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DIY Mini splits

bigun said:
Pretty sure it was the DIY stuff
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That's what I was thinking - that the DIY ones are pretty much disposable rather than something that you can get parts for.

kf4zht said:
I've heard lots of arguments from HVAC tech against them, all of which fall apart when you get more than surface deep on the conversation.

Known plenty of people who had repair parts issues with major brands of central systems over the past few years. They are all unique and if there is a 6 month backorder I would rather have a mini split that can be replaced for a grand than a central system which is 10k to replace or wait.

HVAC industry is scared of change and refuses to learn new stuff. How many people I know that have non-op "smart" systems due to the techs not knowing how to set them up.
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That's pretty much my point. By the time you wait for parts, pay for $$$$ parts, pay for $$$$ labor to have a "pro" fix it for you, you might as well have just bought another DIY system. Of course, everything being just disposable pretty much sucks.

When I was a kid I was constantly reading about anything I could get my hands on. A lot of it was science fiction and I was particularly drawn to stuff with "ancient technology" that people were trying to figure out thousands of years later. Or that a religion has built up around it... Anoint the Gears of Power with the sacred oil... Turnest the Switch of Energies Off and then back On... The Holy Bible was the O&M manual...

As an adult I see that was all a fucking joke. We have less and less stuff that is still going to be operational in ten or twenty years... And fewer and fewer people who can do anything about keeping it running...
 
PAToyota said:
That's what I was thinking - that the DIY ones are pretty much disposable rather than something that you can get parts for.



That's pretty much my point. By the time you wait for parts, pay for $$$$ parts, pay for $$$$ labor to have a "pro" fix it for you, you might as well have just bought another DIY system. Of course, everything being just disposable pretty much sucks.

When I was a kid I was constantly reading about anything I could get my hands on. A lot of it was science fiction and I was particularly drawn to stuff with "ancient technology" that people were trying to figure out thousands of years later. Or that a religion has built up around it... Anoint the Gears of Power with the sacred oil... Turnest the Switch of Energies Off and then back On... The Holy Bible was the O&M manual...

As an adult I see that was all a fucking joke. We have less and less stuff that is still going to be operational in ten or twenty years... And fewer and fewer people who can do anything about keeping it running...
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Yep

My father used to have a 1928 model A ford

Probabaly 1 out of every 10 model As made , 95 years ago, are still operable .

No damn way any air conditioners or automobiles from 2024 going to be operational in the year 2120
 
I still use the tools my grandfather used in the 1930s and 40s to build his house while I throw stuff away that I bought in the past ten or twenty years because it broke and there aren't replacement parts available any more.
 
roundhouse said:
Yep

My father used to have a 1928 model A ford

Probabaly 1 out of every 10 model As made , 95 years ago, are still operable .

No damn way any air conditioners or automobiles from 2024 going to be operational in the year 2120
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Fewer features and parts means lower maintenance burden when the whole thing is beyond end of life and falling apart.

PAToyota said:
I still use the tools my grandfather used in the 1930s and 40s to build his house while I throw stuff away that I bought in the past ten or twenty years because it broke and there aren't replacement parts available any more.
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You're ignoring all the shit he threw out in the 30s, 40s and 50s because it was shit. You only got the good stuff he kept.
 
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Figured I'd do about a 6 month follow up. I should've put a mini split in years ago. My basement is comfortable all year round now. I've been thoroughly impressed. The app has quite a bit more info that just the remote, and was well woth the $75 upgrade.

As far as function of the mini split. It's been flawless. Kept my basement at 74 (what i set it on) in 95 degree heat, and the lack of humidity is great. I was very curious to see how it would do in the cold. It's down to about 10 degrees where i live, and it's keeping it to within about a degree or 2. I've got it set to 68, and it was 66 when i went down this morning. I think my basement walls transfer a bit of coolness being underground. When it was in the low 20s last week, it kept it perfectly at 68. My thermal gun was showing it was blowing about 105 degree heat out at that time.

