Mini Split install

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 .
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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!
 
Well my final opinion on MR cool is DO NOT BUY ONE.

The final straw for me is one of the lines blew and it lost all the refrigerant. So I called and the lines are under warranty, but the newer units the lines are separate from the air handler, so I needed new lines and a air handler. But shipping was not covered and they charged me $395 for shipping. Screwed me good on that.

So I get the lines and installed the new parts and the lines are different length and will not fit. They told me to gently pull the one line. There is no way to do that. So they sent me another line set and the same thing. Second pic.

I called an hvac company to come out and try and help me al they all laughed at me because I had a MR CR*P unit. I asked one company how much to put a new mini split in after I send him pictures of the shop and he said $11,000. o_O


So I have a fiend that has a friend that does hvac and he suggested I put an oil furnace in. Says they are cheap and put out about 90,000 btu of heat. That part I like, but I don't like the idea of going to get oil all all the time, and no cooling and the added fire danger in my shop. So I have been looking at higher quality mini splits like dalkin and mitsubishi. Our house has a mitubishi and I always feel cold with it.

If I get a new mini split I plan on putting it in myself and having an hvac company come out and vac the liens down and check for leaks. I believe most of the labor is actually installing the unit which is easy. I already have the concrete base for the compressor and and new line covers.

So anyone have any suggestion on higher quality mini splints, 36,000 or higher btu?
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Pretty hard to go wrong with Mitsubishi but I was convinced to try a Pioneer in my new shop. A Pioneer 24,000 BTU unit with a 4-way ceiling cassette was $1900 shipped compared to the Mitsubishi at $2700 for the ceiling cassette alone. Mitsubishi would have been $5900 all in with me doing the install.
 
@alloy Well, that totally sucks. Hate to hear of those issues.

I have a Friedrich mini-split in my shop. 100% happy with it. I bought it from an online retailer. No issues whatsoever with them. Getting the unit charged may be your biggest issue. Too bad I don't live near you because I have a pump and gauges.
Don't let those HVAC companies screw you over. Ask around until you find someone willing to charge it up for a few hundred bucks.

skipthewarehouse.com

Friedrich 18k Btu Single Zone 18 SEER

Floating Air Single Zone Ductless Split Systems - Wall mounted heat pumps The excellent efficiency and outstanding quality make Friedrich Select a truly exceptional value line of mini-splits.Features:Inverter mini split technology for more efficiency and self adjusting capacity to match cooling...
skipthewarehouse.com skipthewarehouse.com
 
Glad I came across this thread…. No Mr. Cool for me…. Will go with Mitsubishi or Carrier…

OP, very sorry to read about the nightmare of a journey you have had with Mr. Cool.
 
I put in a MR Cool with my son in his bedroom, NO ISSUES, it's working great 3 years later.
 
Sorry to read of your problems, @alloy. Sorry for your sake and also for my own sake since I have a MrCool DIY minisplit. I don't use mine for heating and it has been operating for almost five years now and, knock wood, it will continue without incident.
 
Sorry you've had so much trouble with your Mr. Cools.

We have two Mr. Cool units over 2 years now no issues whatsoever. One is a 3 unit multi-zone for the house and the other a single head unit for the workshop.

6-7 years, no matter what brand mini split you buy, no matter what anyone says or promises, MAY be as long as a mini split unit will go with no repair or replacement. Repair of mini splits is frequently undoable or unaffordable, Mr. Cool or not. You aren't in all that bad of shape now other than the time lost from the repeated install since they covered at least one of your units under warranty. You could toss the Mr. Cool models you have at 6 years now and get new ones for $3k... and be ahead... and have a new unit again. You could replace that Mr. Cool THREE more times in the next 18 years and still be ahead of that 11k quote.

The HVAC systems today suck they aren't like the 30+ year old system in our old house that are infinitely and easily repairable. It's the horrible way everything is going. And you have no choice but to get the newer more complex super expensive to repair systems because of environmental laws. So you might as well still DIY and just replace yourself as needed.

At least the units ARE efficient while they last so you make back some of it against the older units that last forever... the only semi-silver lining.
 
I'm glad I decided to post on this again.

I've looked at the dalkins and they are around $6k and would need professional help to finish the installation. And I don't see they are energy star compliant. There is a federal tax credit of $3k. As I read the rules on it you can use the credit multiple years, meaning if you don't need all the $3k credit one year you can carry it over year to year until it's used up.

Advil, what you said about being able to buy multiple units for less than the $11k. gave me something to think about. Ingrams has a gen 4 mr cool for $2100.

As much as a 90,000 btu oil fired heating system sounds good, having a heat source that uses flame and I have to go buy fuel for it is making me lean towards another mini split. The risk of fire really worries me.
 
Costco sells them online too for good prices. May greatly enhance your first year failure return abillity.
 
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