Bought a Senville mini split... wish me luck!

[ncfireman1918]

I've been casually shopping mini splits for a few years now, but didn't want to pull the trigger because mini split money also spends nicely on tools and car parts! I can just be hot or cold while I work in my shop. I travel a lot for work, and ended up taking money from Delta over the summer to give up my seat on a flight. I've done it before, but I've never made 2 grand on it before. Score!! Delta just bought a mini split for my shop! I was strongly considering Mrcool DIY, but when you start factoring in shipping and other factors, those get expensive quick. I started researching and ran across Senville. There are quite a few members on here who have used them with good success, so I felt comfortable. I was able to buy on Amazon for just over $1000 with free shipping. The unit arrived last week via FedEx Freight, and is now sitting in my shop on a pallet while I gather my electrical supplies, a pad and other odds and ends to finish the install. I'm hoping for good results. My shop is 30x40 with a 12' peak on the ceiling. Most of the calculators put me between 18k and 24k BTU. Based on a ton of reading, I went with the lower number (18k) to slightly undersize the unit for the space. I'm hoping that I don't regret the decision, but it DID save me $200 on the purchase price. I'm hoping to get this install started over the weekend, and I'll definitely update here with some pics and progress. I was just excited to share with someone, and this group was most likely to share in my excitement. Thanks for reading!

 

[dcg9381]

I have two Daikins, 24k. Shop is 40x60x16 in Texas. Moderate foam insulation (open cell, 3") but some big poorly-insulated roll up doors. Does the job here. My guess is that this will be one of your favorite improvements.

What they won't do is heat worth a darn below 30 degrees ambient... Heating BTUs drop off pretty fast below that. Bigger issue for you in NC, but easy to compensate with resistive heat or propane.

 

[ncfireman1918]

Good to know on the heating. I guess I'll just have to see how it works out. I returned an on-wall blue flame propane heater a couple of years ago. It heated well, but the whole cracking a door for make up air, combined with the damned thing giving me a headache just like our ventless logs didn't make me happy. It was a surprise Christmas gift from my wife for my (then) new shop. I'm STILL hearing about returning that one! I never mention it being cold in my shop, because that stupid heater always comes up.

 

[dcg9381]

I have "ventless" on wall heaters for "backup" at the home (considering the massive power outage in 2021). I haven't had any issues with them, but I'm not sensitive to propane.

 

[ipgenie]

I got a little $599 Senville on Amazon for my home office this year. It's been fantastic for cooling and only cost me about $6.50 per month to run. This one is only rated for heating down to 5 degrees F so probably not the greatest for heating but that's not what I got it for. There are enough routers/switches/computers/etc in there to handle most of the winter heat needs.
What I am most impressed with is their customer service. A real person who speaks good English always answers the phone and they are very good to help. I called with a few questions and got good clear answers. I called again because I couldn't get the app on my phone to connect and they had me check the USB port where the wifi adapter goes. It was empty and wasn't supposed to be included in the package I bought. The adapter is listed on their site for sale but he just took my address and sent one out at no cost.
I'm planning on installing one of their -22 degree units in the shop for heating this winter. Hopefully it will be a good fit for most of my needs. I just need to get the walls buttoned up enough to mount it this fall so it'll be nice and comfy to work on finishing up the construction this winter.

 

[metlmunchr]

Remember in areas where it gets seriously cold in the winter, a heat pump has to be sized for the heating load rather than the cooling load. Unfortunately, most of the mini split brands don't seem to give detailed performance data that would show the heat output at various winter conditions similar to the info available from Carrier, Trane, Goodman, etc on their standard heat pump equipment.

Real world example. My detached garage is about 1000 sq ft. Concrete block with exterior (non insulating) stucco. The shop area is about 700 sq ft, heated and cooled, with R19 overhead and R6 foam board applied to two 9x7 overhead doors. Remainder is unconditioned storage with continuous partition between that area and the shop space.