All in all, probably the best money I've ever spent on my house. I'm sure most on here would easily be able to install this system without difficulty.
 
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Twinstick said:
Figured I'd do about a 6 month follow up. I should've put a mini split in years ago. My basement is comfortable all year round now. I've been thoroughly impressed. The app has quite a bit more info that just the remote, and was well woth the $75 upgrade.

As far as function of the mini split. It's been flawless. Kept my basement at 74 (what i set it on) in 95 degree heat, and the lack of humidity is great. I was very curious to see how it would do in the cold. It's down to about 10 degrees where i live, and it's keeping it to within about a degree or 2. I've got it set to 68, and it was 66 when i went down this morning. I think my basement walls transfer a bit of coolness being underground. When it was in the low 20s last week, it kept it perfectly at 68. My thermal gun was showing it was blowing about 105 degree heat out at that time.

All in all, probably the best money I've ever spent on my house. I'm sure most on here would easily be able to install this system without difficulty.
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how much chas it changed your electric bill?
 
I can't really tell much difference. Maybe 15/month in hot weather. My last bill was $130 for total electric now that is gotten cold. My dad's electric bill runs usually with $10 of mine, and his was $40 more than mine. I think the heat from the basement actually helps my electric bill in the winter. I need a few more months to tell if this is truly correct, or just a fluke.
 
Twinstick said:
I can't really tell much difference. Maybe 15/month in hot weather. My last bill was $130 for total electric now that is gotten cold. My dad's electric bill runs usually with $10 of mine, and his was $40 more than mine. I think the heat from the basement actually helps my electric bill in the winter. I need a few more months to tell if this is truly correct, or just a fluke.
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My electric company has it on their website - you can go month by month (back to ~2 years) and see what your usage has been.

Or you could pull your bill if you're a nerd :homer:
 
Twinstick said:
Figured I'd do about a 6 month follow up. I should've put a mini split in years ago. My basement is comfortable all year round now. I've been thoroughly impressed. The app has quite a bit more info that just the remote, and was well woth the $75 upgrade.

As far as function of the mini split. It's been flawless. Kept my basement at 74 (what i set it on) in 95 degree heat, and the lack of humidity is great. I was very curious to see how it would do in the cold. It's down to about 10 degrees where i live, and it's keeping it to within about a degree or 2. I've got it set to 68, and it was 66 when i went down this morning. I think my basement walls transfer a bit of coolness being underground. When it was in the low 20s last week, it kept it perfectly at 68. My thermal gun was showing it was blowing about 105 degree heat out at that time.

All in all, probably the best money I've ever spent on my house. I'm sure most on here would easily be able to install this system without difficulty.
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Thanks for the update

I’m getting ready to do this in my garage

Which model
Did you get ?

Where’d you get it from etc ?
 
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senville.com

24000 BTU Mini Split Air Conditioner - Heat Pump - SENL/24CD

The Senville SENL/24CD mini split air conditioner and heat pump offers superior climate control, energy efficiency, and Alexa compatibility. Stay comfortable year-round with this eco-friendly solution.
senville.com senville.com

I bought the 24k, single head. Bought straight from Senville. They have a Leto series, what I bought, and the Auro series, which is more expensive. I think it was about $1600 all baked in with electrical. The pioneer units were very similar from home depot as far as stats and pricing. I think timing of delivery is the reason why I went with Senvile.
 
Where would one start sizing and spacing multiple systems in a multi level home?

More info... A 2 story home, with a basement. Close to 5K sq ft total with boiler fed circulatory heat registers throughout, and a giant swamp cooler on the roof. How do you decide where to install mini split registers and how many?

I figure you add a "few" mini splits to keep priority areas totally controllable, while maintaining the existing boiler and swamp cooler.

Any good place to start reading?
 
