Denali Aire 18,000 Btu Mini Split?

[Jakemedic]

Hello!
I was looking for some way to cool my shop.. Found this at Menards

https://www.menards.com/main/heatin...dnmshqc18/p-1569565675068-c-1497103338431.htm


Has anyone here had any experience with Denali Aire? I was planning to get a Mr. Cool DIY..... but this is hundreds cheaper. A classic case of you get what you pay for? I did notice only a 1 year warranty. Price 916.00 after 11% off. Thanks in advance for any guidance that can be provided!

 

[39CAMC]

I have a 9k Denali, installed 2 weeks ago. Install was fine, obviously no long term report yet.

DaveW

 

[chrispyny]

Well.. here is what i think.

A comparable Pioneer unit at highseer.com is $828 w/16’ lineset kit.
This unit is not $1026 - 11% making it $916, the rebate is in the form of a $110 STORE CHECK. You have to spend the ‘credit’ you are given at menards.
Sure the lineset is precharged which can be beneficial, but honestly i’d Go with a well proven company like pioneer and just pay a guy a service call to pull down a vacuum and release the freon.

 

[Ilikeike]

I've seen a couple of different brands installed in homes now,the condenser cases look exactly the same,different stickers. I have a Mr. Cool and the remote and condenser looks just like my buddies Frigidaire. The indoor wall unit looks slightly different.

I'm thinking they may all be built in the same building in Asia.

 

[Jim greengo]

Well.. here is what i think.

A comparable Pioneer unit at highseer.com is $828 w/16’ lineset kit.
This unit is not $1026 - 11% making it $916, the rebate is in the form of a $110 STORE CHECK. You have to spend the ‘credit’ you are given at menards.
Sure the lineset is precharged which can be beneficial, but honestly i’d Go with a well proven company like pioneer and just pay a guy a service call to pull down a vacuum and release the freon.

I'd say theres probably only a couple of actual manufacturers.
Lots of rebranding like everything else in the world.

 

[Notgrownup]

I bought a similar unit from Alpine home air. Blueridge branded, I chose to have a pro cut the lineset, flare, pull vac , leak check and release the Freon. I did the rest myself.

 

[yeldogt]

That looks like a decent price ....

It also looks as if the line set is attached to the head -- so only one set of quick connect at the compressor. The newest Mr. Cool setups have two sets of quick connects and separate line set. This allows more flexibility and easier install. Fishing the line set and mounting the head can be a pain with it all attached ...

You need to check the specifications. This is especially important if needing for heat. People mix up operation at low temps and output at low temps. Most of the units can run at very cold temps -- they don't have full output at low temp. So if you need 18k at zero degrees you just have to be sure you get a unit that will produce enough heat at those temps.

The pre-charged line set models are limited ... so there is always a newest and greatest model available where you need to go though the evacuate and charge procedure. It's sort of apples and oranges.

Most of the true DIY have consumer warranties. Although -- at 1k .. it would be a throw away if you have to go through the pump down to fix something serious

 

[Jakemedic]

Honestly, I haven't had very good luck with local HVAC contractors. They don't show up or return phone calls. Not really sure why. The one guy that did show up wanted 4K for a mini split. I asked about an overhead furnace, and his response was 4K. I just ran my natural gas line underground, pressure tested it, then did the black pipe inside the building and am pressure testing that currently. Instead of spending that kind of money, I can easily do an overhead furnace in natural gas AND an inexpensive mini split DIY for cooling. Although I may have a look at an uncharged line set and see if the local plumbing supply house can recommend someone to do the finish work. I believe one of the online vendors had recommendations for local contractors finish set up.

I appreciate everyone's input as usual. I will post what I actually end up doing.

 

[Jackfre]

There are dozens and dozens of manuf of mini-splits around the world. We are about the only ones cooling by blowing heat through tubes. None of the American equipment manuf make their own mini-splits, except for Goodman which is now owned by Daikin. I want to have parts support on my equipment, but then again, at 10-12 yrs old, why try to fix it with labor rates where they are. It costs a lot to run a good hvac company. I always recommend the major brands having been affiliated with them, but for the cost of the OP's unit...how wrong can you go.

 

[SALIV8]

I was able to get rebates from the electric company. Check for rebates also!

 

[Jakemedic]

I was able to get rebates from the electric company. Check for rebates also!

Thanks! I did check and I will receive a 300 fed tax credit. Nothing from electric company. Going to look and see if insulation qualifies for anything. Probably not.

 

[Terry D]

Not to get off subject here, but where are Mr Cools manufactured.

 

[Ilikeike]

I bought a similar unit from Alpine home air. Blueridge branded, I chose to have a pro cut the lineset, flare, pull vac , leak check and release the Freon. I did the rest myself.

That’s what I did too.