Prior to installing the mini, a 6000 BTU window unit would cool the space to 70F when the outside temp is 90F, about as hot as it gets here on a regular basis. A 5kW electric heater was more than enough to hold 65F when it's 20F outside. 5 kW is 17,000 BTU. Based on heating load, I went with an 18K BTU mini and it does a good job. If I'd sized it based on cooling load, half that size would've been more than adequate.

 

[Mzungu]

It took me 5 years and lots of research before I finally caved and bought one. I find that the dollar to performance value for the Senville units are quite good. When comparing them to Mitsubishi they are a third of the price, as well as you can DIY the Senville if you choose. Albeit no warranty on the DIY. I will have two 18k Aura (-22F) units in my 1970's walk out basement style house. The 1000 sq ft upper floor has a wall mount which I self installed 3 years ago and has been performing flawlessly since. Heat wise it keeps up until about 0F and then performance starts falling off, which most ASHP do. I like it enough that I am installing a floor mount Aura unit in the fully finished 900 sq ft walkout basement. They are great for the shoulder seasons in my climate and a backup system is necessary in which I utilize a wood stove and a electric furnace. My climate is zone 6 Canada in a leaky house. In NC with the Senville Aura I doubt you will even need a backup unless there is a power outage. If you bought the Leto series then probably a backup is required for the coldest days.

 

[kaymccampbell]

I installed a Senville unit in a friend's store a few weeks ago. It went well. The little Bluetooth dongle was bad, but otherwise the unit seems ok. They seem physically identical to the Pioneer units. Make sure you have an adapter to go from 1/4 to 5/16 UNC, so you can hook up your gauge set and pump. Also, be wary of the lineset. It's not the best annealed copper, so it helps to have a bender, or a gentle touch. And do it with a friend. It helps to have a supporting hand when fighting the lines through the wall.

 

[Mzungu]

Forgot to mention the cooling. The last two summers we have had multiple weeks in the low to mid 90's and the 18k kept the whole top floor in the low 70's. In my area no one has mini splits so whenever we have summer visitors they are amazed by how cool the house stays.

 

[yeldogt]

Humidity is a big factor in many parts of the country .... the 18k should be fine as you will want to have it set to run all the time to keep the humidity down.

Mini splits being Variable Speed do a great job w/ humidity. Many of the common brands you see are all made in China by the same company .... it's impossible to figure what is inside, In South Africa they units are sold where you can get them with longer warranty ... or a named Compressor for an up-charge. Like buying a water heater in the USA. How much is a Honeywell control ? Is the water heater with the 10year warranty better than the 8 year ? or are you just paying for the warranty time.

 

[TTTTTT]

Installed a senville 24 k a out 7 years ago in 1000 Sq ' loft space above my garage. Extremely well insulated gambrel design. Not the primary heat source. It heats and cools quite well . Below freezing heats well. Did the install myself. No issues.

 

[CapriMikeC]

I installed 2 Senvilles on my 1500 sq ft shop. Write up here: https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/a-tale-of-two-mini-splits.500551/

So far, they work very well. I need better insulation to keep electric costs down.

 

[ncfireman1918]

Thanks all for the replies and positive experiences. CapriMikeC - I have read over your install thread a few times, and honestly it was one of the posts that convinced me to go this direction. Luckily we don't get too cold in the winter in my part of NC. It occasionally dips into the teens, and we might see a single digit temp once every few years. I'll be using the Senville as primary heat for now, but as long as it can keep the shop in the 55 degree ballpark, I can comfortably work in there. As for humidity, which we have a ton of, I've been running a cheap Haier dehumidifier from Costco for about 3 years. I keep the humidity around 40% in the shop, mainly because I started seeing rust on some of my tools about 6 months after I built the shop. I have not had any trouble with it since I put the dehumidifier in. The only trouble I've ever had out of it is that the filter has clogged twice. Both times it was because I'd forgotten to clean it. Between that and the mini split, I should have good dehumidification. I am collecting my electrical and other supplies to get this thing started. Of COURSE I'm installing AC just as the hot part of the year is winding down. Sure could have used that when we were working on my son's car and truck over the summer!

