Where to buy linesets?

[bzinsky]

So I need about 900ft of line sets for mini-splits, they are so darn expensive Some of my runs are about 40ft, so a 50ft length would just be wasting 10ft, I don't want to have more connections than necessary.

What's the cheapest way to buy this in bulk? I'm fine with insulating after (obviously easier if it's pre-insulated, I'll be flaring the copper on my own, so bulk lengths are fine.

Seems like nobody sells it in bulk, not sure why.

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

Where are you located?

 

[jad3675]

Buy ACR copper from Zoro. They carry Mueller and have pretty pricing on it. Cut to length and flare. Get the insulation from wherever.

John

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

Post your location/zip code and how many of each length you need,then I can get you a price from my supplier.
You can always use shorter pieces to extend things where needed,I use up scrap pieces of lineset till they get down to about 6" long before throwing them in the barrel.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Please educate me, what are linesets?

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

Copper lines that take the Freon back/forth between outside condensing unit and inside coil.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I once saw copper tubing at habitat for humanity. IIRC There was 1/8", 1/4", 3/8" by 50'. I realize it's hit or miss and probably not a resource for the professional.

 

[Ohmthis]

Another place to check (besides online) is grainger. Pricing can be suspect sometimes, but they are used to selling to larger industrial places and may have lengths up to 500'

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

Another place to check (besides online) is grainger. Pricing can be suspect sometimes, but they are used to selling to larger industrial places and may have lengths up to 500'

I couldn't imagine trying to unroll a 500' lineset!
Hell for that matter,I couldn't imagine trying to even carry the damn thing!

 

[theoldwizard1]

I once saw copper tubing at habitat for humanity. IIRC There was 1/8", 1/4", 3/8" by 50'. I realize it's hit or miss and probably not a resource for the professional.

HVAC tubing (actually called ACR) has a higher pressure rating than standard tube.

Everything you ever wanted to know about copper tubing/"pipe"

The Copper Tube Handbook

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

HVAC tubing (actually called ACR) has a higher pressure rating than standard tube.

Everything you ever wanted to know about copper tubing/"pipe"

The Copper Tube Handbook

ACR tubing is soft/annealed L copper that's been dehydrated/capped off from factory.
Ive used Solid/rigid 3/4"(7/8" o.d ) L copper to run up the sides of houses/buildings before,much easier than trying to unroll a lineset and make it look straight at times,the 3/8" is much easier to roll out straight .

 

[theoldwizard1]

Contact Mueller Industries directly. Their catalog lists 180 lb "level wound coils". Over 2000" for 1/4", over 1000' for 3/8". They should be able to give you a distributor name.

 

[anthony666]

ACR tubing is soft/annealed L copper that's been dehydrated/capped off from factory.
Ive used Solid/rigid 3/4"(7/8" o.d ) L copper to run up the sides of houses/buildings before,much easier than trying to unroll a lineset and make it look straight at times,the 3/8" is much easier to roll out straight .

i don't do ac installs on a regular basis, but x2 on the straight L stuff, it's much better looking than an unrolled lineset .. i silver soldered all the connections

 

[fastjohnny]

I bought line sets from zoro at 30% off sale yesterday. Delivered today!

 

[theoldwizard1]

ACR tubing is soft/annealed L copper that's been dehydrated/capped off from factory.

So if you are using regular annealed L, what do you do to clean the inside before you evacuate and add refrigerant ?

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

So if you are using regular annealed L, what do you do to clean the inside before you evacuate and add refrigerant ?

The L copper I use for long/straight lines up the side of buildings is rigid/non annealed copper.
I always pump nitrogen through the lines as I silver solder them,once Im done running the lines I dump 300 lbs of nitrogen in the system and let them sit to check for leaks.
Then I throw the vacuam pump on and let it pump down the system to remove any trash or moisture in the lines.
On med gas lines we use the dehydrated rigid hvc copper that comes sealed on the ends.
We run nitrogen through it also while we silver solder it,the ends of all lines get resealed while not being worked on.

 

[brewchief]

Handling linesets over 50' gets pretty awkward.

The time spent insulating after everything is in place will probably cost more then buying everything ready to go.