I would have done it all since I know someone with Freon pump and gauges,
but I just gave him a $100 to do it and drank beer.

 

[yeldogt]

Not to get off subject here, but where are Mr Cools manufactured.

There are factories all over Asia making components .... but, the vast majority are made in China ... my guess is all the low end comes from China. The early DIY units were unboxed and outfitted with line sets ...re-boxed. The later units must have been done in China as the boxes came sealed with line set on and proper packing.

My memory is the most recent Mitsubishi had Thailand on the outside unit -- this was a few years ago. The better Mini splits all came from Japan 15 years ago.

Toshiba was a leading component maker .. made the best rotary compressors. Years ago it was Toshiba and Daikin. Toshiba built in Thailand -- my guess why Mitsubishi is there. Toshiba and Mitsubishi go way back.

We had one when I was a kid living in Japan -- AC only. Almost 50 years ago. House design and placement in Japan favored the mini split set up in small BTU outputs. Lots of rebadging going on

 

[Rusty Fords]

Like someone said at that price if something major goes wrong replace the whole system!!

Part of the problem when you ( the end user) buys a DYI unit off line or in a store that will sell to the end user the HVAC companies sees it as money out of their pocket if you think about it their right. All the top quality units that I know of will not do this.

When I ran my own company I installed Fujitsu as a general rule. When I did get a call from a customer to install their unit they bought off line unlike other companies in my area I would go assist the customer but my price would go up drastically when they complained I told them to call someone else! They always ended up calling me back cause no one else would come out.

Check your warranty most of the customers had problems getting warranty parts "no warranty on online sales" is what they were told.

 

[yeldogt]

The newest Mr Cools have a $450 warranty in them some place .. I read it a few weeks ago.
So, if you end up with a situation where something serious happens and you need a part and pump down .. they cover you.

The question then is -- do you fix the $1100 unit or just buy another with the $450 helping out ?

It's typically a leak ... I guess if it's an easy fix. Replacing either coil .. forget it OMO.

It's really the boards and things like that that are a pain and expensive with this stuff.

 

[Bolson32]

Did you ever end up getting this? I'm curious what the minimum thermostat temp is. I really don't want to run gas 150ft to my new detached and I'm trying to make a mini-split work. The fact that these are rated fully efficient to -4 is really enticing.

Sent from my SM-G965U using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[jjrbus]

With the cheap units there are no parts or support available, they are disposable. The only real issue I have noticed on AC forums is the instructions can be horrible and even wrong. At times even the pros who are trying to help are at a loss. If I were buying I would stick with the known online suppliers and not out of a van in a Wal Mart parking lot LOL.

The main cause of failure on mini's is poor installation. Need specialized tools to do it properly.

 

[ticklechicken]

The main cause of failure on mini's is poor installation. Need specialized tools to do it properly.

I installed my Pioneer unit myself. Only tool that might be considered special is a flaring tool, and those are only $20.

 

[Terry D]

With the cheap units there are no parts or support available, they are disposable. The only real issue I have noticed on AC forums is the instructions can be horrible and even wrong. At times even the pros who are trying to help are at a loss. If I were buying I would stick with the known online suppliers and not out of a van in a Wal Mart parking lot LOL.

The main cause of failure on mini's is poor installation. Need specialized tools to do it properly.

Tools needed

Nitrogen tank and regulator to leak check

Vacuum pump and micron gauge to evacuate the system down to 200 microns.

Mini splits have 5/16 Schraders instead of 1/4, so a adaptor is needed to hook up hoses. I personally prefer a core removal tool with 5/16 on one end and 1/4 on the other. buy removing the core, it vacuums down much quicker

One of the most common problems with mini splits is leaking flares. I would suggest a eccentric style flaring tool and properly torqueing the connections with a torque wrench. You would be amazed how often they get over tightened. Also apply a small amount of Nylog blue on the flare surfaces before assembling.

 

[Jakemedic]

Did you ever end up getting this? I'm curious what the minimum thermostat temp is. I really don't want to run gas 150ft to my new detached and I'm trying to make a mini-split work. The fact that these are rated fully efficient to -4 is really enticing.

Sent from my SM-G965U using The Garage Journal mobile app

Hello, No I didn't. Menards raised the price on the unit. It is now 1050.00 after 11%. I just placed the order with Ingrams today for a Mr. Cool. Granted it goes to 5 above, but I also ran Natural Gas to the shop as well. Going to order my overhead furnace soon before the heating season is upon us. The Menards unit looked interesting to me, but after they raised the price and only a one year warranty, it was a deal breaker for me. Best of luck with your project! It really isn't all that difficult to run gas line. I used plastic pipe and transitioned it on both ends to black pipe. I pressure tested the under ground part before covering it. Pretty simple actually.