Mini Split Info

[Highbeam]

Local heating and cooling guys want $8-9k to install one 12,000 btu Mitsubishi 25 seer mini split! No way can I justify that for supplemental heating and cooling!

The hvac guys hate it but these things are cheap and easy to install. No special skills required. I bought my mrcool DIY (no cutting copper, flares,Freon) minisplit is currently like 1500$. They are made to self install. I bought mine from Ingram’s due to their reputation for customer/warranty service.

 

[Whitenuckler]

The hvac guys hate it but these things are cheap and easy to install. No special skills required. I bought my mrcool DIY (no cutting copper, flares,Freon) minisplit is currently like 1500$. They are made to self install. I bought mine from Ingram’s due to their reputation for customer/warranty service.

If you release the gas from the line set and test the system, can you isolate the line set again and move it somewhere else? I know in my system(Haier) the guys know how to use the compressor to send it all back into the outdoor unit for storage. I just had some work done on two units where they did that. Of course, they would vacuum the line set after reinstallation, however I wonder with Mr Cool could you just close the isolation valves again and then you might be right back to how they ship it? Would be nice to have one in a garage, workshop or house if it didn't work out. 120 15A cct (not sure if it's 15A?) is easy to install.

This Costway seems to have a "Blast" version. Not sure what Costway, is or what they are in the USA

https://www.costway.ca/product/12000-btu-mini-split-wall-mounted-air-conditioner.html?piid=9220100&fee=45&fep=20184&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20327384803&gclid=Cj0KCQjw2ZfABhDBARIsAHFTxGwuXSda5P1xV1Qa8GAGLXXE66O0o86pN48AjhA0Fkmsr7JYXHuZ03QaAqWzEALw_wcB

 

[Todd]

Yeah it’s looking like I’d save a lot by DIY. It just pisses me off that I go to a home show and talk to five different HVAC guys and they all say $4500-5000 for an install then come out to take a look and it ends up costing double that!

 

[Whitenuckler]

Yeah it’s looking like I’d save a lot by DIY. It just pisses me off that I go to a home show and talk to five different HVAC guys and they all say $4500-5000 for an install then come out to take a look and it ends up costing double that!

What is the reason for the increased cost? Here where I live in a small city, the cost of a 240V standard house heat pump would be about $5000 plus tax (CAD). The install would maybe be around 20% of that. That would not include electrical, which can be difficult in a house, and some people have to upgrade as part of switching off oil.

 

[Highbeam]

If you release the gas from the line set and test the system, can you isolate the line set again and move it somewhere else? I know in my system(Haier) the guys know how to use the compressor to send it all back into the outdoor unit for storage. I just had some work done on two units where they did that. Of course, they would vacuum the line set after reinstallation, however I wonder with Mr Cool could you just close the isolation valves again and then you might be right back to how they ship it? Would be nice to have one in a garage, workshop or house if it didn't work out. 120 15A cct (not sure if it's 15A?) is easy to install.

This Costway seems to have a "Blast" version. Not sure what Costway, is or what they are in the USA

https://www.costway.ca/product/12000-btu-mini-split-wall-mounted-air-conditioner.html?piid=9220100&fee=45&fep=20184&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20327384803&gclid=Cj0KCQjw2ZfABhDBARIsAHFTxGwuXSda5P1xV1Qa8GAGLXXE66O0o86pN48AjhA0Fkmsr7JYXHuZ03QaAqWzEALw_wcB

Once you install it and release the initial charge of freon from the compressor you are done. The precharged lines are not meant to hold the very high pressure freon if later disconnected. That is, unless you get a real HVAC pro to come out and vacuum out the freon and then reinstall the charge after you move the system. These DIY systems are fully servicable by HVAC guys, all the ports and valves are there. The HVAC guy won't push it all back into the compressor unit but will suck it out into their tank and then reinstall (weigh in) a new charge later.

Honestly, these things are so cheap that they are not worth moving or spending much on fixing if it were to break. Once you have to call out an HVAC guy to actually mess with freon then you are getting into real money.

