# Mini Split install



## alloy (Oct 12, 2018)

In June I bought a place with a 1700 square foot shop, there was a house too 

The shop has no heat or cooling in it.  For power it had 70 amps taken from the house which isn't near enough for me.  Today I completed my 400 amp power upgrade and had everything hooked up by the PUD.  Now the house has 200 amps, and so does the shop.  I did it all myself, it was quite a chore to say the least.  But I wasn't willing to pay $4000 to an electrician to do it.  I must have done ok, I passed both inspections with flying colors.

I purchased a MR Cool 36k mini split to heat and cool the shop.  It also came in today.  It's a bigger unit than I had anticipated.  The inside air handler is 4ft long and pretty heavy so going to be a real chore to get it mounted on the wall.

My question is, where to put the air handler.  In the pic you an see the peak of the shop above the lift, and to the right on the side wall is all my machinery.   I'm debating on putting the air handler above the lift and shop door, or should I put it off to the right side above the tool boxes  nearer my machinery.  Where the machines are is where I spend the bulk of my time in the shop.  

This is the first time I've installed a min split and and insight would be appreciated.  If all goes well I'll get one for my house too.


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## ttabbal (Oct 12, 2018)

I would put it where you will be working. I installed a 12k in my garage and it's been great. They aren't difficult to install. Those Mr Cool units are nice if you have the ones that don't need to be vacuumed down. I have a pump, so I went with a "normal" one.


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## Fueler (Oct 24, 2018)

I used the same unit in my shop. I placed the outside unit on a frame about the same height as the tailgate on my truck. I guess by now you can see why.
I put it on the east side away from prevailing winds and snow. Mounting it up off the ground keeps the weeds, snow and critters away from it.
I made my own L brackets as the store bought versions are not stout enough for the bigger units and will sag. Not a cool look.

You are correct that inside piece is a beast but worth it.
Inside unit I mounted on one of those cross Purlins(?). I think it was at the 8 foot level.  You may need to add a board above or below to have a good support base.
To install I took a couple of straps on the unit. I then screwed an eye bolt to a beam on the ceiling above, grabbed a baby chain hoist and pulled it up. Still a bit awkward but doable.  The only better choice is 2 guys and 2 ladders.

Mount it where you can get at it easily to pull and clean the filters once a month at the least.
I got my outside shutoff box from Menards.
I also installed a surge protector on the shutoff box. If you need a reference I can look it up.

For shop use a fan mounted up high improves things. Slow speed in the winter, faster in the summer.

It's been 5 years now. Worth the investment.  I have since installed two smaller units on my home.


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## eeler1 (Oct 26, 2018)

My father was an electrician, IBEW and all.  I call him up and say I hooked the thingy up so-and-so and ask if it’s correct.  He asks “ does it work?”. I say yes it seems to.  “Then you did it right” he says.  Very simple test, too.

I have a mini-split in the shop, formerly known as a garage, and love it.  Only thing to make it better, I sometimes wish the shop were further away from the house.


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## alloy (Oct 28, 2018)

It wasn't fun putting the air handler on the wall, but we got it.  I had bought the Mr Cool line covers and they just didn't work for me.  I didn't like the idea of having about 20 ft of line coiled up so I put the compressor behind my shop.  I ran the lines horizontally and turned a corner and went down the wall far enough to use all the line up.  I have to buy two line cover sets but it looks pretty good. Got them on Amazon for half the price of the MR Cool ones.  They aren't as big inside and I had to take tie wraps to compress the insulating cover down to fit inside the line covers.

The problem I have now is the wire that connects to the compressor from air handler is too short.  You screw the lines on and the wire is 12" too short.  I don't want to splice them. I shouldn't have too.  I looked at youtube installs and their wire way much longer than mine is.    I've emailed Irgrams and waiting for their answer.  

I used to have a 2 car garage that I called a shop.  With a mill, lathe, compressor, big parts washer and about 20 car transmisisons I think it qualified as a shop.  Now with 1700 sq ft shop  I sometimes accidentally call my shop the garage


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## alloy (Nov 9, 2018)

I finally got the mini split working.  The compressor is very quite and it does a decent job heating my 1700 squre foot shop.  I did have to splice the wires to make them longer, and the lines were unequal length and had to do get creative to find a way to use them, but it all worked out.  I put a disconnect on the outside of the shop just in case it's ever needed.


