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Mini Splits

ExWrench said:
If you have an electric heater, a heat pump (or mini split) is actually more efficient & could cost less to make heat.

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tripped me out when i heard this, but the heat pump is more efficient for heat even at 15*-30* outside, even tho thats cold to us, theres still heat that can be transfered

note, not all models work at extreme low temps
 
SomeGuyFromOlympia said:
Why traditional?
frankly, that is what I know, I have owned them and I know they work. That is the end of my reasoning.
I have been curious about these things, I just don't know the mechanics of how they work


One thing that I really liked about heat pumps, I can turn on the circulation fan, and move air from the front of the house to the back, or, I would kick it on when doing something dusty (moving furniture/vacuuming) and it would filter
mini splits do that? (circulate)
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You can feel the difference.

I don't care about efficiency. I work so I am comfortable in my house, and saving $10 a year... the juice isn't worth the squeeze. (and the colder it gets the less efficient they are)

When I turn on the heater, I want to feel hot air, not... "well it's warmer than ambient and it'll get there in a few minutes"

Someone posted up the difference in temperatures on here once about the temp coming out of the vent on a heat pump, versus a conventional unit, but I can't find it now.

I know a Heat pump is about 35 degrees cooler supplying air than a traditional heater.

And I lived in a house with a heat pump once and it always felt cold, despite what the thermostat said..

I mean they work better when the supplemental heat kicks on though :homer:.

EDIT:

On top of that, the modern equipment doesn't hold up like the older stuff, You aren't getting 30 years out of a system. Hell, I have only been getting 8-10 years out of an evaporator coil, anecdotally. And I am not running it 365 days a year, like a heat pump would run.
 
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got a daikin thats been going for 5 or 6 years in our enclosed oven ... err patio that we use a playroom for the kids. temp is set at 70, it cools all summer, and heats in the winter.

hose off the filter screens every few months, once a year full tear down to clean the fan that is caked with dust and grime.

would buy again
 
ironman_gq said:
You can get in ceiling cassettes, I've even seen toe kick cassettes. There are options outside the wall unit or the ducted unit.
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Personal opinion, I think the ceiling cassettes also look like ass. Toe kick might be OK.
 
Minispit would be the best option, IMO.

Mr Cool (and other DIY ones) have precharged line sets, so any excess line will be a coiled up eye sore.

I put a 3 zone 36k BTU Fujisu minisplit in my raised ranch and its been a complete game changer
 
I just installed 2 zones of a 3 zone Pioneer last month. No complaints other than no where does is say L1 is the signal return on 240V systems. Took awhile to figure out I needed to swap L1 and L2.

The Pioneer system I bought is eligible for tax credits (ESTAR), so something to consider when pricing, i.e. a higher-end system might be cost comparable if you can use the credits.

A service port adapter allowed me to use my AC machine to vacuum and I bought a $35 regulator on Amazon that allowed me to use my welding gas for a pressure test. This was way cheaper than the Mr Cool's proprietary pre-charged line sets.
 
I've got an EG4 in my little house. It's a little more up front, but you save on the install because it's pre charged. Works great so far. It also has hookups for solar panels directly with no inverter required. I don't have that feature hooked up yet, but will be nice if I lose power, so saves on backup generation for the house and saves electricity during regular use.
 
Is it worth it for a larger home? I've got 12 rooms, 2400 sq ft and the old heat pump is on its last legs. I really don't know much about either system other than some stuff I've read online. I also don't have 10K to throw at it.
 
I guess part of my issue, in my head everyone still has a wood stove and air transfer is a thing in the winter
 
benw said:
Is your garage insulated? Does it run 24/7?
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Yes. 6 inch walls, insulation in walls and ceiling. Insulated roll up doors and it runs 24/7 to keep it at 70 when it was 110+ outside. It is only that hot for 6-8 weeks a year. 16 foot ceilings in 2/3 of shop. 9' in other 1/3. Electric bill doubled the 2 months I ran it almost non stop
20180408_202124.jpg
 
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Dead Pool said:
Is it worth it for a larger home? I've got 12 rooms, 2400 sq ft and the old heat pump is on its last legs. I really don't know much about either system other than some stuff I've read online. I also don't have 10K to throw at it.
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No, assuming that you already have ductwork in place, then a minisplit doesnt make sense. Just replace the heatpump with something that is efficient and works with your setup
 
Dead Pool said:
Is it worth it for a larger home? I've got 12 rooms, 2400 sq ft and the old heat pump is on its last legs. I really don't know much about either system other than some stuff I've read online. I also don't have 10K to throw at it.
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That’s similar to the situation I listed above. It quickly did not pencil out. $10,000 in mini splits won’t be enough. I would think you could get a 4 ton replacement system installed less than that
 
Bacho said:
That’s similar to the situation I listed above. It quickly did not pencil out. $10,000 in mini splits won’t be enough. I would think you could get a 4 ton replacement system installed less than that
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Our house has an HVAC system that does fine when we use it. We run the A/C 4-10 days a year & do 90% of winter heating with wood. But we have a little 500 sq ft guest cabin w/ no A/C and I'm thinking a mini split is our best option there.
 
grumpy356 said:
Why a traditional heat pump instead of a traditional ac & heater?

The mini-split heat pumps seem legit, but I have always hated the traditional heat pump, and never understood why people go that route.
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What’s wrong with a heat pump? (Mini split or traditional) At least for the south, they are perfect.

SomeGuyFromOlympia said:
Why traditional?
frankly, that is what I know, I have owned them and I know they work. That is the end of my reasoning.
I have been curious about these things, I just don't know the mechanics of how they work


One thing that I really liked about heat pumps, I can turn on the circulation fan, and move air from the front of the house to the back, or, I would kick it on when doing something dusty (moving furniture/vacuuming) and it would filter
mini splits do that? (circulate)
Click to expand...

A mini split or traditional are the same thing as far as mechanics. Of course, the mini can’t move air from the front to the back unless you have an “open concept” house.

One thing good about mini vs central, if one breaks down, you don’t lose all your AC. Redundancy is a good thing.
 
WaterH said:
What’s wrong with a heat pump? (Mini split or traditional) At least for the south, they are perfect.



A mini split or traditional are the same thing as far as mechanics. Of course, the mini can’t move air from the front to the back unless you have an “open concept” house.

One thing good about mini vs central, if one breaks down, you don’t lose all your AC. Redundancy is a good thing.
Click to expand...
Minisplits could potentially cause a humidity problem because you aren't circulating and drying the whole house. Don't get me wrong, I love them, but there is a place for every application... And I replied to my bitch about heat pumps in post 32..
 
Dead Pool said:
Is it worth it for a larger home? I've got 12 rooms, 2400 sq ft and the old heat pump is on its last legs. I really don't know much about either system other than some stuff I've read online. I also don't have 10K to throw at it.
Click to expand...
Mr cool makes a version that’s designed to replace your normal hvac unit . Uses the existing ductwork etc

Just helped a friend of mine install one in his house
 
I installed a Mr cool in my 1000sf garage

Got the pre charged unit for $1,400 or something like that

I already had the electrical ran
Took me and my son about 8 hours to install it and half of that was figureing out where to mount the head unit because we had a lot of other things in the way and building the gravel pad to mount the outside unit on

The only disappointment is the temp is kinda hard to control

If I set the temp it controls the temp but not the humidity or I can set it to control the humidity but it gets super cold and won’t control the temp

Hate having to use the ac and a dehumidifier but that’s what’s we having to do

But I live in the south where it’s 97% humidity every day in the summer .
IMG_4459.jpeg
 
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