Mini-split AC brand and vendor recommendation wanted

[John Stankus]

Since San Antonio is a little bit warm in the summer, I am thinking of installing a mini-split AC for the garage. I am thinking a 24,000 BTU single split system. Any suggestions on a brand and a vendor to purchase it from? I plan on doing a self-install.

Regards


John

[Sherzod Niazov]

I've got LG 30k BTU mini-split, bought online, love it. Easy to install. Don't forget to get a bigger unit if you have heavy-heat generating machines like a cyclone.

[Jim Andrew]

I looked online for a new furnace and AC for the house, wanted to purchase new and use the old ac on the shop. Found a company online that sells the units shipped with free freight, and then talked to my local guy, and the local guy beat them about 150$. Of course, I also talked to the lady at the company that installed my old units, and it would have been significantly more. But the estimator didn't bother to come and give me a price.
Now I have central air in my shop. Worked on the duct all afternoon and this evening for a while, and still don't have it together.

[Chris Damm]

I've got a Daikin And works great. I was told by several installer friends that Daikin was the best and they sell other brands!

[Scott T Smith]

Mitsubishi "Mr. Slim" models have a great reputation. We used to use them in cellular sites where they ran 24/7.

[David Hawxhurst]

i like the mitsubishi mr. slim. but i imagine that any of the reputable manufactures would be good. you did list anything about the garage so its hard to say if the 24k btu is enough.

[John Stankus]

I guess I didn't give all the details of the garage. It is a three car garage with no insulation in either the walls or ceiling. One wall backs to cooled space in the house. I found a simplified manual J calculation (was for a whole house application). Total area 690 sq ft 8ft 4 inch ceiling ht 88 ft of perimeter wall.

Depending on the insulation assumption and cooling design temperature I got the following values from the calculation.

No insulation
90 F 14.7 kBTU/hr 95 F 17.5 kBTU/hr 100F 20.2 kBTU/hr 105F 23.0 kBTU/hr

R7 in walls and R11 in attic (walls have peg board that previous owner put in that should be easy to take off and insulate behind)
90 F 5.1 kBTU/hr 95 F 6.0 kBTU/hr 100F 7.0 kBTU/hr 105F 8.4 kBTU/hr

A little bit of insulation appears to make a big difference.

Calculations did not take into account heat load from water heater that lives in a closet off the garage or running tools (but I am heading more the neander direction any way)

I do plan on insulating when I can, but the garage will have plenty of air leaks. I would like a unit that I can set to dehumidify to keep the moisture down.
There does seem to be a wide range of prices on the units.

Those of you who have bought on line how was your experience with the vendors and would you suggest them?

Thanks

John

[Alan Lightstone]

Buy from a reputable name brand. I have a no-name unit (likely Chinese), and fortunately it has stayed working. My friend bought two identical units, and when they had problems, they were unfixable.

I would personally go with a Mitsubishi or LG.

You'll love having a split AC unit. Makes all the difference in the world.

[Sam Dotson]

I just had a 18k / btu Mitsubishi Mr. Slim installed in my insulated 400 sq/ft garage and I couldn’t be happier.


Sam

[Mark Welte]

We have a Mitsubishi Mr Slim that cools our server room and has been in continuous use for over 6 years now. Only thing it does not like are power outages and cottonwood trees. Those are the only two issues we have had as we lost a couple fuses due to power problems and the condenser plugged up with cotton. For the price it has been a great unit.

Mark

[Will Rowland]

I would buy Mitsubishi or Fujitsu. I don't think there is any appreciable difference - in performance, construction or cost - between the main brands, but I learned the hard way (with a Sanyo unit) that most HVAC companies only install these two brands, as at least around here, those are the only two brands sold by the supply houses. From what I can tell, Mitsubishi and Fujitsu have put more effort into selling their brand to HVAC companies.

As a result, if you need a repair, especially under warranty, you're way better off with a Mitsubishi or Fujitsu than a Sanyo/Panasonic, LG, Friedrich, etc. In my experience, most HVAC types are always looking for an excuse to justify higher costs, and subpar service - and an "unfamiliar" brand is a great excuse...

[John Loftis]

I just did a bunch of research on mini-splits and the advice above is consistent with what I found. Pretty much everybody loves Mitsubishi (Mr. Slim) and Fujitsu. I couldn't afford those brands, since they run around $2k+. I know you get what you pay for, but I couldn't stand sweating through another Texas summer without getting something in the shop. So I ended up getting a 1 ton Amvent unit off Amazon for $800 with lineset included, no shipping, no tax. My shop is smaller than yours and mine is insulated, so I think you'll need a 1.5 or 2 ton. My HVAC guy is going to install it today or tomorrow... I'll let you know.

[John Stankus]

I'm leaning towards one of the LG systems right now. The one I like LS246HV seems to show up as discontinued from some of the vendors. I am still keeping an eye out for the Mr. Slim and Fujitsu units but they seem a little more expensive and less available.

Who are the good online retailers for these systems? There seems to be a bit of a range of vendors. If you purchased online, could you give me an idea of your experience with the vendor?

John L. -- How did the install go? Good to hear from an NTWA member (I was on the board until I moved to San Antonio in 2006)

Thanks for the help

John

[Adrian Anguiano]

Does the MR Slim, etc mini split systems, do they require a gas line? Or do they run off just electricity? My Neighboor hood only has Electric available.

[Scott T Smith]

Does the MR Slim, etc mini split systems, do they require a gas line? Or do they run off just electricity? My Neighboor hood only has Electric available.

Adrian, the one that I had was 240VAC only; as I recall it only required a 20A circuit too.