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## ddickey (Nov 10, 2018)

So far I really like mine.


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## JimDawson (Nov 10, 2018)

Congratulations!  From the sounds of it you are a qualified electrician and a HVAC installer 

I like your EXIT sign/emergency light setup above the door.  Good call!   Every home shop should have emergency lighting.  Make sure to test it about once a month.  I have mine on a red handled breaker for easy identification.


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## alloy (Nov 10, 2018)

Thanks.  The hardest part of it all was my power upgrade to 400 amps so I could run everything.  I only had 70 amps.  The work wasn't hard (well not too hard) the real hard part was getting information on how to do it.  It was like pulling teeth from the PUD engineer.  I finally contacted labor and industries (they do the inspections) and was able to send them pics and get advise.  But the day they were supposed to show up (my day off) the were nowhere to be found.  So I had to take a day off of work to get it inspected.  

The exit sign I got at Lowes on a closeout table.  It had been a store display and I got it for $5.


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## Skowinski (Nov 20, 2018)

alloy said:


> I finally got the mini split working.  The compressor is very quite and it does a decent job heating my 1700 squre foot shop.  I did have to splice the wires to make them longer, and the lines were unequal length and had to do get creative to find a way to use them, but it all worked out.  I put a disconnect on the outside of the shop just in case it's ever needed.



Maybe I missed it - how well insulated is your shop?  We are planning a retirement home, and there will be two garages.  One for the car and truck, and a separate (both attached) 1,000 sq. ft. garage/shop with 9 ft. ceiling for the toys.  Currently planning R19 walls and R50 perhaps ceiling insulation in the shop and was thinking of putting a 36k BTU mini-split system on it.  Winter temps down into the 20's night and 40-50 days, summers up around 90 F days.  I'm thinking it will work, but still researching....


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## alloy (Nov 20, 2018)

Shop has about 1" or so of plastic backed insulation.   

It takes awhile for it to warm the shop up, but with more insulation I'm sure it would be much faster.  One thing you should know, the MR Cool wifi app doesn't work at all.  I tried a number of times and unless you are conneted to the same wifi router it doesn't work.


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## Ulma Doctor (Nov 20, 2018)

there you guys go again, giving me ideas -
now i wanna Mini Split in my garage too 

congrats!


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## Janderso (Apr 11, 2019)

This is the DIY mini-split I have my eye on.
The 12,000 BTU version. I have 400 ft. of well insulated garage/shop.


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## darkzero (Apr 11, 2019)

alloy said:


> In June I bought a place with a 1700 square foot shop, there was a house too





alloy said:


> This is the first time I've installed a min split and and insight would be appreciated. If all goes well I'll get one for my house too.



I love your priorities & way of thinking!


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## jdedmon91 (Apr 11, 2019)

Chris’s nephew is in the HVAC business keeps trying to convince me to go mini split. My problem is I don’t have enough power in the shop to support a unit nor the wall space to mount it


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Janderso (Apr 11, 2019)

I’m dealing with a lack of power in the garage also.
Who puts 3 outlets in a garage on 1 15 amp breaker?.
I guess if you park cars in the garage you may need to plug in a charger.
Who parks a car in the garage?
Don’t answer, it’s a retoricle question.
I’m dealing with it but come on.


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## Rookie chips (Jan 3, 2020)

You guy's with the DIY mini splits.....
How many years do you have on them?
How do you like the performance?
Do you feel they are efficient and minimum impact to your elec. bill?

The reason I ask is the pricing seems to be very "regional" that is here in Maine they seem to be the new "big thing" and I had a 2 "head" unit installed by a large Mini split heat pump outfit that does 1000+ installs a year, mine is a LG unit and was a day job for 2 guys and cost me iirc $6200.
Now I'm looking into helping our daughter out in Maryland, where they (the HVAC guy's) seem to still be pushing traditional heap pumps with all the ductwork and most are unfamiliar with the mini splits and seem to be charging as if it were a traditional ductwork/heat pump set up, and stuck in that rut. The prices I'm getting are crazy for a one day job for 2 men. I watched them do mine and it's very simple and I would not be afraid to do it myself. Even if I were to install it and pay a hvac guy to vacuum it down and check my work and fire it up.......
I can't say enough good things about our mini splits, they actually make hot air and do a fine job on the cooling, both weeks here in Maine.
The electric bill seems to be virtually unchanged month to month.


