Shop minisplit....

[Justin Jump]

In getting around to ordering my mini split for my shop, I found www.heatandcool.com.

Anyone use this website?

They have a decent deal on a Klimaire model, 12,000 BTU's, heat and a/c.

Thanks in advance to any responders.....

JJ

[Jim Andrew]

I checked online for a new ac and furnace, and a local guy gave me a better price. He had to shop around though. I told him the price I found, and he found a better price.

[Carl Beckett]

I have similar plans in the works.

Heat, AC, and dehumidification were the modes I wanted to operate. Be sure to size your shop heat load to be sure you have enough capacity (I use slantfin software, but its probably more sophisticated than you need and a simple heat load estimate should work).

Have even seen some used systems on CL...... and 'sometimes' local guys can beat the price (but almost never in my area)

Let us know how it goes - I will be doing a nearly identical system (1ton heatpump) in another month or two....

Oh... I see that one is 115VAC - I was expecting a 220V install.

[Matt Meiser]

My parents are in the process of having a Mitusbishi Mr. Slim system installed in their house. Its not up and running yet, but it looks well designed. One really nice feature is that one outdoor unit can support multiple indoor units. Their installation will have 6 indoor units. Each is a heat pump and allows temperature control in the individual room. The biggest disadvantage over a central hvac system is that the units take up wall space and are less appealing visually than a register. However the install in their 1860's house is much simpler and won't require building chases and bulkheads for ductwork.

At least around here they are available through Home Depot's HVAC installation program, though they didn't go that route.

[Will Rowland]

My parents are in the process of having a Mitusbishi Mr. Slim system installed in their house. Its not up and running yet, but it looks well designed. One really nice feature is that one outdoor unit can support multiple indoor units. Their installation will have 6 indoor units. Each is a heat pump and allows temperature control in the individual room.

One word of advice, as I learned the hard way. If you have multiple indoor units on a single outdoor unit, the ONLY way to ensure the correct amount of refrigerant is in the entire system is to evacuate it all and weight it back in, which requires the AC tech to calculate how much refrigerant should be in the tubing, evaporator coils and condenser.

At least in Houston, this math seems to be beyond the capabilities of most AC techs, as is the concept of weighing out the refrigerant. You absolutely cannot use gauges to accurately check the charge on a multi-unit indoor mini-split. 5 different companies tried to troubleshoot a poorly performing multi-split system we had on a garage apt (by using gauges) before I finally called Sanyo tech support and discovered the charge must be calculated and then weighed out. Once we found someone to help us go through that process, the difference in system performance was amazing.

[Larry Craft]

We installed a new 4 ton heat pump in our home last year and at the same time installed a 2 unit Mr. Slim in the basement. The power bill is way down, the comfort level is way up, the problems have been non exsistant, we are happy cammpers.

[Justin Jump]

I was on a post a month or two ago about this, and I was originally going to order a Mr. Slim, but locally, it was close to $4K with install. acwholesalers.com has it for $1600.

Then - I was just going to purchase and install myself, and just have an HVAC Tech do the final purge and hookup of the lineset - guess what, as with ALL mini split systems, unless you pay and get an installer to fill out the warranty card - NO Warranty.

I can't find any in my area willing to do this - for then they take on the Warranty.

So- that left me with a big decision to drop @ $2K for a good system, and basically throw away the warranty - or get a cheaper model.

That led me to find the heatandcool.com site that has the Klimaire 12,000 BTU model for a relatively cheap price.

[Matt Meiser]

So what will you do when it needs service? Will anyone locally work on it? Will you be able to get parts?

$4K sounds expensive for a single unit Mr. Slim system. My parents are installing 6 in a 150+ year old house (meaning nothing is easy for these guys) and only paying a little more than 2.5x that. Granted I've never priced a single, but I'd shop around a little. They got 2 quotes and there was a 10% differential.

[Justin Jump]

I had two quotes. One for $4200 and the other for $3850. Both chose the 12,000 BTU Mr. Slim.....

I need heat - I added plumobing to my shop, so the tools are on hold for now until I can get the heat worked out.

I'm sure I can get service work - just won't have a Warranty.

[Chris Damm]

I had a Daikin 16,000btu unit installed 2 years ago for $2500. It has a SEER of 16.3 and has worked flawlessly for heat and cool in temps as low as 15° and as high as 107°. I provided the 220v conection and they did the rest including permits.

[Jim Andrew]

Found this ad on craigslist. Prices look good. But haven't bought anything from them. It is welcomehvac.com

[Matt Neil]

I'm curious how the mini split is wired. Do you run an outlet near the ceiling where the fan is and on the wall by the outside unit? I lived in the Caribbean for a few years and we had a mini split AC in the apartment. Didn't pay much attention to how it was connected back then. They were everywhere. Got that one used for $400.

[Matt Meiser]

The Mr. Slim indoor unit gets wired back to the outdoor unit. The only power connections to the system are through that. Electrician and I were just discussing that over the weekend since we'd like to see it put on their generator.

[Chris Damm]

I'm curious how the mini split is wired. Do you run an outlet near the ceiling where the fan is and on the wall by the outside unit? I lived in the Caribbean for a few years and we had a mini split AC in the apartment. Didn't pay much attention to how it was connected back then. They were everywhere. Got that one used for $400.

Here by code a disconect is required at the compressor (outside). There is no need for anything inside except a hole through the wall for the low voltage wiring and the pipes and it is behind the wall unit.

[Justin Jump]

@ Matt.....

I planned for a mini split during construction, so I had most everything planned out....

I ran 10/3 to a junction box in the ceiling of the first floor of my addition, it's 2 story, garage below, workshop on top.

Though 10/3 is a bit overkill, you never know what might lead 20+ years down the road. Most mini splts need 10/2, some are even pulling low enough that 12/2 will work.

From the junction, I ran conduit to the outisde disconnect and depending on which unit I purchase (still have not done so, ran out of $$$), will depend on the final connection, whether for 115 or 220.....

From the disconnect, you run power to the outdoor unit. From the outdoor unit, you run the lineset, and what they call the "control wire" to the indoor unit. This control wire is usually 4 conductor, 14AWG. This just controls all the settings, heat, cool, etc....

FYI, I am not HVAC by any means, I plan on installing the unti myslef, so I did so reading up on mini splits. I did find a local tech to purge, charge and make the final connections, just not to big on filling out any warranty cards.....