Mini Split install

I put in a 18k Mr Cool Advantage unit about a year ago. Still happy with it. It's not the DIY model they sell, but vacuuming the lines was a simple process. I has a "incident" when lifting the outside condenser unit onto the roof. Yep... it met the ground from a great height. Since it was my fault I just ordered a complete new unit because buying just the condenser unit (everyone was out of stock) was as much as the whole system. Anyway I have a new in the box indoor air handler unit and lines if someone can use them I'll make you a heck of deal.
 
Save it for parts, you may need it.

What makes the kits “DIY” anyways? Are the lines sealed until the connection is made so you don’t have to vacuum them down?
 
Yes, the lines are precharged. The inside unit has the lines attached and once you have everything placed you connect those lines to the outside unit. The fittings are sealed and once they are tightened you open the valves to allow gas flow. The hardest part is handling the length of the lines while lifting the inside unit and feeding the lines through the hole in the wall. 2 people required and a third would of be a help in our case.
Pierre
 
Hello all I couldn’t help but notice this post about the Mini Splits and reading thru some of this and would like to say that I have installed hundreds of them to say the least ( I’m in the HVAC trade for 20 plus years ) and if your going to install one of them go with the Mitsubishi!!!!!! The are the best out there period we very rearly ever have any troubles with them as long as there installed correctly and you pull a good vacuum of the line set and you should always install a surge protector at your disconnect there at the condenser unit that will save you every time !!!! and if you don’t you will have problems with the warranty . The Mitsubishi units are very sensitive to power surges and them boards in there will go bad most of the time .
 
I'm sure they're nice as the price reflects it. I had a Daikin in my old shop and was looking at buying another. I'll take a closer look at the Mitsubishi though.
 
ddickey said:
I'm sure they're nice as the price reflects it. I had a Daikin in my old shop and was looking at buying another. I'll take a closer look at the Mitsubishi though.
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I would highly recommend that I have done many either one head and one condensed or I’ve done a whole office floors with branch boxes it all depends on the application and you can get a small condensate pump that mounts under the indoor unit to pump the water out if you can’t get enough fall to run a drain line !!! I’m telling you it’s the future for HVAC !!! Because of the efficiency!!!! and easy installation and variety of installation
 
This is a very interesting thread. I just got a professional install of a Daikin unit for the improved attic area of our house. It has been working well and saves $$ vs. the electric baseboard heaters that were the prior heating method. I do find that the air inlet screen of the outside unit is almost 80% frosted-over on cold (30-35F), damp days. That can't help with efficiency. I was considering removing the flat screen and replacing it with a homemade formed screen assembly with maybe 3X the surface area. Not sure that would help but I'm considering it.

I have been considering a mini-split for the shop. It is a 1000 Ft^2 x 9 Foot to ceiling. I was thinking of having a backup heat for quick heat-up or for very low outside temperatures. I have a ducted propane room heater that works well but the fan is very noisy. Maybe that could be the back-up heat. Temperatures are usually 40F or higher for most of the winter but there can be weeks at 10-30F from time to time.

Now I'm "split" on whether to go with a pre-purged system or not. I also wonder if just one inside unit will disperse the heat/cool to the far corners of the shop? Are there dual DIY inside unit systems with pre-charged lines? I know a window AC unit works great near the unit but the far end of the shop is hot so having two inside units might be better.
 
Corners are always an issue for mold growth. In my case, I made sure that the corners in the basement are not blocked completely. This will help air flow and I made sure to install small 4” ducts as close as possible to these corners to help sweep the stale air out.
We have not seen any built up on the outside unit, but it does cycle off and on, thus allowing the coil to gain heat, which likely allows defrosting it.
Pierre
 
Reddinr said:
This is a very interesting thread. I just got a professional install of a Daikin unit for the improved attic area of our house. It has been working well and saves $$ vs. the electric baseboard heaters that were the prior heating method. I do find that the air inlet screen of the outside unit is almost 80% frosted-over on cold (30-35F), damp days. That can't help with efficiency. I was considering removing the flat screen and replacing it with a homemade formed screen assembly with maybe 3X the surface area. Not sure that would help but I'm considering it.

I have been considering a mini-split for the shop. It is a 1000 Ft^2 x 9 Foot to ceiling. I was thinking of having a backup heat for quick heat-up or for very low outside temperatures. I have a ducted propane room heater that works well but the fan is very noisy. Maybe that could be the back-up heat. Temperatures are usually 40F or higher for most of the winter but there can be weeks at 10-30F from time to time.

Now I'm "split" on whether to go with a pre-purged system or not. I also wonder if just one inside unit will disperse the heat/cool to the far corners of the shop? Are there dual DIY inside unit systems with pre-charged lines? I know a window AC unit works great near the unit but the far end of the shop is hot so having two inside units might be better.
Click to expand...
MrCool DIY systems are available in a multi-zone configuration and can control up to four zones. There is a coupler set for adding line extensions but I found no listing for the line sets.
 
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I just priced insulation because I need to insulate my ceiling better too. I got major sticker shock. I think insulation is maybe 2X the price of when I last looked. I looked at fiberglass batts.
 
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