Best Mini split

[lightning02]

Looking into getting a mini split for addition I added onto my house. What are some good ones to go with? Don't want no junk. I live in FL in that means anything. I need two head units and one outside unit

I was told about the NTXMMX20A122AA. But not sure about it. I dont know much about these since this is my first mini split

 

[shade]

Youll get lots of opinions.
Mr Cool has been great. Arizona summers, 3 so far and they have been solid.

 

[lightning02]

Youll get lots of opinions.
Mr Cool has been great. Arizona summers, 3 so far and they have been solid.

Which mr cool do you have?

 

[MushCreek]

I have two Mitsubishi Hyperheat units. I don't remember the model numbers offhand. We've been using them exclusively to heat and cool our house for 8 years. They have been amazing; super efficient and quiet. BUT- I have had trouble with the main one, which is 12K BTU. It developed a leak in the inside coil. They no longer made that head unit, but I was able to get the coil for $190. It was a real bear to install. It developed another slow leak which I was unable to find, so out of desperation, I put some stop-leak in the system, which has been holding for two years now.

The A/C guy I had recharge it said mini-splits don't last all that long, 5-7 years is typical. Our house is too energy-efficient for a central system as they don't make them that small. Total load is only 12K BTU, which is 1 ton. I just installed a cheap 12K Blue Ridge in an outbuilding for occasional use. Time will tell if it holds up.

 

[lightning02]

I have two Mitsubishi Hyperheat units. I don't remember the model numbers offhand. We've been using them exclusively to heat and cool our house for 8 years. They have been amazing; super efficient and quiet. BUT- I have had trouble with the main one, which is 12K BTU. It developed a leak in the inside coil. They no longer made that head unit, but I was able to get the coil for $190. It was a real bear to install. It developed another slow leak which I was unable to find, so out of desperation, I put some stop-leak in the system, which has been holding for two years now.

The A/C guy I had recharge it said mini-splits don't last all that long, 5-7 years is typical. Our house is too energy-efficient for a central system as they don't make them that small. Total load is only 12K BTU, which is 1 ton. I just installed a cheap 12K Blue Ridge in an outbuilding for occasional use. Time will tell if it holds up

Thanks for the into Creek. ***** to hear they don't lost long. All the research I did no one stated that about them.

 

[Notgrownup]

Alpine home aire is who I bought my 18000 btu 18 SEER Blueridge and 9000 PTAC from. Has run flawlessly for 3 years in my shop nonstop now, I use the PTAC in my sunroom when I need

 

[jjrbus]

I live in the Devils waiting room also. When I looked into this I found the "best" units are Mitsubishi, Fujitsu, both are number 1 depending on who you talk to. Runner up is Daikin. For DIY it is Mr Cool. Daikin is the runner up because it does not have the bells and whistles of the #1 units, the quality is great. Also note most of the DIY type videos by professionals are one of these 3 brands.

Gov energy mandates have screwed up the HVAC market like they did portable gas cans. A quick way to reduce energy usage is with thinner copper in the coils. Thinner copper transmits energy quicker. Mitsubishi, Fujitsu and Daikin use thicker copper, no idea on Mr Cool. This is why most of the units sold today are not going to have 20 year expected life spans.

Before buying a mini research cleaning mini splits, the blower wheels are made from a porous plastic which allows mold to grow on blower wheels in hot humid areas. I have to remove the wheel on my main unit and clean it once a year. The bag on the wall and sprayer just do not do a good job!

My non expert opinion and worth what you are paying for it.

 

[yeldogt]

Not surprising proper install is very important. Another item often overlooked is "careful". Mini-splits have an inherent weak spot with the lines coming out of the head unit. You can't just grab them and bend .... they need to be treated with care as the connection point to the heat exchanger can be damaged. Modern HVAC equipment works at very high pressures and efficiency is gained with thinner wall copper tubing .... bad combination if overstressed or bent around too much. This is a common leak area after a few years. It's more of a concern with the less expensive units --- they have less support structure in that area. The first Mr. Cools had the line set attached to the head and from what I understand many failed (leaked) due to over stress at install. The long line set made being carful almost impossible.

Pros who do a lot of installs recommend Mitsubishi as #1 and Fujitsu as a #2 ... lots of guys don't want to deal with the others. Daikin has made great inroads in some parts of the country. Back in 2005 I did an LG for a writers cabin on a property I bought and it's never been touched .... although it's not worked very hard. I also did a Fujitsu for the loft of a barn conversion back in 2012. Things change ,,,,, Today, I would most likely only do a Mitsubishi if I was paying for the install. That's what I have mostly .... I did the Fujitsu mostly because the head unit at the time was not as wide and fit where I needed it to go. Much deeper .... that did not matter for the install.

