A quick thanks to everyone here posting about mini-splits. I had mini splits installed in my last house (Fujitsu) in 2008 and they cost an arm and a leg. I just have not kept up with current technology since then.
With the advent of the DIY splits, I was a little hesitant to go that route. However, being a born and bred DIY'er, I was excited to find out that I had the opportunity to do this myself without the typical required installer tools (pump, flaring tools, etc).
I bought the 12,000 BTU 115v unit.
The biggest part of my job was removing the old 10k BTU wall unit, re-framing insulating and drywalling. I already had a 115v outlet with 12/2 right next to where I was planning on installing the condenser unit, so I removed that GFCI and installed a 20A light switch with a weatherproof cover.
I ordered the Mr. Cool unit on a Monday and had it by Thursday.
I decided to hang the condenser unit on the outside wall rather than pouring a small slab and placing it on the ground. Too much rain and mold here in SWFL. Plus we have gopher tortoises running all over and this is one less obstacle for them to navigate.
I did have to drill to extra 1/2" holes in the condenser bracket mounting arms so I could move the condenser unit all the way forward. By drilling these holes, the back of the condenser is now 18" from the wall. If I didn't drill these holes the back of the condenser would only be 10" from the wall. More airflow is better. I also picked up slightly longer stainless bolts, larger washers and a few extra neoprene washers since the ones supplied with the mounting kit were a little small for my taste. The modifications only took a second and a quick trip to my local ACE Hardware.
I didn't use the supplied lag bolts. I ended up using a few 3 inch "construction screws" and secured the bracket with those instead. This saved me from having to pre-drill. Plus the holding power is much better with the construction screws than traditional lags (these screws are made from better quality metal).
As far as the actual installation, there were absolutely no surprises. I "kind of" read the manual...it was a little hard of a read due to poor grammar and translation errors...but at least it gave me enough direction to move forward.
I used the supplied indoor mounting template and then marked my holes and mounting locations. A quick check with the level and the indoor mounting bracket was in place.
The install kit comes with a "through the wall tube" which makes installation of the lines very clean. I carefully bent the lines on the back of the indoor unit to shoot out the hole, making sure to keep the drain line on the bottom of the bundle. Just as they stated, two crescent wrenches were all I needed to connect the copper lines. I heard a slight movement of gas when I connected everything and opened up the valves on the compressor. I used a bottle with some kid's bubble liquid to check for leaks. Nada.
Turned the power on and bingo, and Bob's your uncle. Works great.
The most time consuming part (if you call it that) is figuring out how to coil the unused sections of line and then tape them up with the supplied wrap to make it look like a clean install.
A couple of hours later and I'm back to working in the shed! It's SO QUIET...my air purifier is louder! Compared to my old wall AC unit I can't believe I went so long without a mini split. I can actually hear myself think now. I initially set the temp to 64 and within a few minutes I froze myself out (it's 80 degrees here in SWFL today).
The condenser unit cycles on and off and you can hardly hear it at all. The indoor unit is whisper quiet.
And it dehumidifies perfectly.
I'm so glad I took the plunge and got rid of my wall AC...this DIY series from Mr. Cool rocks. Can't speak any more highly of it. Couple that with a 5 year parts 7 year compressor warranty...for just $1,000...how can anyone go wrong?
Happy holidays!
JC
With the advent of the DIY splits, I was a little hesitant to go that route. However, being a born and bred DIY'er, I was excited to find out that I had the opportunity to do this myself without the typical required installer tools (pump, flaring tools, etc).
I bought the 12,000 BTU 115v unit.
The biggest part of my job was removing the old 10k BTU wall unit, re-framing insulating and drywalling. I already had a 115v outlet with 12/2 right next to where I was planning on installing the condenser unit, so I removed that GFCI and installed a 20A light switch with a weatherproof cover.
I ordered the Mr. Cool unit on a Monday and had it by Thursday.
I decided to hang the condenser unit on the outside wall rather than pouring a small slab and placing it on the ground. Too much rain and mold here in SWFL. Plus we have gopher tortoises running all over and this is one less obstacle for them to navigate.
I did have to drill to extra 1/2" holes in the condenser bracket mounting arms so I could move the condenser unit all the way forward. By drilling these holes, the back of the condenser is now 18" from the wall. If I didn't drill these holes the back of the condenser would only be 10" from the wall. More airflow is better. I also picked up slightly longer stainless bolts, larger washers and a few extra neoprene washers since the ones supplied with the mounting kit were a little small for my taste. The modifications only took a second and a quick trip to my local ACE Hardware.
I didn't use the supplied lag bolts. I ended up using a few 3 inch "construction screws" and secured the bracket with those instead. This saved me from having to pre-drill. Plus the holding power is much better with the construction screws than traditional lags (these screws are made from better quality metal).
As far as the actual installation, there were absolutely no surprises. I "kind of" read the manual...it was a little hard of a read due to poor grammar and translation errors...but at least it gave me enough direction to move forward.
I used the supplied indoor mounting template and then marked my holes and mounting locations. A quick check with the level and the indoor mounting bracket was in place.
The install kit comes with a "through the wall tube" which makes installation of the lines very clean. I carefully bent the lines on the back of the indoor unit to shoot out the hole, making sure to keep the drain line on the bottom of the bundle. Just as they stated, two crescent wrenches were all I needed to connect the copper lines. I heard a slight movement of gas when I connected everything and opened up the valves on the compressor. I used a bottle with some kid's bubble liquid to check for leaks. Nada.
Turned the power on and bingo, and Bob's your uncle. Works great.
The most time consuming part (if you call it that) is figuring out how to coil the unused sections of line and then tape them up with the supplied wrap to make it look like a clean install.
A couple of hours later and I'm back to working in the shed! It's SO QUIET...my air purifier is louder! Compared to my old wall AC unit I can't believe I went so long without a mini split. I can actually hear myself think now. I initially set the temp to 64 and within a few minutes I froze myself out (it's 80 degrees here in SWFL today).
The condenser unit cycles on and off and you can hardly hear it at all. The indoor unit is whisper quiet.
And it dehumidifies perfectly.
I'm so glad I took the plunge and got rid of my wall AC...this DIY series from Mr. Cool rocks. Can't speak any more highly of it. Couple that with a 5 year parts 7 year compressor warranty...for just $1,000...how can anyone go wrong?
Happy holidays!
JC
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or for exemple not doing a vaccum in the line and let the moisture and air in it that can be compressed by the compressor) This is not a malfunction of the unit or a bad compressor , it is because the installation was not right.