900' is only 18 50 footers so I doubt many wholesalers will cut much off a quantity break. If ordered at the same time as the 18-24(I'm guessing) Mini-splits the the order should be large enough to get better pricing then one at a time.

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

I bought line sets from zoro at 30% off sale yesterday. Delivered today!

How much did you pay,size and length?
I paid like $60.00 for a 25' 3/4-3/8 lineset from my supplier last week,If I ordered 500' of different linesets Im sure I could get it for a lot less.

 

[Ohmthis]

For everyone saying run ridged copper and braze the joints. OP is using this for mini-split which is a big no no to braze any joints. On large commercial jobs where these type of units are used,its not uncommon to run your linesets off of a large coil (think spool).

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

For everyone saying run ridged copper and braze the joints. OP is using this for mini-split which is a big no no to braze any joints. On large commercial jobs where these type of units are used,its not uncommon to run your linesets off of a large coil (think spool).

Whats the difference between silver soldering a 1/4-3/8 line on mini split and silver soldering a 1/4-3/8 liquid line on a condensing unit?
I make my own swaged fittings into the lineset so I only have to solder up one side of any fitting/coupling,I also make most of my own 90s and offsets in the lineset with a ratchet bender so theyre long sweeps.
I can solder up a cap tube line a coil without plugging it up easy enough.

 

[theoldwizard1]

... I also make most of my own 90s and offsets in the lineset with a ratchet bender so they're long sweeps.

Questions for a pro. Now that mini-splits are more common, do you get more requests to run the line sets INSIDE of walls ?

If so, do you use "special" elbows for sharp corners ?

Or do you just tell the customer to run it outside and cover it up ?

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

The last 2 mini splits Ive done had the condensors mounted outside of unfinished garages ,so we were able to hide most of the line sets inside the stud spaces till they hit the attic.
The one before that was on a 2 story house that we used that cheesey looking molded plastic **** over.
Im a relative newb to the mini split systems,In the last 6 months Ive installed 5 furnaces/10 condensors and coils /2 heat pumps and coils.
In the same time frame Ive installed 2 mini splits,1 being a heat pump.
So Im still up in the air about mini split systems.
Of the 3-4 mini splits I got called out to service this past summer that others installed the common problem I found was loose flare nuts,low on Freon.
Mitsubishi seems to be the most common brand of mini split I see others install around here,Im the black sheep who sells the sea breeze version(York).
Ill have to wait and see if any of my m.s installs have any issues come this spring/summer.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Of the 3-4 mini splits I got called out to service this past summer that others installed the common problem I found was loose flare nuts, low on Freon.

Interesting ! (Also interesting that a pro would use the word "Freon" )

Mitsubishi seems to be the most common brand of mini split ...

Yep, they seem to be "king of the hill", especially for heat pump that have to work in cold climates (well, maybe not in a NE winter !) I sure wish they would sell their heat exchanger versions in the US. Then you could have radiant floor heat AND A/C from one unit !

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

Interesting ! (Also interesting that a pro would use the word "Freon" )



Yep, they seem to be "king of the hill", especially for heat pump that have to work in cold climates (well, maybe not in a NE winter !) I sure wish they would sell their heat exchanger versions in the US. Then you could have radiant floor heat AND A/C from one unit !

The term Freon has worked fine for me for many years,I suppose I could say refrigerant or 410a/r22/r134a/414b.The guys at johnstone/dey dist/cardinal supply/dennis supply/goodin co..... all seem to understand me when I say Freon.
Of course I also use other universal terms like romex and thermo stat wire.
But remember Im not really a pro any more,Im still retired .Just puttzing around helping helping out my friends and neighbors.

 

[bzinsky]

Post your location/zip code and how many of each length you need,then I can get you a price from my supplier.
You can always use shorter pieces to extend things where needed,I use up scrap pieces of lineset till they get down to about 6" long before throwing them in the barrel.

08033 Thanks, not too comfortable brazing just from what I've read, just opens up another thing to go wrong and I'd rather pay more than risk it, even if it seems ridiculous.

Lengths, really hoping a 50 footer cut in 35ft and 15ft pieces will do the 3rd and 1st floor, but I won't know until I do it

So
8x 50fts
6x 25fts

unflared

Thank you!