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## Tim9 (Jan 21, 2020)

Back in 2001... I bought my first house. It had window units and I couldn’t stand the noise. So with my discovery of the internet and eBay I discovered mini-splits. I couldn’t afford Mitsubishi but saw a totally generic 9k btu unit on EBay from an outfit in Miami. Rolled the dice and purchased/installed it. That little unit worked flawlessly for @ 14 years when I renovated and installed central air and heat. It was dirt cheap....like 400.00 bucks back then and even had a European style 230 volt plug on it.
    Anyway.... That was an early exposure to me of Chinese mass production of consumer goods....you know, the way they just copy something and produce a generic product. I have no problem buying stuff like that on eBay now. I look at the feedback and number of units sold. No need to pay top dollar for Mr Slim in my opinion.  The insides and guts of the stuff is very comparable in my opinion. The price is 1/3 the cost.
22k heat pump ac....22 sear.


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## Tim9 (Jan 22, 2020)

By the way Rookie Chips. You surely should be able to install the unit you purchased off of EBay and then locally find a licensed HVAC guy to evacuate the lines for you. Some units even come with precharged linesets.
    I am licensed for automotive AC.... so I do have basic knowledge of refrigerant dynamics. And the early mini splits even instructed you to just purge the lines. These mini-splits have been installed worldwide for over 2 decades now. Watch any Netflix video of the Middle East and pay attention to the housing. I’m talking about movies made in 1990’s and 2000’s. There are mini-splits everywhere.
    Even though I had the vac pump, gauges and knowledge.... once I read the instructions on my cheap ductless unit and saw how they instructed me to bleed & purge the line-set and inside unit using the  precharged condenser.... that’s what I did, because I was lazy. Yes... I cut corners on my own crap all the time.
I did purge the line set. No vac pump. And it worked 14 years.
The biggest problem I had was my dog ate the remote. I could not locate another remote and the many of these mini split inside evaporators do not have separate controls. No remote and the thing is useless.
*I highly recommend anyone buying any mini split to order at least one extra remote when they buy the unit. It’s a big problem if you loose or break the remote.
   Or if your new puppy chews the remote. *
I actually opened the remote and did micro surgery on the printed circuit board. But I never got the display working on the remote. I honestly think that’s what caused the compressor to finally lock up. I never knew what temp or mode I was setting the ac on. It was trial and error. But, I’m thinking I probably got a few more years out of it even with a hacked remote. It was on or off.
Tried about 6 different universal remotes from EBay but none of them worked. I’m sure a Mr Slim would have had a remote easily obtainable.
But.... no big deal in my opinion. For the price savings... just buy a couple of spare remotes whenever you get a new mini split.
   Anyway....here’s a discussion on diy- installing mini splits.Mini split & vac pump
And...if you plan on getting someone to charge unit after you do the installation yourself.... you’re going to do better trying to find a tech to do his for you while the weather is still cool. In the dead of summer those HVAC guys are up to their elbows in easy work. They’re not going to want to deal with a customer installed unit when they are already putting off other customers. Come winter time....their business slows down.


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## kb58 (Jan 22, 2020)

I self-installed a 9000 BTU Mitsubishi for our bedroom, partly because the pros wanted more than the unit itself to install it, and partly because I like learning new things. I bought an Ebay vacuum pump and bottle of nitrogen and sucked down the lines myself. That was about 4 years ago and it's awesome, amazingly quiet. Also, being one of the smallest units means that it's also the most efficient, at something crazy like 31 SEER, which means very little impact on the electric bill here in expensive California. What I appreciate the most, maybe even more than the cooling, is its ability to lower the humidity, taking up to 2.5 gallons of water out of the air just running it over night during the summer.


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## RJSakowski (Jan 22, 2020)

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.


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## MikeInOr (Jan 22, 2020)

When I installed the Fujitsu in the great room of my house I discovered that refrigerant lines use a 45 degree flare.  My brake line flaring tool does 37 1/2 degree flares (I think).... which doesn't work for refrigerant.  I found the cost of purchasing a 2 stage refrigerant vacuum pump to be about 1/4 the cost of paying a AC man to come out and evacuate my lines.  A used quality 45 refrigerant flaring tool was about $30 on ebay.  I liked being able to cut my refrigerant lines to the exact length I needed instead of trying to figure out what length pre-charged lines to order.

