I didn't want to make another thread about these units, but I finally got the one I ordered. I got an 18,000 BTU 15 SEER heat pump... This one:
http://www.alpinehomeair.com/viewproduct.cfm?productID=453067105
The price when I ordered back on March 20th was $645, with an estimated ship date of May 15th(on backorder)... that changed to May 30th, then June 1st, and finally June 12th(they finally got stock). I have a hard time being upset about it because the price was so low.
They jacked the price up close to what they charge for the more efficient units while it was on backorder, but they honored the lower price for my order. At first I thought they upped the price on the backordered 15 SEER units so they could move more of the more efficient units they did have in stock, but the price never came back down.
While I was waiting on this one for my garage, I installed a 12k BTU Daikin A/C(no heat) upstairs in my house, so I got a little experience installing before it got here.
The Daikin costs more, but I want reliable air conditioning in my house, I'll live if the garage is hot. That said, I did notice a few things quality-wise:
1. The Daikin manual has detailed dimensions and measurements for mounting the interior unit mounting plate and locating the hole for the line set, drain, and control cable to pass through. There was even a slot in the mounting plate to hook a tape measure and engraving indicating how far to measure to locate the center of the line set hole. The Blue Ridge had nothing other than the hole diameter listed. It took a few minutes and some careful measurement to figure out where it should go.
2. The Blue Ridge had the drain hose installed on the "wrong" end(opposite of everything else). The instructions didn't say how to move it to the other side. There's a wire clip on the end of it that catches a tab on the drain ******. I thought it was a hose clamp at first, then I thought I broke something. You simply twist the hose and then pull it off to remove it, then remove the rubber plug from the other end and swap the two around. Daikin has the drain hose on the "correct" side, and gives clear instructions if you want to move it.
3. The terminal strips on the indoor and outdoor units from Blue Ridge downright ****. You just about have to back the screws completely out, and even then the wires barely fit... no problem with Daikin in that regard. It would have ruined my day if I backed one out enough to drop and lose it. I used 12AWG THWN for the power wire, and it was tight. The label states that it needs 16A minimum circuit ampacity, and a 25A breaker. If one were to mistake that to mean they need 10 AWG wire, they'd have a rough time getting it wired.
4. The Blue Ridge is actually nicer than the Daikin KE as far as the thermostat goes. It has a temperature display and several indicator lights on the front indoor unit, whereas the Daikin has no display and minimal indicators
5. The Blue Ridge condenser is noticeably louder than the Daikin and makes some strange sounds when it changes speeds. I'm glad I pad mounted it rather than hanging it on the outside wall. It's not "loud" by any stretch, just not as surprisingly quiet as my Daikin.
It took me forever to get the unit vacuumed down(a couple of hours to hit 500 microns). I think I need to change the oil in my vacuum pump, and nobody that sells it was open today. At first I thought I had a leak, but I made all my own flares, used the supplied flare nuts, and used nylog on the flare faces(it's a thick, sticky, refrigerant oil type substance). Once it finally pulled down, I valved it off and it held fine. The factory flares on the line set I bought looked horrible, once wasn't even round. I've read that you should always cut them off anyway and make your own, and that nylog works much better than refrigerant oil on the flare face to get a nice tight, leak free connection.
Alpine claimed it was a rebadged Gree, but I can't find an identical unit other than this "Air-con" system:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LXK1LV8/?tag=atomicindus08-20 Then manual is identical except for the logo on the cover. Maybe Gree makes them for a lot of people.
If this thing lasts a good while, I'll be very satisfied with it. It cooled down the garage quickly, and works for now. Getting it for $650 made it an easy decision, but I might have considered other brand if it was priced at $850 when I ordered. I could have gotten a Daikin 18k heat pump for $1250 + tax, or buy two of these at $650.
Sorry for the long post. If anyone wants updates when winter comes around, I'll try to post.
