They've piqued my interest lately. Anyone have one or familiar with them?
Anyone have or familiar with mini split HVAC systems?
- Thread starter dang
- Start date
I have one for the "bonus room" above my garage. It is a Mitsubishi mini-split, came with the house, and works well. I have heard good things about Mitsubishi in particular.
Obvious huge advantage of these systems is that they allow you to add HVAC without ductwork. One disadvantage is that you can't install them yourself. You need to hire somebody licensed to charge the system once physically in place, and this costs as much as having them do all the work.
Obvious huge advantage of these systems is that they allow you to add HVAC without ductwork. One disadvantage is that you can't install them yourself. You need to hire somebody licensed to charge the system once physically in place, and this costs as much as having them do all the work.
I am having a pair installed in the loft (in my shop). It is a Daikin unit.
It is one outside unit feeding two (independant) air units mounted on the wall in my loft.
I have had traditional heat pumps installed at my houses - so this is my first foray into the mini-split activity.
My heat pumps work down to about 40F (for heat). The mini-split (I am told) will maintain efficiency well below that (so it can heat down to much cooler temps than the house unit does).
What are you looking at?
I am about a month away from finishing their installation - as soon as I get the interior painted, can complete it.
It is one outside unit feeding two (independant) air units mounted on the wall in my loft.
I have had traditional heat pumps installed at my houses - so this is my first foray into the mini-split activity.
My heat pumps work down to about 40F (for heat). The mini-split (I am told) will maintain efficiency well below that (so it can heat down to much cooler temps than the house unit does).
What are you looking at?
I am about a month away from finishing their installation - as soon as I get the interior painted, can complete it.
The window mounted AC unit in one of my rentals went out over the weekend. It was 109deg here. I had a brand new window unit in my shop that wasn't working well enough fighting a non-insulated metal roof so I used it on the house for now. It's working really good, and even though the house is only 900 sqft I'm thinking of a mini split system for long term. Costco sells MrCool DIY systems and there are other good DIY systems out there. After watching some videos it seems easy enough to install. Just researching at this point, but the unit that is in the house now is only AC and not heat, so I'll have to do something by this winter.
I have been reading about window heat pumps. Expensive but probably relative to the alternatives. Don't know much about them but probably worth a look.
Steve
Steve
I've had a Mini-split installed with my new garage, Won't go out there with out it. I put the spouse's car out there in the driveway in the morning for the extra space.
Bring it back at night. Word of advice from my neighbor, Don't ever turn it off, The squirrel cage likes to seize in place.
Larry Louton
Bring it back at night. Word of advice from my neighbor, Don't ever turn it off, The squirrel cage likes to seize in place.
Larry Louton
I'm planning on putting a split unit in my new garage when I finally get it built. I'm interested in the Mr. Cool DIY heat pump options and the possibility of a good price from Costco. I've seen some scratch and dent units offered at even lower prices as well. Their DIY units are precharged with refrigerant and have sealed line sets so no vacuum pump is needed. You still have to get the power to the unit, which will be easy for me as I'll be wiring the whole garage myself.
Ideal for the use cases discussed. I recently swapped out my entire HVAC. I went with a heat pump and new furnace, but looked into mini splits. One disadvantage over central air is that they don’t add much filtration of outside air. Something to consider if you frequently have to deal with forest fire smoke.
One thing that some may not know is that a mini split can feed several rooms.
One thing that some may not know is that a mini split can feed several rooms.
This is what makes me so interested. Multiple zones that can be different temps.
//My5UV
New Member
I have 4 carriers at my shop, which is overkill for the capacity but needed to get enough air movement. With closed cell foam insulation and insulated overhead doors It costs like $1/day to keep it at 75 when daily highs are 100+. Only problem I had was some sort of power surge that took out both the outside units despite proper grounding and surge protection, and then waiting months for replacement controller board due to international supply issues. Warranty covered the parts but I had to pay labor for the repair.
My aunt lives in Ibiza, and has them. They work amazingly well. I was surprised.
I have a unit in the Nest. I run heat in the winter and cool air in the summer. It is a game changer. Love it!