The second summer I had my Fujitsu I noticed its cooling capacity seemed to be diminished quite a bit...  were my flares bad?  Did I not evacuate the lines well enough?  Did I have a leak some where?  Do I need to buy a refrigerant leak detector then recharge the system? 

I ended up cleaning a good 1/2" of dust off the reusable air filter in the Fujitsu's head unit then all was fine again!  LOL!


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## TRX (Feb 22, 2020)

JimDawson said:


> I like your EXIT sign/emergency light setup above the door.



Since our local power company operates at a Soviet level of eptitude, I've had the power go off several times when I'm out in the shop.  Which has no windows or skylights, so it's *dark* when the lights go out.  Usually takes a while to carefully feel my way to the door (suddenly the floor doesn't look like the best place for "stuff") and open it.

I think a light that goes on when the power fails would be a great idea.  I'm surprised I never thought of it on my own...


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## JimDawson (Feb 22, 2020)

TRX said:


> Since our local power company operates at a Soviet level of eptitude, I've had the power go off several times when I'm out in the shop.  Which has no windows or skylights, so it's *dark* when the lights go out.  Usually takes a while to carefully feel my way to the door (suddenly the floor doesn't look like the best place for "stuff") and open it.
> 
> I think a light that goes on when the power fails would be a great idea.  I'm surprised I never thought of it on my own...



I installed one the day after I had the same thing happen.  Wouldn't be without it.


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## alloy (May 21, 2020)

Well I've had my MR cool mini split now for about 16 months.  Found out one very important thing about the remote.

There is no low battery indicator.  Display comes on just fine, but won't turn the unit on.

Thankfully the HVAC repair guy only charged me $87 to figure that out.

He checked the charge on the unit and it was fine, wiring was good.  We both figured it lost pressure.

Nope, cheap batteries.


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## Janderso (May 22, 2020)

Good to know, thanks.


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## MikeInOr (Jun 1, 2020)

I have had my Fujitsu Mini split in my great room for several years and love it.  I just ordered a Mitsubishi 3 zone system for the 3 bedrooms in my house.  One of the hassles I had with the Fujitsu and the part that made me most nervous is getting a good seal on the flared connections.  This time I have decided to go a slightly different route.

1) I ordered 50' of copper tubing (1/4" and 3/8") off amazon for about half the price of the online mini-split places that I will chop up for the 3 runs. The tubing comes with no flares and no flare nuts.
2) I ordered these sweat on flared ends.
https://www.tequipment.net/TPI/FA-2/HVAC-Accessories/












I know that I can make a good 45 flare BUT this is a big investment so I want to make sure I don't mess it up and spend a fortune on having an HVAC contractor come out to fix me mistake.  My understanding is that the number 1 problem with new mini-split installs is a leaking flare fitting... even when the pros install them.  For an extra $70 I don't have to worry about a bad flare and I don't have to hunt down a 45 flare tool to borrow.


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## 7milesup (Jun 14, 2020)

How ironic that I came across this thread.  My mini-split arrives tomorrow.  Bought a Friedrich 18K BTU one from Skip The Warehouse.  Including the lines and some 14/4 wire it came to almost exactly $1200.  I have a 1300sq ft shop and am pretty confident that it will cool it nicely.  I have wood heat for the winter but the mini-split will be nice to have when it is a little cool out and I don't want to start the wood stove.

My friend has two in his shop.  A Panasonic and a Friederich.  He prefers the Friederich.  The remote is more intuitive and the interior air handler displays the temperature on the unit, which the Panasonic does not.

I am curious what you guys are doing about the 410?  I have the manifolds and a pump, but no access to 410.


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## RJSakowski (Jun 14, 2020)

ebay has R 410-A.  Under $100 for 7.5 lbs + free shipping.








						R-410a Refrigerant for sale | eBay
					

Get the best deals for R-410a Refrigerant at eBay.com. We have a great online selection at the lowest prices with Fast & Free shipping on many items!



					www.ebay.com


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## alloy (Nov 25, 2020)

Well the current update on my Mr. Cool saga.

I don't use it very much and a few weeks ago I "tried" to turn it one and got a E1 error code.  Watched the video online, checked the wiring even though I knew it wasn't a power issue since I did the wiring.

CalledMR Cool and they said E1 is a board problem.  (Then why did the video tell em to check voltages?)  He said he's send me a new board.

