Mini-split hole diameter for wall

[alga]

Hi (sorry but I'm typing in a hurry, everything I wrote got deleted twice)

I bought a mini split (piping = 1/4" + 3/8" + condensate drain + power)

The manual says to drill a 2-5/8" hole and install a sleeve but it's weird to specify an OD but no ID

With the sleeve I picked the ID would be 2.2"

I can drill a bigger hole and install a sleeve with an ID of 2-5/8"

What do you think ? I don't want to trash the piping by pushing too hard because the hole is too small. On the other hand, I don't want to make a bigger hole than necessary..

 

[Skellyii]

Your piping kit didn't come with a sleeve??
You're probably looking at a 3" hole, with the appropriate sized sleeve.

 

[alga]

No sleeve provided. So you recommend an ID of 2-5/8" ?

 

[chinboys]

Buy an aftermarket or your manufacturer's through-the-wall sleeve and drill hole size accordingly.
Or use schedule 40 PVC pipe cut to the thickness of your wall.
And use medium expanding spray foam to weatherproof the hole afterward.
You also may want to buy the refrigerant lines, power line, and condensate covers to make it look neater.

 

[dcg9381]

No sleeve provided. So you recommend an ID of 2-5/8" ?

You drill the right hole size for the "sleeve" that you have.

It's a tube within a tube, designed to adjust length to a variety size of wall thicknesses. Last one I did, if it was 2 5/8" (which seems about right) the outer tube was pretty tight in the hole on the exterior.

If you don't use the sleeve (I've got mine in electrical PVC because I drop most of the line inside the wall) - then that's different.

 

[alga]

To clarify : my concern is not the sleeve : I know where to buy some of different sizes and how to install them.
My question is about the smallest possible size I could drill to have everything fitting correctly inside the sleeve afterwards !

 

[PCustoms]

The

To clarify : my concern is not the sleeve : I know where to buy some of different sizes and how to install them.
My question is about the smallest possible size I could drill to have everything fitting correctly inside the sleeve afterwards !

The hole should match the OD of the sleeve.


Are you trolling?

 

[alga]

...

...

Of course, I'm not dumb ! My question is what is the minimum ID (of the sleeve !) to fit the refrigerant lines (1/4" + 3/8"), power line, and condensate ? As I said I don't want to drill a bigger hole than necessary !

 

[dcg9381]

Of course, I'm not dumb ! My question is what is the minimum ID (of the sleeve !) to fit the refrigerant lines (1/4" + 3/8"), power line, and condensate ? As I said I don't want to drill a bigger hole than necessary !

Ahh. You want to use the "smallest diameter" sleeve possible. I really see only two main options a 2.5" ID and 2.75" ID.

It's going to come down to the size of the insulation on your lineset and the size of your drain line. I wouldn't worry too much about the control wires. My mini-split (Daikin) had a diagram that showed the size of the lineset + insulation.

 

[alga]

The piping that will come through the wall is not provided I will have to buy them, no idea about the size of insulation & drain line (thought it was one size fits all), the only values I know are 1/4" + 3/8" for the refrigerant. I agree the control wires won't take much space.
Nevermind, the drain line is 11/16" OD, as for the insulation it's written at least 10mm thick...

So anything smaller than 2.5" ID is asking for trouble ?

 

[Skellyii]

The piping that will come through the wall is not provided I will have to buy them, no idea about the size of insulation & drain line (thought it was one size fits all), the only values I know are 1/4" + 3/8" for the refrigerant. I agree the control wires won't take much space.
Nevermind, the drain line is 11/16" OD, as for the insulation it's written at least 10mm thick...

So anything smaller than 2.5" ID is asking for trouble ?

OK, how about this:

Typically most mini-splits (if not all have a short length of piping attached. Bundle this with the drain pipe and power line then see what size of PVC pipe or sleeve will fit over it.

If the supplied piping is not long enough to go through the wall, buy the piping, then do the same as above.

Knowing the size of the refrigerant lines tells your GJ friends nothing of value, as the size of the insulation can vary.

If the manufacturer did not supply a sleeve, or specify what size sleeve was needed, you're just going to have to experiment a little.

 

[alga]

I wish but I haven't received it yet, out of stock, will be back in 6 weeks. That's why I wanted to make preparations (drilling...) during this time.

I will have to buy the piping since the hole will be on the left side.

I've asked the store about the insulation of the piping they sell and it's 6mm for the 1/4" and 10mm for the 3/8"

 

[chinboys]

To clarify : my concern is not the sleeve : I know where to buy some of different sizes and how to install them.
My question is about the smallest possible size I could drill to have everything fitting correctly inside the sleeve afterwards !

To determine the minimum diameter of the sleeve, you need to measure and add up the stagger diameters of your insulated refrigerant lines, the condensate drain tube, and the power/signal wire.
Also, consider the flare nuts if they are bigger than the refrigerant lines insulated diameters.

 

[alga]

I can't measure since I don't have it yet, I did some calculation and looks like I need an ID of 2.05" at least...
With the sleeve I would end up with an ID of 2.2" so it should work, at least I hope so...

 

[dcg9381]

I can't measure since I don't have it yet, I did some calculation and looks like I need an ID of 2.05" at least...

Did you look in the manual? Often the manuals contain the diameter of the lines/insulation, drain, etc.. Control wires are pretty easy to estimate.

 

[alga]

Yes :

I've asked the store about the insulation of the piping they sell and it's 6mm for the 1/4" and 10mm for the 3/8"

the drain line is 11/16" OD

 

[justinjoyal]

2 1/4" for 1/4 + 3/8 would work. But I'd use 2 5/8".

We drill 2 1/2" or 2 5/8" (depending on what we have in the truck) for all size mini-splits we install.

 

[alga]

2 1/4" for 1/4 + 3/8 would work. But I'd use 2 5/8".

We drill 2 1/2" or 2 5/8" (depending on what we have in the truck) for all size mini-splits we install.

You drill 2" 1/2 or 2" 5/8 but you still end up with a smaller diameter if you put a sleeve...

I'm planning to drill 2" 3/4 but with the sleeve I will end up with 2.2" ID

 

[walrus]

Their is a metal plate that goes on wall, how big is the slot in it?

 

[ALinCarolina]

Why don't you wait until you get the lines before you cut the hole in the wall? You could roughly measure but could also cut some different size holes in a scrap of wood and try them then.

 

[justinjoyal]

You drill 2" 1/2 or 2" 5/8 but you still end up with a smaller diameter if you put a sleeve...

I'm planning to drill 2" 3/4 but with the sleeve I will end up with 2.2" ID

We don't use a sleeve.

I've seen a sleeve installed maybe once or twice out of hundreds of installs from different contractors and those 1 or 2 were on DIY jobs from customers.