Now for the rest. If you look at the vast majority of "no name" mini splits out there you will see that they all come from Asia and the vast majority come from China .... Thailand and Vietnam have factories making them as well. Toshiba has a big factory there and they make a lot of the compressors. I'm not knocking these units -- millions and millions of them are all over the world. It's a question of use and value .. I have what would be called a premium no-name at my place in Africa ...

In a lot of situations for someone wanting to put one in themselves -- the Mr. Cool type fully DIY are very compelling in utility setting. I want to do one just to do it .. great value and they have a good warranty. Having been around many of these no name units for decades they just keep getting better and the differences between them and the big guys gets smaller and smaller. That said --- the Mitsubishi are the nicest. The wall unit with the eye and split outlets is just the best out there .... and it's even quieter. Would this be something that the vast majority of people would even notice? My guess is no ..... but, if you are going to pay to have one done -- the difference in equipment on a bid is often small.

Same goes for the non DYI if you have the skill and equipment .... it comes down to the location and overall cost. For inside my home I'm going to want a Mitsubishi in a critical area -- like a living room or family room. More utility area -- not as important. In cold climates your choices drop ... the Mr Cools drop off where the Hyper heats don't.

To the OP .... Read up on the multi head and understand how they work and get a proper load done. I have two of these systems and they work great and can be the correct choice. Y

 

[lightning02]

I will not be doing the install. A professional is. So I wouldn't be needing a DIY kit.

 

[lightning02]

Can someone go into about what the "hyper" stuff is? I don't see anything with that anywhere. Not sure what that's referring to? If it's just heat related? Bc I live in FL. We never use the heat. Maybe once every 5 years if that. I'm sure some do but we don't.

 

[yeldogt]

Can someone go into about what the "hyper" stuff is? I don't see anything with that anywhere. Not sure what that's referring to? If it's just heat related? Bc I live in FL. We never use the heat. Maybe once every 5 years if that. I'm sure some do but we don't.

You will not need the hyper .... for the heat. In some situations the better compressors are still advisable in some lines.

Did you get any prices? Loads done? When you say addition -- what are the rooms ?

 

[fishscales83]

Hyper heat is the Mitsubishi super cold weather line. Mini splits loose heating ability as the outdoor air gets colder. Hyper heat line is designed to heat into the single digits, if I remember correctly, at close to full capacity.

 

[Git]

The A/C guy I had recharge it said mini-splits don't last all that long, 5-7 years is typical. .

I installed a Mr Slim in July of 2014 and have had ZERO problems. 24k System with a 18k unit in the garage and a 6k unit in an adjoining room. My total out of pocket costs was $4,400 and at this point I feel I certainly have got my moneys worth

 

[lightning02]

You will not need the hyper .... for the heat. In some situations the better compressors are still advisable in some lines.

Did you get any prices? Loads done? When you say addition -- what are the rooms ?

Total sqft is about 750. It was one room. I split it. One part became family room and one room became a sitting room for the master bedroom. Its not split in the middle. The family room is bigger then the sitting room. No loads done since I just got to this stage.

 

[thammel]

I have 2 mitsubishi Mr Slims. They have been installed and working well for about 5 years. They have been great!

 

[lightning02]

Whats the best model that mitsubishi makes? Whether it be the Mr slim or the h2i or whatnot. Which is the best?

 

[Jackfre]

I have three units in my home. Two singles and a dual. One single is now 7 yrs old the others 13. No problems. I was in a local HVAC guys office some time back. He has a mini-split in that office. I said, “Dave, that thing looks pretty rough.” He said that back in the early 80’s his distributor wanted him to try mini-splits. They gave him taht Sanyo unit. Back then Sanyo and Mitsu were the only players. Daikin dipped their toe into the US market twice back then. Twice all the Japanese Daikin folks got another a plane and flew to Japan walking away from the US market and customers. Anyway, Dave said put that mini in his office and never touched it, including never cleaning it. I was amazed and it keeps cooling the office. Mini-splits are excellent equipment, in the right hands. I have Fujitsu’s. I represented them in a 6 state area. Mitsubishi is #1 in the US market. Fujitsu #2. Fujitsu, when I was with them, always had a bit of a price advantage choosing to let Mitsubishi lead on the marketing side.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Mitsubishi or Fujitsu. Many options !

Buyer beware ! An educated consumer is a happy consumer.

 

[mogandave]

I have four Carriers, two Yorks and a Mitsu, they've all been good. Oldest units are the Yorks at abour 20 years.

To be clear, the cassette/ceiling units are much better than that wall-mount units.

 

[yeldogt]

Whats the best model that Mitsubishi makes? Whether it be the Mr slim or the h2i or whatnot. Which is the best?

Mr Slim is a name Mitsubishi does use in parts of the world ..... they did use it here in the USA -- but -- I don't think any more.

