I'm looking at replacing the window A/C & heating unit in my cabin with a ductless mini split unit. Online reviews are all over the place. Any real life reviews here? What to get? What not to get?

Thanks.. BP...

They sure are the trend. The way installers push them over central units
they must be more profitable.


In a cabin, they are probably the best choice.

I'd be sure you get one that can reverse and make heat, if that matters in your area.

Buy Japanese made ones.

Not the best for trying to heat/cool multiple rooms but a 1 or 2 room cabin would probably be okay.

I've been involved with 6 homeowner installs now. I got the vacuum pump.

All 6 were different brands, mostly the cheapest POS they could find on Amazon that fit their needs.

All of them worked.

All of them were amazingly alike.

Compressors, thermostats and fan motors all have a lot of similarities, just different brand labels.

They are trending due to not needing to pay a installer if you can run a screwdriver and follow simple instructions.

Pioneer or a GE Profile Saddle

Wrong..

That is more than 1 unit. I was speaking about 1 unit.

No, it's one unit with 4 air handlers so you can have 4 independent zones with one unit.

I see that.

I would only buy a major brand. Seems like there are a lot of fly by night brands on the market these days of questionable quality. This is what I plan on getting for my own cabin eventually.

This 'ducted mini-split' heat pump was installed in the unvented, conditioned attic and ducted with short duct runs to several nearby rooms.


Info on ducted mini splits

How hard are they to service?

Heat pump unit?

Can be.

Thanks.

If not a heat pump are electric strips used in the duct work?

ETA:
Electric heater Strips

I just helped them install and ran, I don't service AC's.

I own a vacuum pump and ones required for the installation.

Lots of options, look um up.

I'm not a AC guy

No problem. Thanks Jeff.

I'm especially leery of systems that require a mother board. If it blows 5 years down the road, it can't be replaced and no one will have the capacity to service it. I can see a need for such in high demand mega structures but not a cabin.

Just had such an issue where I office. An extraction/injection well heat pump system. Installer does not exist anymore, and no one else can begin to decipher the workings. About $80K will cover a completely new installation.

Neighbor is having a ductless system installed in his new home. Being done by an out of towner, as the locals won't take it on.

I have a Trane mini split AC/Heat unit. Its been working great for almost 4 years now. Cools and heats Approx. 500 square foot area just fine. No problems so far. Pretty good little unit.

Pretty sure most if not all HVAC systems manufactured in the last 20+ years have had a board.

Have burned 2 of em up. 1 was a same or next day fix and one was a few days as the part had to come from TX, no Texas furnace dealers in the KCMO area.

It’s an improvement over a window AC. Do it

Mitsubishi is the best hands down. I make most of my income in the HVAC industry and I wouldn’t own anything but a Mitsubishi.

Never pull a vacuum through a set of compound manifold gauges.

Only saving is in duct work. It's like a window unit in two pieces for where you don't have a window and only one big room to cool. And the high dollar ones are very efficient until they break.

They work good.

They have a slow cool/heat thing going but if you plan ahead it does well.

We have 2 and a friend has 3 like the ones we have and also got one of the largest they make.

Cheap to run as well.

We got ours from Alpine home air products,AlpineHomeAir.com.

They will answer any questions you might have.

Thanks

Does the one unit have to be mounted outside or can it be put in the attic?

The compressor part outside with the evaporator coil unit mounted on the inside

Also, Mitsubishi has a model “FS” which will heat to full capacity down to -5.

I have installed 3 of these in my own homes. My son installed one in his office.

https://www.alpinehomeair.com

They have been great to deal with and have worked flawlessly.

Rick Bin,

You gotta do something. My finger is too big for these buttons.

Watch for mold if humidity is an issue.

I think these are great. Heat and cool just the rooms you are using. Cabin life. I think it would be great. Just try to find out who's best.

Mitsubishi Electric are better than Mitsubishi Heavy Industries...split systems are very popular here, but be aware that they are wanting when you get down toward 0 Celsius.
They are the only way to go in summer, but buy the biggest you can.

-5 Fahrenheit is approximately -20 Celsius. You are talking about a different model. You are probably talking about the GL model. The GL and the FS are available here in the USA Market. Other countries markets could be different but your probably talking about the WR models. And not to be argumentative, but do not buy one as big as you can. The reasoning behind this is because when they throttle back because of a lack of load, the unit’s latent capacity drops off too and that’s when you get old growth.