 

[Raisedonadeere]

Thanks all for the replies and positive experiences. CapriMikeC - I have read over your install thread a few times, and honestly it was one of the posts that convinced me to go this direction. Luckily we don't get too cold in the winter in my part of NC. It occasionally dips into the teens, and we might see a single digit temp once every few years. I'll be using the Senville as primary heat for now, but as long as it can keep the shop in the 55 degree ballpark, I can comfortably work in there. As for humidity, which we have a ton of, I've been running a cheap Haier dehumidifier from Costco for about 3 years. I keep the humidity around 40% in the shop, mainly because I started seeing rust on some of my tools about 6 months after I built the shop. I have not had any trouble with it since I put the dehumidifier in. The only trouble I've ever had out of it is that the filter has clogged twice. Both times it was because I'd forgotten to clean it. Between that and the mini split, I should have good dehumidification. I am collecting my electrical and other supplies to get this thing started. Of COURSE I'm installing AC just as the hot part of the year is winding down. Sure could have used that when we were working on my son's car and truck over the summer!

I installed a Senville Sena 18K ceiling cassette version in my 24x36 10' ceiling garage two winters ago and it is the ticket, the Sena version heats down to several degrees below zero according to the specs. The Sena is the "hyper heat" version. It is super quiet and a week or two of near zero gave no hint of falling off the pace. It appears to be identical hardware to the Mr Cool unit I have, and I hear it is identical to the pioneer. I heat my garage 24/7 since the running cost is so low.

Just go to Sena.com to see prices. I would rather buy through them than Amazon.

 

[metlmunchr]

Don't run the dehumidifier along with the mini. The mini has a 'dry' mode which allows it to operate as a dehumidifier. A portable dehumidifier pumps all the latent heat of vaporization that happens as moisture is condensed right back into the space. The mini will send this same heat to the outside via the condenser. IOW, operating both at the same time is the equivalent of operating a heater and an A/C in the same space at the same time.

 

[glennm]

I installed a 12k senville in the 700 sq ft loft above my garage A couple of years ago. It has worked great, exceeded my expectations. I did the install myself and hired a guy to pump it down and test with nitrogen ($150). I like it so much I’m considering one for the house

Mini Split Install

Hi: I am going to be installing a 12,000 btu senville mini split and I have a few questions. This will be for a loft over my garage, the garage has heating (radiant tube) and the loft is an extra space (650 sq ft with 10 ft vaulted ceiling) and will be used if we have visitors that wish to...

www.garagejournal.com

 

[PWC Repair]

I recently installed a Senville 'Leto" series in an RV! My son is living in a 38ft 5th wheel with 4 slide outs. We were still mild in November and the furnace (maybe 60% efficient) was going through a 40# bottle a week. Got the mini split installed maybe a week before the arctic air blast came down. we spent 2 days in the single digits BUT the first night was -9 with wind chill at -19. He told me the gas furnace kicked on about every hour.....which was about as often as the Senville went into defrost. In the single digits through the day the Senville was holding 74* in the RV all by itself without the gas furnace ever kicking on. Fit and finish seems real nice, indoor and outdoor units both are SUPER quiet,.......so far so good!

 

[ncfireman1918]

I can't believe I have had this mini split sitting in boxes in my shop for this long! I still have not gotten around to installing it. My son's "race" car (1991 Camaro Z28 - He's 14, drag racing in a teen street car division) "needed" an LS swap during the off-season. I'm hoping to have that thing finished up by this weekend, then I am cleaning and reorganizing my disaster of a shop, and installing the Senville. It's amazing how much life can get in the way, and frustrating when all you seem to get accomplished is to work on projects IN the shop, as opposed to working ON the shop!

 

[mikebentley.pei@gmail]

I've installed a couple of these Senville mini splits in my detached garages. One 12000 BTU Senville for my 22x24 Garage, and an 18000 BTU (Aura) for my new workshop 20x34, I did the install myself for both. There are lots of great step by step youtube videos. The first one I had an HVAC tech come out and vacuum the lines, I ended up picking up a vac off of Amazon for the latest install. These Senville mini splits are great, I like them better than my so-called top of the line Diakin's in the main house. Located in Eastern Canada, solid for winter and summer. You wont be disappointed!