I's try a plumbed in stand alone dehumidifier before I tried the costly stuff

I use them a bit for a few spaces, and it takes the edge off
mount them out of the way, poke the drain to somewhere (i go out the wall) and run a timer so it is only running when it actually needs to

I have been told a 80* dry heat is different somehow
 
ManKrawler said:
Where would one start sizing and spacing multiple systems in a multi level home?

More info... A 2 story home, with a basement. Close to 5K sq ft total with boiler fed circulatory heat registers throughout, and a giant swamp cooler on the roof. How do you decide where to install mini split registers and how many?

I figure you add a "few" mini splits to keep priority areas totally controllable, while maintaining the existing boiler and swamp cooler.

Any good place to start reading?
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There are charts online to determine the BTU's need per sq ft.
I only use mine for heat in the shoulder seasons, early fall and late spring, before I start the OWB and after I shut if down for the season. I used them a lot last summer to fend off the humidity and heat.
Depending on how your house is set up you can get the head units to go in the ceiling or on the wall. Really depends on how you want it to look.
They are cheap enough it might make more sense to put one in each of your primary rooms. My two are on opposite sides and opposite ends of the house so it made more sense to go with two units instead of one invertor outside and two head units.
 
I’m looking at getting a 24,000 btu mini split for my shop. My eyeballs are bleeding over looking at all what’s out there. I just want a single head unit. I want a recharged unit if possible. I can vac it down as I have the vac and I have a set of 134 gauges but do they even use that anymore?

I’m Leary of ordering from unknown websites for stuff like this too. Looking for good recommendations
 
I installed a Della mini split off of Amazon in my office. It was cheap and works great. Easy install. It was pre-charged but I did use a vacuum pump to suck it down before releasing the refrigerant.
 
Landslide said:
I want a recharged unit if possible. I can vac it down as I have the vac and I have a set of 134 gauges but do they even use that anymore?
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It's pretty hard to go wrong with current mini splits, I'm pretty sure as long as you buy something a step above the cheapest option out there you'll be happy with it.

I have 2 Dial units and a neighbor went with Pioneer units. Their Pioneer units appear to be a little higher quality than mine but I'm more than happy with the performance of my units, they just make a little more noise than the Pioneers.

I'm pretty sure most all will come precharged as well. As I'm sure you're already aware the main unit comes with the refrigerant charge, once its hooked up you pull a vacuum on the lines and head unit, then open the valves to allow the charge to fill the whole system.

You'll just need an r410 adapter and your r134 gauges will work just fine with the vacuum pump, that's exactly how I did mine.

There is the option to have quick connect lines which don't require pulling a vacuum but you pay for the convenience
 
Landslide said:
I’m looking at getting a 24,000 btu mini split for my shop. My eyeballs are bleeding over looking at all what’s out there. I just want a single head unit. I want a recharged unit if possible. I can vac it down as I have the vac and I have a set of 134 gauges but do they even use that anymore?

I’m Leary of ordering from unknown websites for stuff like this too. Looking for good recommendations
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I put a 36K BTU Mr Cool in my 3 car garage with 11' ceilings and 4 roll up doors about 2 years ago. I keep it at 68 most of the time and it's still going strong.
 
I have a Pioneer and it was an easy install with cheap HF gauges. Been working great for over 2 years now.
 
I live in southern Utah... I am wondering how they can keep up when parking hot 110F POS Jeep in the garage in the middle of the day?
Fucking garage is just begging for an HVAC.... Wiring is already in place; dang I even have a place to run the condensate.

I think this is my next project..... Damm you peeps! :smokin::smokin::smokin:
 
The AC wholesale guy said my 134 gauges would be fine. Only cautioned to make sure there was no auto oil in it because it's different and will contaminate the system and cause problems. So just flush the gauges first.
 