My big 8.1 kilowatt unit cools the whole house at 49 Celsius...it is wanting under 5 Celsius.

I have no knowledge of what your market provides.

Mitsubishi is the best, we run them non stop year round in server rooms and in other applications.

I'll be in the market soon, for some reason the old owners of our house when it was built, put a 2 ton system in for a simple bonus room above the garage, its showings its age. A mini split would be perfect

Installed many mini split systems, single and multi circuit.
My recommendation is Mitsubishi.

Are the DIY mini splits like MrCool any good? My understanding is that the only difference is that they come pre-charged.

I researched the MrCool units. Almost every complaint referenced terrible tech and customer service. That's a deal killer for me.

BP...

Mr. Cool is the bottom of the barrel. I’d rather have a window unit

What is your model and serial number?

Are these units noisy? I have a buddy who has been heating with wood for as long as he has had his house (30 plus years) and now that we are getting into our 70s he is wanting to go with these type of units in his house...

No sir. They’re extremely quiet.

They’re extremely quiet and very efficient. The Home Depot/Amazon ones generally have [bleep] reviews, but I don’t have any personal experience with them. Never a fan of compression fitting with refrigerant and cut them out and braze the copper instead.

We install and care for a lot of carrier systems- and they work well.

All of the mini split systems I’ve installed came precharged. You may need to adjust refrigerant levels depending on the length of the line set.

I have an LG system on my houseboat with a heat pump and three air handlers. It is 9 years old and has been on generator power for the most part. I have not had a problem.

Five years ago I put a Mr. Cool system with the heat pump in the upstairs of a second home that my kids were living in. It has two air handlers and has performed flawlessly.

Last year we installed another Mr. Cool system in that home downstairs with a heat pump and three air handlers. It has worked great since then We had duct issues (older home) and did not want to tear out the ceiling downstairs to replace them. It has worked great so far.

There was an earlier thread on this subject and Edwin264 was very helpful. Thanks to those who know and are willing to share their experiences. We have some duct issues and we are seriously considering this type unit to achieve the zoning we want. My niece’s husband has installed several of these systems and he recommends them.

Link, please.

BP...

Apparently I have a prick of a memory.

It is 7.8 kw.

Thanks 45_100 Anytime y’all have questions about HVAC, send me a PM. I’ll help where I can.

That’s a GL of some kind. I don’t recognize the “VGD” on the end of the model # though.

Australia.

Installed a Gree in 2012.......$1250 back then installed IIRC

Best money I've ever spent Was a new room addition w/vaulted ceilings...south face

Nearly heats main level floor

Extra pot belly NG stove in basement

Main furnace nearly never runs when we're home

Keeps this guy & his buddies comfy all year round

I tried looking your model number up and I can’t find it even in the older stuff I have access too. So I am going to assume that your equipment is not UL rated therefore it wouldn’t be sold in our market.

No idea, but it is an excellent unit and very popular here. Especially with the sparkies.

In west central Florida, labor rates are pretty low.

Our local installers are charging $12-$1500.00 to install a mini split.

Lots of obvious variables as with any 'new' installation.

What's an average install cost in Texas?

In my area of Texas, i’d say that’s about what we would get to install a ductless unit.

I’m in the process of flipping a small house that had window units. Going with a split unit when completed. They work well.

This is correct

I have been trying to find it but my skills are lacking. It was in January, 2023 if that helps. If I find it will post it here.

Would you mind explaining why not to do that?

Because those manifolds and hoses leak. Also, I would use dry nitrogen to sweep the system and triple evacuate.

[img]https://i.postimg.cc/7h2XsF5V/522-D0760-68-B7-4-DF8-9-E96-01222-F84-DD8-D.webp[/img]



Add a yellow jacket vacuum pump and you’re good to go.

Anyone have any experience with Senville Mini Splits. Their website is very good and I get a lot of notices about them, but are they ok?

So you own stock in Yellow Jacket huh?

A grand worth of commercial grade tools for the simplest of installs?

Never pull vacuum thru manifold gages? --- Nonsense.

No sir, but I wished I owned stock in them. I’ve used all kinds of vacuum tools. But I do HVAC for a living and I know what I’m talking about. Not only has yellow jacket performed the best, but it’s made in USA. You can give your money to China but I’m not. Why don’t you explain how you pull a vacuum.

I’ve never heard of them

Manifold gauges will leak under vacuum. Professionals know this. Do it the wrong way if you want to but I’m not because my reputation depends on it.