- Joined
- Feb 1, 2015
- Messages
- 9,625
Ihe advantage of the Mr. Cool is that is truly a DIY system. The compressor and lines come pre-charged with valves on the connections and the electrical is fairly simple. The is no outside electrical connection on the evaporator side, it all runs through the compressor. The most difficult part of the install was the prep work. Once the unit was ready to hang, the installation was about an hour.
Most of the other mini splits require pumping the system down and charging it with refrigerant. some also require silver soldering or brazing connections. Because of this, some local ordinances require installation by a certified HVAC technician.
I seem to recall that there is one other system that comes pre-charged. I can't remember who offhand.
My Mr. Cool min split was about 50% more than other options. I have the knowledge and equipment to do a full HVAC installation but at the time, I was looking at a rooftop compressor installation 35' in the air and l was not cherishing the idea of silver soldering connections, not to mention running my vacuum pump and charging manifold on the rooftop.
As far as performance goes, it has only been a few months so I have no long term experience. The Mr. Cool uses a VFD for the compressor so it idles down to nothing when the target temperature is reached. It is whisper quiet. A sigh of relief considering my experience with wall mount units in hotels/motels. My unit is oversized ( the smaller unit wouldn't be available for three months) but because it has the VFD compressor drive, it doesn't have the problem with moisture removal associated with short cycle times. I have no problem with the wifi connection and can monitor and control the unit from anywhere I have a connection to my phone.
Based on my experience so far, if I were doing it all over, I would make the same choice.
Most of the other mini splits require pumping the system down and charging it with refrigerant. some also require silver soldering or brazing connections. Because of this, some local ordinances require installation by a certified HVAC technician.
I seem to recall that there is one other system that comes pre-charged. I can't remember who offhand.
My Mr. Cool min split was about 50% more than other options. I have the knowledge and equipment to do a full HVAC installation but at the time, I was looking at a rooftop compressor installation 35' in the air and l was not cherishing the idea of silver soldering connections, not to mention running my vacuum pump and charging manifold on the rooftop.
As far as performance goes, it has only been a few months so I have no long term experience. The Mr. Cool uses a VFD for the compressor so it idles down to nothing when the target temperature is reached. It is whisper quiet. A sigh of relief considering my experience with wall mount units in hotels/motels. My unit is oversized ( the smaller unit wouldn't be available for three months) but because it has the VFD compressor drive, it doesn't have the problem with moisture removal associated with short cycle times. I have no problem with the wifi connection and can monitor and control the unit from anywhere I have a connection to my phone.
Based on my experience so far, if I were doing it all over, I would make the same choice.