IMO -- the "best" wall head is the Mitsubishi with the split vanes on the front and the "eye" . The duel vane unit moves the air around better and the eye will follow people and you can have to unit set to blow on you or not. It works as an occupancy sensor as well. If the unit is in the middle of a wall it can push the air left and right in a way the others can't

They also have a new ceiling unit that's designed more for a residence -- also with an eye.

The hyper heats refer to the outdoor unit -- the condenser. The hypers have items like pan heaters -- compressor warmers -- larger condensor area .... all set up to give you better proformance in cold weather. The inside units are just exchangers -- it's not like a traditional split AC/Heat pump where the refrigerant has a metering device inside .... all the action is happening outside with a mini.

So -- the same head can be on a hyper and a non hyper.

 

[yeldogt]

I have three units in my home. Two singles and a dual. One single is now 7 yrs old the others 13. No problems. I was in a local HVAC guys office some time back. He has a mini-split in that office. I said, “Dave, that thing looks pretty rough.” He said that back in the early 80’s his distributor wanted him to try mini-splits. They gave him taht Sanyo unit. Back then Sanyo and Mitsu were the only players. Daikin dipped their toe into the US market twice back then. Twice all the Japanese Daikin folks got another a plane and flew to Japan walking away from the US market and customers. Anyway, Dave said put that mini in his office and never touched it, including never cleaning it. I was amazed and it keeps cooling the office. Mini-splits are excellent equipment, in the right hands. I have Fujitsu’s. I represented them in a 6 state area. Mitsubishi is #1 in the US market. Fujitsu #2. Fujitsu, when I was with them, always had a bit of a price advantage choosing to let Mitsubishi lead on the marketing side.

Sanyo was the biggest player years ago -- all over the world you saw them. Back in the day they were all R12 (I think) straight AC and not modulating. Originally -- these were for AC. Most of the world does not build houses like we do in the USA .. wood with windows. You would see the HP models back in the early 90's ... but still not modulating.

It seems when the big change occurred and everybody went modulating and HP -- they fell down. I did an LG Art cool in the mid OO's with good results ... but they had leak problems.

 

[MattN03]

We retrofitted 2 Daikins in 2 upstairs bedrooms during a major home remodel as one HP served the basement, 1st, and 2nd floors. The Daikins are going on 2 years old and overall they've been just fine. We notice more odors upstairs, and I think it's because they don't have an actual carbon filter system and don't filter the air as well as a central HVAC system. Our Daikins don't have programmable thermostats so they can't be set to go to a certain temperature at a certain time of the day like our central HVAC thermostat can. Those have been our only 2 real gripes. They keep the rooms comfortable, and have never had an issue with enough heat, even when it's close to 0*F (not often in central KY).

 

[Jackfre]

It is imperative taht the drain line be installed in a fashion that allows complete drainage of the pan. If you end up with a wet pan in a humid climate it is likely taht you will develop a mold/mildew issue in the evap. A lot of times it is best to bring the drain off the opposite side of the evap from the refrigerant lines. It is quite common when bringing the drain line and Refrig lines across the back to try to close the evap on the backing plate and end up pushing the drain line up and be unaware that you have done so.

 

[finn]

I’ve been happy with my Mitsubishi units. The older three head unit is used for heat in the shoulder seasons and cooling in the summer.

The newer unit is in a basement room and, being a hyper heat, has been regularly used for heating all winter.

When I bought the newer hyper unit, the seer of a single head unit was a lot higher than a multi head unit. Cassette units all had poorer performance than wall units.

It was also cheaper at the time to go with multiple single head units rather than one larger multi head unit like I had installed in the older part of the house a few years prior.

 

[PoorUB]

Comparing Sanyo in the mix is like comparing a Hudson to a modern, well pretty much any automobile. Back when Sanyo was in the game the units were simple, a couple relays and a control board in the indoor unit mostly for the remote control. Yes they were great units, but times have changed.

About the time the inverter units came out Panasonic bought out Sanyo and wanted to be the biggest player in the market. I worked for a wholesaler that sold them. In the last couple years Panasonic has made major changes in distribution in the USA. The company I worked for they were our main mini split line, they dropped to a far second last year. We brought on Gree as a send line a couple years back and they moved to the #1 spot and as a company we couldn't have been happier. They are a great unit and support is awesome.

 

[monkeyspanners]

Not sure what is available in your market but we having been fitting a lot of Toshiba units the last few years with zero issues, 5 or 7 year warranty depending on installers accreditation. Daikin seem to have lost their way quality wise, also Fujitsu very poor coils, had loads leak under warranty so no longer fit them. (note you may get different spec and models there compared to out EU versions)

 

[justinjoyal]

I have two Mitsubishi Hyperheat units. I don't remember the model numbers offhand. We've been using them exclusively to heat and cool our house for 8 years. They have been amazing; super efficient and quiet. BUT- I have had trouble with the main one, which is 12K BTU. It developed a leak in the inside coil. They no longer made that head unit, but I was able to get the coil for $190. It was a real bear to install. It developed another slow leak which I was unable to find, so out of desperation, I put some stop-leak in the system, which has been holding for two years now.

