Mini Split on a roof?

[bartn]

I'm thinking of adding a mini split to condition the finished room over my attached garage. Any reason I should not mount the compressor on a high wall on the back of the house about 16' off the ground? Building the platform would be easy as there is an attic space adjacent to where I want to locate it. The lineset would go straight into the attic and only be about 10'. The electric would be pretty easy there too. I would leave plenty of air space per mfg recomendations. I could also mount it on the roof but my options there are very limited. I've attached a picture of the proposed wall. It would be to the right of the tree about 6' above the gutter line. Other option is on the ground at the base of the tree but there would be more leaves and dirt and I'd have to concel the lineset and wiring. Comments?

 

[rickairmedic]

Nope none at all other than servicing it that location will work just fine .


Rick

 

[bartn]

Thanks for the quick reply. I thought it would work but wanted a sanity check from someone with experience with these things. Hmmm...Louisville...Thats where I live...go figure!

 

[rickairmedic]

Theres quite a few members here from Louisville Bart let me know if you have anymore questions as you get into things. vWe have been doing alot of condensor installs on roofs in the west end . Makes life a little harder on the Meth heads looking for a quick payday for a fix .


Rick

 

[Jackfre]

Check your brand of mini-split for min line set length. Fujitsu has a 9' min up to 18kbtu and 16' on 24+' of line set. Too short will not make the compressor happy. Looking at that wall, I'd buy (Airtec) or make a bracket and mount it about 4' off the ground, so Rick won't have to lay-down or work off a ladder to service it. A bit of line set cover that you can paint out and you are good to go. I like to build it to service it...as easily as possible.

 

[mpire]

I know the LG comes pre-charged for 25' of line-set, but there is only 23 feet of vertical change that is allowed on my unit without installing an oil trap. So it all depends on the particular unit and installation instructions for your system.

However, if you have decided on where to put a hole in your wall, why does it matter how far away from that hole it is? Just run the line-set as far down as you can to make the outside unit easier to access and clean.

 

[bartn]

All good points...thats the reason I like this forum...lots of opinions and suggestions. The reason for going high on the wall, besides not having to hide the lineset, was to keep it out of sight and to minimize noise. The rest of the house uses geothermal so I have no other outside unit - a big plus in my book. (I've had the woodstove fired up since November also.) I might mock up a unit in cardboard, paint it gray and hang it up there for a while, just to see if I notice it. Even though it is the back of the house I use that entrance alot to get to my basemnt shop.

 

[Jackfre]

I know the LG comes pre-charged for 25' of line-set, but there is only 23 feet of vertical change that is allowed on my unit without installing an oil trap. So it all depends on the particular unit and installation instructions for your system.

However, if you have decided on where to put a hole in your wall, why does it matter how far away from that hole it is? Just run the line-set as far down as you can to make the outside unit easier to access and clean.

There are units out there that do not require traps for vertical rise. Check before buying that product.

I mis-read the question earlier. you asked about roof mount. You can either build a platform or again the Air-Tec folks make an adjustable bracket that I've used a few times. Worked really well. Again, watch your minimum line-set lengths

 

[rickairmedic]

Bart noise wont be an issue . Mini Splits are extremely quiet . I dont have a problem with you putting it up on the wall myself . The only issues with mounting it up high will be service other than that no problems .

Rick

 

[bartn]

Looking at the Fujitsu 9RLS. Very efficient and only 49db. About the same noise level as a good dishwasher. So, yep, noise won't be an issue. Also qualifies for the tax credit.

Jackfre...

The airtech bracket is interesting. I've got some aluminum extrusions in the shop so I could probably "borrow" their design. I'm going up on the roof in the morning (before the wasps wake up) to have a second look around. Might actually be better to mount it up there in terms of service and it would be totally out of sight. You would still have to climb a ladder but there is a spot where two valleys come together behind the chimney that would be easy to sit in while servicing the unit.

I guess I just don't want the thing on the ground or in sight. And, I would hope that other than cleaning, servicing would be infrequent. I'm up on the roof several times a year painting and killing wasps, so cleaning would not be problem.

Bart

 

[mpire]

I sure hope my mini-split makes a little bit of noise. That white noise really helps me sleep. Sometimes I have to turn on the a/c in the house just to cover up the wife's snoring.