 

[bzinsky]

The last 2 mini splits Ive done had the condensors mounted outside of unfinished garages ,so we were able to hide most of the line sets inside the stud spaces till they hit the attic.
The one before that was on a 2 story house that we used that cheesey looking molded plastic **** over.
Im a relative newb to the mini split systems,In the last 6 months Ive installed 5 furnaces/10 condensors and coils /2 heat pumps and coils.
In the same time frame Ive installed 2 mini splits,1 being a heat pump.
So Im still up in the air about mini split systems.
Of the 3-4 mini splits I got called out to service this past summer that others installed the common problem I found was loose flare nuts,low on Freon.
Mitsubishi seems to be the most common brand of mini split I see others install around here,Im the black sheep who sells the sea breeze version(York).
Ill have to wait and see if any of my m.s installs have any issues come this spring/summer.

I went to the LG provided training course on mini-splits. The most common issue it seems is veterans that are used to sloppier tolerances working just fine. I mean I don't blame them, if you do a flare 1000 times, tighten it, and it doesn't leak a 1000 times, you'd probably do the same with these. I used to work hydraulics in the USAF, 3-5k psi of hydraulic pressure in the aircraft, and I am being more careful with these lol.

I think with these, they are like comparing f1 cars to suburbans when it comes to mechanical, electrical, and hydraulic tolerances. If I was an hvac tech I know darn well I wouldn't be oggling the manufacturer recommended procedure and specs for every little nuance, but it's needed in a 27 seer high pressure system full of circuit boards stuffed into a compact plastic case.

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

Check your private messages.

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

08033 Thanks, not too comfortable brazing just from what I've read, just opens up another thing to go wrong and I'd rather pay more than risk it, even if it seems ridiculous.

Lengths, really hoping a 50 footer cut in 35ft and 15ft pieces will do the 3rd and 1st floor, but I won't know until I do it

So
8x 50fts
6x 25fts

unflared

Thank you!

Im guessing your units are using a 3/8" liquid line and 1/2" suction line.
My cost on the 25' sets is $89.59 each plus tax/shipping
My cost on the 50' sets is $145.26 each plus tax/shipping to your location.
Let me know if that helps.
They cost quite a bit more than regular linesets,must be a supply demand thing.

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

The linesets he priced me out were sized for Mitsubishi 1 1/2-2t mini split heat pumps,let me know if youre using smaller units or non heat pumps to see if pricing is any different.

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

I went to the LG provided training course on mini-splits. The most common issue it seems is veterans that are used to sloppier tolerances working just fine. I mean I don't blame them, if you do a flare 1000 times, tighten it, and it doesn't leak a 1000 times, you'd probably do the same with these. I used to work hydraulics in the USAF, 3-5k psi of hydraulic pressure in the aircraft, and I am being more careful with these lol.

I think with these, they are like comparing f1 cars to suburbans when it comes to mechanical, electrical, and hydraulic tolerances. If I was an hvac tech I know darn well I wouldn't be oggling the manufacturer recommended procedure and specs for every little nuance, but it's needed in a 27 seer high pressure system full of circuit boards stuffed into a compact plastic case.

I always put a little rector seal on back side of any flare I make ,between it and nut.
Makes it easier to get the nuts tightened down really good.

 

[fastjohnny]

How much did you pay,size and length?
I paid like $60.00 for a 25' 3/4-3/8 lineset from my supplier last week,If I ordered 500' of different linesets Im sure I could get it for a lot less.

50' 1/4 3/8 insulated lineset was $130 IIRC. Not being "in the business" this was alot better than other online sites.

I'm sure wholesale better if one has access,

 

[fastjohnny]

I always put a little rector seal on back side of any flare I make ,between it and nut.
Makes it easier to get the nuts tightened down really good.

What's better, rector seal or nylog? Everything I read on minisplits, guys recommend the nylog.

I'm no expert, have done one mitsu, have another lined up to do.

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

Ive used the rector seal on back side of flares when installing water services for years ,its just being used as a lube to make it easier to crank the nut down easier.
Works the same on any flare nut.