Search Facebook marketplace. I see lots of “new” mini splits for sale for about half of retail. You may or may not have a manufacturers warranty if you go this route but their warranty is crap anyways. Just parts and often a claim has to be done by a certified hvac tech. The labor price negates the “free” warrantied part. I can do most all hvac repairs myself so other than an expensive part the warranty doesn’t mean much to me.

I just had a traditional 2 ton complete heat pump 19 seer unit with gas furnace installed for $3,300 out the door. Some Cuban I found off FBMP. A traditional HVAC company would probably charge $6,000+ for a similar setup.
 
87manche said:
The AC wholesale guy said my 134 gauges would be fine. Only cautioned to make sure there was no auto oil in it because it's different and will contaminate the system and cause problems. So just flush the gauges first.
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How do you flush them out safely?
 
BillyBronco said:
Search Facebook marketplace. I see lots of “new” mini splits for sale for about half of retail. You may or may not have a manufacturers warranty if you go this route but their warranty is crap anyways. Just parts and often a claim has to be done by a certified hvac tech. The labor price negates the “free” warrantied part. I can do most all hvac repairs myself so other than an expensive part the warranty doesn’t mean much to me.

I just had a traditional 2 ton complete heat pump 19 seer unit with gas furnace installed for $3,300 out the door. Some Cuban I found off FBMP. A traditional HVAC company would probably charge $6,000+ for a similar setup.
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Difference is, I don’t know enough about hvac stuff to buy smart, reason for posting here asking questions. I’m extremely wary about buying something like this from there. I looked for a couple years at electric hvac used stuff on there and when I find something I like, I talk myself out of it because, it was removed for a reason. Most people will run that stuff until it’s dead. It’s not like trading in a car. I guess some folks want better less energy using units and tax credits but fawk if I know. No way to test it until it’s installed. If the compressor is junk or about to shit, then kiss all that money away.
 
I have installed 3 units all purchased from Ebay, so far (knock on wood) no problems and I absolutely love them.
These were all pre-charged units with Toshiba heat pumps.
I am trying to figure out where I can put one in my basement (walk out ranch house)
I met a man on Monday that teaches HVAC and I am going to take his class on freon so I can get licensed to buy and use it. Of course they are moving away from 104A to a butane based product at (I think) the end of the year.
I would like to know how to deal with it so I don't have to buy precharged units and the constraints of shorter line sets.
 
dave_dj1 said:
Of course they are moving away from 104A to a butane based product at (I think) the end of the year.
I would like to know how to deal with it so I don't have to buy precharged units and the constraints of shorter line sets.
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Not sure how true it is but my hvac guy said that the new coolant replacement is flammable, because of that they are going to have to have a lot more sensors and electronics adding about 50% to the cost of a standard unit.

He’s an old curmudgeon though that hates the new high efficiency units.
 
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Landslide said:
Difference is, I don’t know enough about hvac stuff to buy smart, reason for posting here asking questions. I’m extremely wary about buying something like this from there. I looked for a couple years at electric hvac used stuff on there and when I find something I like, I talk myself out of it because, it was removed for a reason. Most people will run that stuff until it’s dead. It’s not like trading in a car. I guess some folks want better less energy using units and tax credits but fawk if I know. No way to test it until it’s installed. If the compressor is junk or about to shit, then kiss all that money away.
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I don’t mean used. I see plenty of new mini splits for sale for around half of what they go for on Amazon. My traditional unit I had installed was new as well. Some sort of warehouse liquidation the installer said. It was cheaper installed than I could have bought similar parts myself.
 
Pocahontas said:
Not sure how true it is but my hvac guy said that the new coolant replacement is flammable, because of that they are going to have to have a lot more sensors and electronics adding about 50% to the cost of a standard unit.

He’s an old curmudgeon though that hate lbs the new high efficiency units.
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From what I understand it's true.
 
If they're pre charged units, use your gauges and vacuum pump to vacuum the system, any residual oil in the gauges would be sucked towards the pump and vented, no need to flush anything just making a vacuum
 
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