DIY mini split?

[Brian Hale]

I started researching mini splits for my shopand found a lot of people complaing that the price to install one often exceeded the pri e of the split itself. Then i found a reference to a company that sells a diy setup for reasoable cost, less than 2k for 18000 btu. No electrican and no hvac guy to purge/charge the lines. There are several other companies that offer them.

Any experience with one of these?
What's the downside?

Brian :)

[David Weaver]

I did not install my own, but have talked to people who did. My lines were longer than 25 feet, so I needed to have coolant added, which is something I can't do. I paid an installer $750 to put mine in, but otherwise bought it at plumbing supply here locally using my contractor's access to such. It made the price $2,750 (including the install charge) instead of $4,500.

You will need to install a whip disconnect (like anything else A/C) and run a 220 line with whatever your installation suggests as a breaker (there is a top side limitation, I suppose as a measure of protection for the machine to limit how much current it can draw if it malfunctions).

Otherwise, a lot of the work on the installation manual was just picking locations, mounting things and following instructions about minimum radius when installing the lines, etc.

The only downside I have with mine is that the warranty is two years less if it's not installed by one of the pricey contractors (5 vs. 7), but the difference in price is nearly enough to re-buy any equipment needed if something breaks.

After seeing the power bills for the last two years, I am not sorry that I spent $2750 on the device. Our summer power bill has not increased despite adding a room that it works with (partially because our other A/C is old, and we can step the temp down in the added room and get the split to do more than just cool that room).

[Randy Red Bemont]

I have a mini split in my workshop but I did not install it myself. It was installed when I built my house two years ago. I just want to say that it works fantastic. I heat and cool my shop with it. I went this route so I was not using the geothermal HVAC system of the house to heat and cool the workshop. Just keep the mini split filter clean and it will provide you with all the heat/cool you need. I think my investment was $3,000 installed.

Red

[Tom M King]

I have a scientist friend who helped his Son put one in his house. It was not one of the DIY specific kits. It was a name brand that he bought online. I'll see if I can get more specifics about size of unit, and cost. He was telling me that some company is selling one aimed at DIY'ers that has push to connect line sets, but that the cost was significantly higher than the ones that needed a little soldering and putting refrigerant in. I'll be putting one in the latest addition on our house this Spring, if I can get the time.

[Scott Hackler]

I built a dedicated home theater and installed a mini split I bought off eBay, myself. I even had to cut the lines and wires to shorten them. No big deal for me, but I am familiar with construction, electrical and plumbing. No HVAC experience to speak of though. Seemed pretty cut and dry. The unit was pre-charged and you just crack a fitting, open the valve for 5-6 seconds (I think that was the time) and tighten the fitting to seal the system after it just purged the air. Now having said that, I am intending to have a HVAC friend come stick the gauges on it to see if it is correct, but haven't so far and it has been working for the last 3 years. I believe mine was a "Bon-Aire" brand, 9,000 btu with heat and I paid about $500 about 6-7 years ago.

[John Huds0n]

I installed a dual zone 24,000 BTU Mr Slim Heat Pump this summer and was very happy with the experience

Take a look at eComfort.com - that is where I purchased everything. They even have an engineer that will review your needs and recommend a unit. The reason why I went with Mr Slim - their the industry leader, warranty, seer rating and performance

You mentioned a no name brand 18,000 btu for $2,000 on Ebay. I would be concerned is there a minimum length of the lines (you may have to coil them behind the outdoor unit) do you have to have an electrical connection nearby for the indoor unit, length of warranty, etc. You shouldn't have to add any freon with a Mr Slim, but again that depends on the length of the lines (mine are 65' total and I didn't have to)

The Mr Slim requires a single 20 amp 240v connection to the outdoor unit - any indoor units are powered by the control cable. For most garage/shop installs most people are simply running a straight shot up the outside wall of the garage and then in to the indoor unit - pretty simple to do really.

eComfort has a 19.2 seer 18,000 BTU Mr Slim starting at $1,751 (with free shipping)
http://ecomfort.com/m-series-18000-btu-ductless-air-conditioning-system-wall-mounted-192-seer-26867.html

You will also need a line set, control wire, drain tube, disconnect box, etc and the costs will vary based on the length of your run - (probably around $200 to start) and some basic skills

I installed everything and connected everything - but I paid $300 to have a local Mitsubishi HVAC contractor come out and 'start it up' which entails pressure checking the lines with nitrogen and then a deep vacuum to purge any moisture and debris before releasing the pre-charge. They checked everything over and the tech was there for about 3 hours. (This was required by eComfort to maintain the Mitsubishi Warranty). I could have done it myself, but by the time I bought the tools, there would not be much savings.

Lots of info on the internet, including installation videos. I may add another unit down the road to our master bedroom.

304352