Have You Installed Your Own Heat Pump

[hobbyheater]

If you installed your own system or parts of it, please link to your install thread.

 

[Dieselhead]

I installed my own D.I.Y. EG4 solar mini split but didn’t document anything. Directions were pretty decent for a chi-com unit.

 

[Dieselhead]

Here’s a forum with some diy stuff, a lot of solar based but not much different

Heat Pumps

Need to use solar power to cool or heat your cabin or home? Or a bus or boat? Post it here!

diysolarforum.com

 

[semipro]

Post in thread 'Mr Cool Universal 4-5 Ton Heat Pump - DIY'

Jul 9, 2021

I just installed 2 of the Mr Cool 2-3 universal systems in our place as retrofits and I'm generally happy with them. A few things to consider:

• I've not been impressed with their tech support so you may want to purchase from a reseller like Ingram's who will provide better support. Others report similar problems with Mr. Cool support.
• Heed @begreen on the issues involved with a retrofit. One thing that can be really impactive is that the replacement units with the same/similar capacity rating may be much larger. More efficiency generally means larger components...

• semipro

• 

 

[Tonty]

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/mr-cool-mini-split.196082/

 

[gthomas785]

I have installed 3 pioneer systems and a Daikin. For me and a couple of friends. I don't have a thread but it's the same process for all of them. To do it properly with a "non-diy" system you need gauges, micron gauge, vacuum pump, and a small tank of nitrogen with regulator. I spent about $450 on tools to save $12k+ in install costs across all the systems I've installed.

Watch a bunch of YouTube videos to find out what NOT to do. The DIY guys on YouTube are idiots, but you can learn from their mistakes and also watch the videos put up by pros to see how it should be done.

 

[Turbo89]

I have installed 3 pioneer systems and a Daikin. For me and a couple of friends. I don't have a thread but it's the same process for all of them. To do it properly with a "non-diy" system you need gauges, micron gauge, vacuum pump, and a small tank of nitrogen with regulator. I spent about $450 on tools to save $12k+ in install costs across all the systems I've installed.

Watch a bunch of YouTube videos to find out what NOT to do. The DIY guys on YouTube are idiots, but you can learn from their mistakes and also watch the videos put up by pros to see how it should be done.

Did you end up having to buy extra refrigerant? I’ve heard this if the issue with DIY. I know they come pre-charged, but apparently it’s sometimes on the low side, especially on a long run.

 

[gthomas785]

Did you end up having to buy extra refrigerant? I’ve heard this if the issue with DIY. I know they come pre-charged, but apparently it’s sometimes on the low side, especially on a long run.

Yes. You can by 2lb cans of 410A online. Totally illegal without epa 608, yet nobody tried to stop me.