# Installed Happiness & Joy (Mini-Split Shop A/C)



## MtnBiker (Jul 1, 2021)

Phoenix heat with an insulated garage shop (after we insulated the door, all the rest was done by the builder). Better than nothing but not great when the insulation keeps the shop from cooling off to ambient overnight. Kinda builds to the point of intolerable.

Shopping for A/C and found the Mr Cool Advantage series (the non-DIY version). Way cheaper. Same basic install. They had a 2-ton (24k btu) unit for $1,100 give or take. Had a warranty credit at Lowe's and didn't know what to spend it on. A/C for the win.




The Advantage series comes with 16' of pre-flared refrigerant lines. That length happened to be perfect. Electrical was easy with the shop sub-panel. Had to do some fussy work on the condenser unit install. EIFS (synthetic stucco) walls are great at insulating but not that strong. Needed a wall mount but also needed some reinforcement. Fabbed up a cross member that would brace against 3 studs. Tapped and bolted into the down arms, those bolts are hidden, to offer a lot of extra support and also spread the load and stress on the EIFS (the load is in-between studs).




Finished install on the condenser unit (working around pool equipment - hence the wall mount).




Compared to the DIY version, the Advantage series needs to have the refrigerant lines dried and evacuated. When that is done you release the pre-loaded R410a refrigerant. We had our A/C guy nitrogen purge/vac the system. We were already building him a weld cart in trade for some prior A/C work and he just rolled this work into the cart. Total score - I love this skilled trades thing (pun intended)!

So how does it work? Considering we don't run it all the time, really well. The Mr Cool app let's me schedule cooling for a few hours at 5:00 a.m. to take advantage of the "cool-ish" air in the morning. Much cheaper off-peak electricity too. Really takes the summer edge off so we're not trying to cool at peak heat (Phoenix remember). Sooo much more comfortable to be in the shop. Better for the machines. And when we get our CNC plasma we'll have the first stage of air drying already covered. 

Highly recommended. Hope this info is helpful to someone.

Note: The refrigerant line set cover and wall mount were purchased separately.


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## matthewsx (Jul 1, 2021)

MtnBiker said:


> Phoenix heat with an insulated garage shop (after we insulated the door, all the rest was done by the builder). Better than nothing but not great when the insulation keeps the shop from cooling off to ambient overnight. Kinda builds to the point of intolerable.
> 
> Shopping for A/C and found the Mr Cool Advantage series (the non-DIY version). Way cheaper. Same basic install. They had a 2-ton (24k btu) unit for $1,100 give or take. Had a warranty credit at Lowe's and didn't know what to spend it on. A/C for the win.
> 
> ...



Way better than the swamp cooler I had on my shop in Mesa, that thing would cool it down from 115* to 105* but raise the humidity from 10% to 98%....

John


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## MtnBiker (Jul 1, 2021)

matthewsx said:


> Way better than the swamp cooler I had on my shop in Mesa, that thing would cool it down from 115* to 105* but raise the humidity from 10% to 98%....
> 
> John


Those swamp coolers work (sort of) here in the dry AZ climate but yeah, the humidity is not awesome. I really like this thing. Does a great job...especially for the money and considering the relatively easy install.


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## hman (Jul 2, 2021)

Nice installation, @MtnBiker.  When I bought my current house in Chandler, the (detached) shop had two massive swamp coolers in the east-facing windows.  Got rid of them soon after moving in, and had a heatpump installed. Love it!  Not only does a swamper give you moist air in the summer, but it can't do a thing to warm you up in the winter.


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## Mtnmac (Jul 2, 2021)

The mini splits are probably the easiest, most cost efficient solution for most shops.  I built my shop 2 years ago and planned on using one as we installed a 24K unit in the house and love it.  My shop is small, 240 SF.  I looked around for the smallest unit available, it was 12K.  Found one for $499 plus shipping.  The MR Cool DIY units were considerably more expensive at that time.  I installed the condenser unit, and asked a HVAC guy to look at doing the rest of the install, which would be hanging the wall unit, running the lines, vacuuming the system down and check for leaks.  He quoted me $1800 and no one else would even return my calls.  I did a bit of research and figured I could do it myself.  Bought a inexpensive set of gauges and vacuum pump and followed the instructions that came with the unit.  I would recommend it to anyone who needs to heat/cool their shop.  A bonus for this type of system is it removes moisture from the air in the winter so helps with the machines rusting.  My total cost is about $800.


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## RJSakowski (Jul 2, 2021)

I chose the DIY version of the 18K Mr. Cool for my attic workshop.  My original location for the compressor was atop a roof with a 45º pitch and 35" above ground and I didn't want to be hauling a vacuum pump and refrigerant manifold up there.  As it turned out, I opted for a location above porch roof with a 10º pitch and 10' above ground so my original concern evaporated. 

While I have the equipment and experience to do a full blown HVAC install and AFAK, there is no ordinance requiring install by a licensed HVAC person, many municipalities have such ordinances and the cost of using such service would quickly eat up any cost savings over a DIY unit.


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