 

[Whitenuckler]

Once you install it and release the initial charge of freon from the compressor you are done. The precharged lines are not meant to hold the very high pressure freon if later disconnected. That is, unless you get a real HVAC pro to come out and vacuum out the freon and then reinstall the charge after you move the system. These DIY systems are fully servicable by HVAC guys, all the ports and valves are there. The HVAC guy won't push it all back into the compressor unit but will suck it out into their tank and then reinstall (weigh in) a new charge later.

Honestly, these things are so cheap that they are not worth moving or spending much on fixing if it were to break. Once you have to call out an HVAC guy to actually mess with freon then you are getting into real money.

The only reason I ask is if the OP Todd was to try one, and it didn't work out, you would like to use it elsewhere. From what you are saying, you would need the HVAC guy to move it, which is probably expensive. I know you can get a pump and gauge set easily, but the proper scale and tank/hoses is another story. Plus it's hard to get it correct if it's your first one. Those HVAC guys do it every day.

re the lines, yes I remember now, they are shipped with some inert gas in them. You are supposed to listen as you crack their valves to make sure they still had pressure in them after they leave the factory. Well, I wonder if the HVAC guy would just pump it back into the main unit like they did here. Somehow they ran it in cooling mode, and set the valves a certain way. I was surprised as I had no idea it was done that way. I have seen a tech pump it all into a tank when they were troubleshooting the compressor.

 

[EbS-P]

Honestly, these things are so cheap that they are not worth moving or spending much on fixing if it were to break.

They won’t be cheap for long. I’d like to know the inventory that is state side now.

 

[MRD1985]

Local heating and cooling guys want $8-9k to install one 12,000 btu Mitsubishi 25 seer mini split! No way can I justify that for supplemental heating and cooling!

I self installed my Mitsubishi 3 ton system with 4 heads and a branch box for 19K with purchasing a few tools. Including refrigerant. I had quote for over 30K to install this. This was also a few years ago.

Expensive, absolutely. I did get a tax credit for install. The system has been great. Cools and heats very well. Basically silent in operation. In hindsight I should have probably went to a 4 ton system with a larger head unit for my living room area, as 18K btu isnt quite enough to heat the space well enough when it gets cold. That was significantly more cost though. I typically use the heat pump and stove until it gets below 20, then switch to the stove and boiler. Mainly because of electricity cost (one of the highest in the country), not because it can’t do the job. It can no problem .

TLDR, you won’t regret spending the money on one of if not the best system on the market.

 

[Highbeam]

They won’t be cheap for long. I’d like to know the inventory that is state side now.

I wonder if all of these are made in China. Once upon a time some brands were made in Japan.

If they’re all Chinese now and subject to today’s tariffs then I would wait.

Mrcool sells diy multizone minisplits. No special skills or tools required.

 

[Todd]

I may just forgo the mini split for now. Looking at a 12,000 btu Midea inverter ac window unit. They are supposed to be more efficient than a regular window ac but I’m having a hard time finding the wattage of these things.

 

[Whitenuckler]

I may just forgo the mini split for now. Looking at a 12,000 btu Midea inverter ac window unit. They are supposed to be more efficient than a regular window ac but I’m having a hard time finding the wattage of these things.

I found this on Amazon.ca if it's the same

 

[Todd]

I found this on Amazon.ca if it's the same

Thanks that must mean max cooling output 1140 watts or startup? I saw a different brand that stated 700 running watts. That would be about half of what my current portable ac runs.

 

[Whitenuckler]

Thanks that must mean max cooling output 1140 watts or startup? I saw a different brand that stated 700 running watts. That would be about half of what my current portable ac runs.

That would be 1140W when it's running. Startup would be much more but not last long. 12.7A x 115V= 1460VA so 1140W makes sense.
700 running watts seems too low but the again I just did a quick search. Does the picture look the same? If you can get to the Amazon.ca site have a look

 

[EbS-P]

700 running watts seems too low but the again

COP of 4 gives you 2.8kw times 3400 = 9500 btus

If max cop is 5 the. You get 12k btus. If the outside temp is 70 I bet it does that

 

[DBoon]

The Mr. Cool (and similar) self-install units work very well, from everyone I've talked to. About the only issue is that the low-temperature performance isn't as good as the better Fujitsu, Mitsubishi, Samsung et al units that operate well (COP of ~2) well below 0 degrees.