I think I read the same reviews. Overall I'd say about half the issues were user install mistakes or comments that can be ignored, but the lack of customer support was more consistent. They're made in the U.S.A. I think that's good, not sure. It helps that Costco is the seller and they try to help with suppliers/vendors when they need to. There's a few other DIY sellers out there too. I'm stuck on DIY. The cost of HVAC around my area is irritating.
This was my line of work for 40 years. The Mr. Cool line sold at Costco is probably made in China beware. Mini splits are a cost efficient and effective method to cool. Dakin and Mitsubishi are the two better known brands I believe some Dakin may be made in USA as they purchased Goodman. We manufactured the flow control components for the Mitsubishi mini splits for many years, they had the best VRF (variable refrigerant flow) system and are a solid unit. Have done a lot of refrigeration work in CA, the state is sensitive on refrigerant leakage- FYI!
You are correct, or at least "Asia". They say, "designed, warehoused and processed in Hickory, Kentucky" and a little more reading states that it's manufactured in Asia. That's for the heads up.
Is it possible to install a system myself and have an HVAC guy (my neighbor) charge the system? Seems like most resellers won't sell to the public, or without a license.
Another thing to watch out for. I recently installed a Navien tankless water heater. For DiY, they don’t warranty them if you buy them online. I got mine from a local supply house to keep the warranty intact. I only learned this after speaking with the regional sales rep at Navien. So pay attention to the warranty if you DiY. 90% of these are probably bought and sold by the installers.
Ultimately had my plumber install do to lack of free time while I DiY’ed a million other things.
I installed a Gree mini-split at my parents cabin, most of the mini-splits here have the gas pre-filled in the outdoor unit, so all I needed was to borrow a vacuum pump, a flare tool (as I wanted to shorten the lines) and then youtube as help along the way, I also did the electrical part myself since I'm educated in that field.
Anyone handy with some spare time available (a day) can install one of these, but I would always recommend having an electrician take care of the power supply if there isn't one already available.
I have a Mitsubishi in my garage, it takes care of the heating and the cooling, we also have a Hitachi in the house that takes care of cooling in the summer. They both work great and are pretty efficient.
Here's the video that guided me:
Anyone handy with some spare time available (a day) can install one of these, but I would always recommend having an electrician take care of the power supply if there isn't one already available.
I have a Mitsubishi in my garage, it takes care of the heating and the cooling, we also have a Hitachi in the house that takes care of cooling in the summer. They both work great and are pretty efficient.
Here's the video that guided me:
I have a Daikin mini-split also, handling ~400sq ft office above my detached garage. It's been a godsend in Chicago winters and summers, and was the only option we had for the build. (Radiant heat in the garage floor below has helped in the winter, too.)
A few comments to add: It's three years old and at a point (of apparent deferred maintenance) where it's spitting out particles every day onto my desk that look like Hagrid's dandruff by early afternoon. Still cooling, but clearly there's a clog in a drain line or a screen in front of the fan that's grubby. Just something to keep in mind. I have an HVAC call scheduled, which I'm sure will end in a pointed lecture for me.
I find that the automatic settings on the remote that controls the unit are more or less at the discretion of the unit itself; I'm constantly raising and lowering the temperature because it doesn't seem to consistently sense the temps and adjust itself. This could also just be a Daikin bug.
Also, keep in mind that even with the DRY mode, a split unit won't combat tropical levels of humidity. Or at least mine won't.
I'll probably be smarter after the HVAC appointment next week. Let me know if anyone wants me to ask questions of the tech...
A few comments to add: It's three years old and at a point (of apparent deferred maintenance) where it's spitting out particles every day onto my desk that look like Hagrid's dandruff by early afternoon. Still cooling, but clearly there's a clog in a drain line or a screen in front of the fan that's grubby. Just something to keep in mind. I have an HVAC call scheduled, which I'm sure will end in a pointed lecture for me.
I find that the automatic settings on the remote that controls the unit are more or less at the discretion of the unit itself; I'm constantly raising and lowering the temperature because it doesn't seem to consistently sense the temps and adjust itself. This could also just be a Daikin bug.
Also, keep in mind that even with the DRY mode, a split unit won't combat tropical levels of humidity. Or at least mine won't.
I'll probably be smarter after the HVAC appointment next week. Let me know if anyone wants me to ask questions of the tech...