The A/C guy I had recharge it said mini-splits don't last all that long, 5-7 years is typical. Our house is too energy-efficient for a central system as they don't make them that small. Total load is only 12K BTU, which is 1 ton. I just installed a cheap 12K Blue Ridge in an outbuilding for occasional use. Time will tell if it holds up.

Stop-leak is a no-no. You're lucky if you're not having EXV problems.

5-7 years ? We see 15+ yo old mini-splits all the time. If your unit only lasts 5-7 years there's a problem.

OP : Stick to the big names and get a quality install. Being in FL, "hyperheat" is pretty much useless.

 

[lightning02]

Thanks for all the info guys. Please keep it coming. The more the better!

 

[jjrbus]

 

[shade]

Which mr cool do you have?

2 DIY 24k units and 1 24k Olympus

 

[mogandave]

When running splits for cooling, it is important that they are configured such that they drain completely.

A few of the benefits of ceiling units are that they:
Use a prop-fan rather than a wheel/squirrel-cage fan.
Fan generally does not get wet.
Condensate is pumped out rather than depending on gravity.

If you have a wall unit, it is a good idea to run it in fan mode for a couple hours every now an then to dry them out.

 

[Firebrick43]

When I was in japan for a year, there was nothing but mini splits, most(maybe 80 percent) were mitsubishi. Most were definately over 5-7 years old. I don't remember one failure in the barracks in that year, maybe 300 units, all installed about 10 years previous at that point, all mr slims.

I never saw a central ac unit there in japan.

cant say I saw anything but minisplits either in korea, phillipines, kuwait, iraq(most not working for obvious reasons) Saw lots of LG outside of japan.

 

[lightning02]

Whats the proper way to set it up to drain correctly/completely like stated above? Just so I have some insight on that to ask the installer.

 

[yeldogt]

Whats the proper way to set it up to drain correctly/completely like stated above? Just so I have some insight on that to ask the installer.

The wall units use gravity .... if on the inside wall you need to use a pump designed for them.

The ceiling units use the fan pressure ... that what mine use. They will only lift a short distance -- enough

 

[lightning02]

The wall units use gravity .... if on the inside wall you need to use a pump designed for them.

The ceiling units use the fan pressure ... that what mine use. They will only lift a short distance -- enough

It's on the outside wall. Both head units will be outside wall mounted. The compressor is only 10ft from first head unit and 20ft from the 2nd head unit.

 

[chinboys]

The best mini-split is one that you can get parts for if needed as well as having an HVAC tech who is reliable to troubleshoot it when you have a problem.
Most of the problems are from installers who aren't certified to install hence voiding the warranty.

Many brands are decent these days and built by robots with little human involvement. Also are tested during and after their assembly too.

Look for the highest SEER rating, scroll type compressors, etc as their operating costs per season will determine what brand you buy.

I am partial to LG brand myself and know enough to install as well as maintain the units I own.

Good luck.

 

[jjrbus]

When running splits for cooling, it is important that they are configured such that they drain completely.

A few of the benefits of ceiling units are that they:
Use a prop-fan rather than a wheel/squirrel-cage fan.
Fan generally does not get wet.
Condensate is pumped out rather than depending on gravity.

If you have a wall unit, it is a good idea to run it in fan mode for a couple hours every now an then to dry them out.

The fans in my daikins run 24/7 and for hours at a time without the compressor running. It is the plastic, the plastic is porous! The mold will grow on the blower wheel but not on the housing around it or in the drain pan or on the coils. The housing plastic and coils are solid not porous.

 

[RAS61]

My brother in law sells commercial HVAC and likes Mitsubishi, I've had a system for about 10 years without a problem

 

[lightning02]

My brother in law sells commercial HVAC and likes Mitsubishi, I've had a system for about 10 years without a problem

I'm having trouble getting a mitsubishi. Everyone is out of them or they have them on order but don't know when they will get them in. Does your brother in law have any we can purchase or does he only see to local people/companies?

 

[mogandave]

The fans in my daikins run 24/7 and for hours at a time without the compressor running. It is the plastic, the plastic is porous! The mold will grow on the blower wheel but not on the housing around it or in the drain pan or on the coils. The housing plastic and coils are solid not porous.

The fans in all my Carrier units are galvanized, and all the coils are copper. The wheel-fans in the wall units still get gunked up. The prop-fans in the cassette units stay clean and dry, but for a little dust.

You can get tablets you drop in the pan that are suppose to kill the growth and facilitate better draining.