I too have had the waste-of-time visit from a Mitsubishi installer where I have the world's most simplest installation (two heads on a wall, a single unit outside 10' below the heads and a simple run between the head and the outdoor unit) and they want to charge $12-15k for what is no more than 8 hours of work. Pretty ridiculous. I finally found someone to do it for half that (Mitsubishi unit as well). That was about 5 years ago.

 

[kborndale]

Local heating and cooling guys want $8-9k to install one 12,000 btu Mitsubishi 25 seer mini split! No way can I justify that for supplemental heating and cooling!

I just had a 12000 BTU 25 seer comfort aire hyper heat installed for $4995. You pay a lot of mark up for the Mitsubishi units.

 

[gthomas785]

Somehow they ran it in cooling mode, and set the valves a certain way. I was surprised as I had no idea it was done that way. I have seen a tech pump it all into a tank when they were troubleshooting the compressor.

Yeah, if you're just disconnecting the line set and head unit, you can do it that way. If you need to open the "high" side of the system (as you would to e.g. replace the compressor) you'd need to recover the whole charge.

To pump down the unit, close the liquid line valve, then run in "emergency cooling" until vapor line pressure hits zero (or close to it, scroll compressors do not like being pulled into a vacuum), then valve off the vapor line and pull the disconnect. You will have a trace of refrigerant left in the line set and head unit but not a significant amount.
After reconnecting and doing your leak test just pull a vacuum as normal and reopen the service valves.

 

[Todd]

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After seeing this I bought the 12,000 BTU Media unit. Doesn’t look like it puts out chit for wattage and I should be able to run it all day with minimal drain on my batteries! $400 clams at Menards!

 

[Whitenuckler]

Are you going to test it at home with a power meter? I don't think those cheap power meters will catch the spike in current when the compressor kicks on. Take a picture of the nameplate sticker on the back. By law they need to put the amps on it. Looks like you are going to be sleeping good this summer.

Also, that guy really should have been looing at amps, not watts. The breaker in the panel does not care about watts. It only cares about amps. He is also off track thinking the breaker will trip at X watts ( eg 15 amps). The breaker is happy for a short time going over 15 amps. That allows motors to start up. What is fast is what is called overcurrent. If you have a short it will trip ASAP.
Too bad he didn't have another cct for the AC. I wouldn't want my 5 computers on a cct with an AC.

 

[Todd]

He has another video where he tested when it was 105 outside and he switched back and forth from watts to amps. The readings were much higher but he also started with the room at 86 degrees. I think this thing burns energy depending on the temps and how hard it has to work? Sounds like it cycles on and off when it reaches set temp and uses energy to maintain that temp depending on the outside temps?

My inverter tells me how many amps in DC I’m burning while my charge controller tells me how many DC watts and amps are coming into my battery bank. My 10,000 BTU portable ac burns 60 amps DC or 1500 watts according to my inverter running full bore. This new unit should be a good improvement even if it burns 1000 watts.

 

[EbS-P]

He has another video where he tested when it was 105 outside and he switched back and forth from watts to amps. The readings were much higher but he also started with the room at 86 degrees. I think this thing burns energy depending on the temps and how hard it has to work? Sounds like it cycles on and off when it reaches set temp and uses energy to maintain that temp depending on the outside temps?

My inverter tells me how many amps in DC I’m burning while my charge controller tells me how many DC watts and amps are coming into my battery bank. My 10,000 BTU portable ac burns 60 amps DC or 1500 watts according to my inverter running full bore. This new unit should be a good improvement even if it burns 1000 watts.

It’s all about efficiency. If you look at equipment the condensers have gotten larger to increase efficiency. That is the one drawback of the window units inverter or not they just can’t be designed big enough to really. I wish they would publish a SEER2.

For the cost it’s a great deal. Buy another battery or more panels with the savings

 

[Todd]

This one states 15 Seer

 

[EbS-P]

This one states 15 Seer

That’s good for the price.