few years ago. I already had the duct work so just needed the coil and condenser installed.
I had many friends/family/coworkers say I know a guy who will do it on the side for way cheaper. I could have easily saved like 2-3 grand. I ended up biting the bullet and had a well established local hvac company do it after researching the pros and cons. The biggest being the warranty. The only way to really get the manufacturer to honor the warranty was through an actual local authorized installer. You have someone charge/install it on the side I can assure you that they are not going to honor your warranty.
My options were pay 7k with a local authorized Carrier dealer. 5 year parts/labor from installer and 10 year Warranty from Carrier. To get the 10 year warranty I had do a lot of paperwork with Carrier and the installer.
I could have purchased all the same equipment online for like half the cost and had someone do it on the side and saved 2-3 grand easily. My problem was first no factory warranty on a few grand in equipment. And second was if I had issues with the system installed on the side do you really think Joe Schmoe is going to come by and fix it when it breaks especially when it was a side cash deal with nothing on paper.
Mini splits are much less expensive but you would take a huge gamble on warranty and service by not using a local authorized company. I can guarantee you if you spend 2-3 grand on a Mitsubishi and install it yourself and have someone charge it on the side. If the compressor blows or something Mitsubishi is 100 percent not going to warranty it.
I have had lines purged twice by different folks both were authorized Mitsubishi dealers. A local electrical firm had a tech to support these installs, I watched him and he cut corners. The second crew did it by the book.
The cost for my second unit (heating and cooling) was $1650 delivered. Between parts and the charge it came up to around $2,100. The lowest price installed for a one ton unit was $4,100 not including the electrical supply to the disconnect. I basically could buy a spare. My research is that the Mitsubishi units rarely break down for warranty cause. The normal repair is damage to the outdoor unit or tubing, usually from foreign objects hitting it. They do rarely fail out of the box and if I had to the dealer I bought it from florida would replace it.
Why did you have the lines purged? My units came pre charged... the procedure was to evacuate the lines before releasing the coolant from the unit. Is this what you mean?
Sorry I missed the question on purging. If the unit is new the lines are first pressurized with nitrogen, this dries out any moisture in the lines and also let the installer check for leaks by watching the gauge to see if it leaks down. Then the nitrogen is purged with a vacuum pump until the appropriate vacuum is obtained. The installer is then supposed to shut the valve and let the setup sit for overnight and see if there was any leak down. Then the valve i opened slowly all the way until its backseated to charge the minisplit with the refrigerant. These units use hermetic (sealed) compressors so they should stay charged for years just like a refrigerator.
Many installers skip steps, some skip the nitrogen test and most skip the overnight test. They usually get away with it and go make money elsewhere.
The Air to Water units that Tom in Maine (American Solartechnics) sells dont need purging as all the refrigerant is in the outdoor unit. All you need to do is run water lines into the house, heat trace and insulate them.
I have heard that used units need to have the lube oil purged out of the lines before they are reused. I havent gone through that yet but expect that could be a hassle.
Many installers skip steps, some skip the nitrogen test and most skip the overnight test. They usually get away with it and go make money elsewhere.
The Air to Water units that Tom in Maine (American Solartechnics) sells dont need purging as all the refrigerant is in the outdoor unit. All you need to do is run water lines into the house, heat trace and insulate them.
I have heard that used units need to have the lube oil purged out of the lines before they are reused. I havent gone through that yet but expect that could be a hassle.
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