So two plus weeks later I get the board.  The online vid is no where near right for the removal and install for my 36K unit.

Anyway after much head scratching and taking the side covers off I found this.

Not a board problem, burnt wiring problem.  

So called MR Cool again and he said they may replace the unit but will get back to me.

Honestly I'm regretting buying the unit.  I've got very few hours on it and had nothing but problems with it.

Live and learn I guess.


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## kb58 (Nov 25, 2020)

TRX said:


> Since our local power company operates at a Soviet level of eptitude, I've had the power go off several times when I'm out in the shop.  Which has no windows or skylights, so it's *dark* when the lights go out.  Usually takes a while to carefully feel my way to the door (suddenly the floor doesn't look like the best place for "stuff") and open it.
> 
> I think a light that goes on when the power fails would be a great idea.  I'm surprised I never thought of it on my own...


About an hr ago, a pop-up ad during Interwebz browzing was for a screw-in light bulb that has a built-in battery. When the power goes off, it stays on for another six hours, and when power returns, it self-charges.


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## alloy (Dec 16, 2020)

Well my outside unit came in Monday evening.

I installed it yesterday and it went in easily and fired right up.  I was surprised that it went in so well and didn't have to do anything extra to get it to start working.  When I pulled the lines they leaked down.  They said they woudln't.  So I had no choice but to hook up the new unit and give it a try.  

They haven't called me to arrange pickup of the old unit, or called me at all like they aid they would.  If no one calls I'll strip the unit for the one good circuit board and everything else I can take off it.  

Hopefully this one will last longer than the first one did.


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## Just for fun (Jan 3, 2021)

Well at least it sounds like they are taking care of the problems that arise.


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## alloy (Jan 4, 2021)

Yes they did.  Been running the system pretty much non stop.  I'm keeping my shop at 62 deg. 

 I'm not out there all the time, but I never know when I have to go out and make a quick part for a customer or package up parts to ship.


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## OCD Solutions (Feb 23, 2021)

I purchased an 18,000 BTU Mitsubishi mini split for my triple garage and did the bulk of the install myself. Once I had everything run and connected, I just had a guy come out, vacuum the line down and fire off the system. My run was 80ft so I had joined two line sets together and needed to add a bit of refrigerant to top off the system.

It ran great for a couple weeks but it must have been leaking at the coupler so he had to come back, solder the lines together in the attic and now I've been running it for over 2 years now.

I was quoted $4200 for the unit installed and ended up doing it myself for around $2400. I spent extra for a name brand unit though and I feel it was worth it in the long run. There were way too many stories of the cheaper units and there being no warranty. I purchased the unit off AC Wholesalers and got everything else at Lowe's.


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## alloy (May 10, 2021)

Well my Mr Cool unit dies again.  The dreaded "P1" error code.  This is the new outdoor unit they sent me fro a replacement.

I'm losing faith in Mr Cool. They are sending me a new board for it.


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## Janderso (May 10, 2021)

alloy said:


> Well my Mr Cool unit dies again.  The dreaded "P1" error code.  This is the new outdoor unit they sent me fro a replacement.
> 
> I'm losing faith in Mr Cool. They are sending me a new board for it.


Dang, too bad. I hope you are getting good advice from the tech dept.
I bought my Mr. Cool based on value and positive reviews. Two years old now and no troubles.
I hope that board solves the problem.


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## ddickey (May 10, 2021)

I've got one in my cart on Amazon. Getting ready to pull the trigger.


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## alloy (May 10, 2021)

I'd think twice about it.  Yes they have been good about the warranty, but this is twice now for me.  The first time they replaced the entire outside unit.   If this doesn't work I'm going to look into replacing it wilh a non DIY unit.


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## Janderso (May 10, 2021)

ddickey said:


> I've got one in my cart on Amazon. Getting ready to pull the trigger.


There sure are a lot of these units out there and they work just fine.
I know Adam Booth and Keith Rucker are enjoying their Mr. Cool DIY units.
I like a climate controlled shop.
I did look into a non DIY unit. I paid around $1,320 installed for my 1 ton unit.
The best contractor installed Mini-split price I got was $2,800> Heck, I can put two of these in and I'm still money ahead.
The one draw back is the extra hose/line. I just coiled it up and put it behind a panel outside next to the condenser.
I think alloy got a lemon.


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## kb58 (May 10, 2021)

This thread is relevant to my situation. I first went with a Mitsubishi unit, which has worked flawlessly for 3-4 yrs now, except that I had to vacuum down the lines ;myself and back purge with nitrogen. The unit works so well that I'm considering adding one to another room, and I admit to be attracted to the "just connect it together" approach. Your situation has me backing away from that somewhat...


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## pdentrem (May 10, 2021)

We put in a MrCool 18k unit 2 years ago and so far cross fingers.
A contractor friend replied when I asked a couple years ago, that he had been putting in LG units but due to reliability issues he switch to Mitsubishi. A few of the other local guys are having better luck with those.
Pierre


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## alloy (May 10, 2021)

Janderso said:


> I think alloy got a lemon.


Actually 2 lemons back to back.


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## 7milesup (May 10, 2021)

I had posted earlier about purchasing mine.  These guys were the cheapest I could find.  *https://skipthewarehouse.com/* 

I purchased a Friedrich 18K unit.  Installed myself but had a friend that owns an HVAC business charge it with refrigerant for me.


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## Janderso (May 10, 2021)

alloy said:


> Actually 2 lemons back to back.


That does not build confidence does it.
I can understand your point of view after what you've been through.


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## Cadillac STS (May 10, 2021)

There are rebates for installing certain units from the power companies depending on where you live.

Does anyone know how to find out which mini split has rebates and how to get them?

Getting a $300 rebate would be nice for a $700 unit..


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## alloy (May 10, 2021)

I had a 2 zone mini split installed in my house. I went through my electric companies web site and found out about the rebate.  Was $800 for us.

Catch is, has to be professionally installed and had to have it inspected.  Did the one for the shop (Mr Cool) by myself.


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## kb58 (May 10, 2021)

alloy said:


> I had a 2 zone mini split installed in my house. I went through my electric companies web site and found out about the rebate.  Was $800 for us.
> 
> Catch is, has to be professionally installed and had to have it inspected.  Did the one for the shop (Mr Cool) by myself.


When I was considering having mine "professionally installed", they wanted way more than $800... so I did it myself.


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## alloy (May 10, 2021)

Yes mine was more than that also. The rebate was $800.


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## alloy (May 13, 2021)

Well Mr Cool is cooling (heating) again.  The board came in and the video that shows the board install is way off.  Doesn't cover a 36k unit. I had to remove all the outside covers to get at the screws holding the unit in.  Was a real pain. 

 Hopefully it will work for awhile this time.


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## coherent (May 14, 2021)

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.


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## OCD Solutions (May 14, 2021)

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?


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## pdentrem (May 14, 2021)

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


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## DAM 79 (May 14, 2021)

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 .


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## ddickey (May 14, 2021)

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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## DAM 79 (May 14, 2021)

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.


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


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## Reddinr (Nov 13, 2021)

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.


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## pdentrem (Nov 13, 2021)

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


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## RJSakowski (Nov 13, 2021)

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.


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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## Reddinr (Nov 13, 2021)

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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## MikeInOr (Nov 15, 2021)

DAM 79 said:


> 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 installed a Fujitsu mini split in our great room 5 or 6 years ago and it has only given my problems once at about 3 years in.  Who would of thunk that you would need to clean the filters more than every 3 years.  After a good vacuum out is has worked great ever sense.

At the beginning of this summer I installed a new 3 zone Mitsubishi in our 3 bedrooms.  I was able to purchase all the tools, the vacuum pump and a cylinder of Nitrogen for a fraction of what the AC guy charged me to do two flares on the Fujitsu and vacuum the lines after insisting there was no need to do a nitrogen purge.

My general impressions of the Mitsubishi after one summer is very good.  The Fujitsu is very quiet, the Mitsubishi's are silent.  There is a lot more support and part availability for the Mitsubishi in the USA.  We went without using the Fujitsu for a few months one year because we lost the remote and a replacement remote was impossible to find.  The Fujitsu will direct the air flow up and down as well as side to side which is a nice feature for a large room.  The Fujitsu also has a quick cool button (and quick heat button) that will run the Compressor full blast for a while to quickly cool down a room.  The Mitsubishi's had no insulation between the high pressure and low pressure copper lines in the indoor air handler units, that kind of didn't impress me.  My recollection of the Fujitsu is that it was a little easier to install and route the control wires to the lugs on the air handler units.

If I ever install another mini-split it will most likely be a Mitsubishi.  They really are nice units and silent!


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