shade
Well-known member
Any word back on this?
MRCOOL DIY Mini Split, Seriously, I Think...
- Thread starter Spdstr280Z
- Start date
Any word back on this?
FYI to anyone installing a Mr cool DIY, Make sure to check the DIY line adapters on the outdoor condenser unit found one of mine was loose and no vacuum inside the fitting. See pic
I was installing My 24K unit on my garage this weekend and was getting ready to attach the line set to the outdoor unit and when I went to unscrew the protection cap off the (small Line) adapter that they have on the outdoor unit the whole fitting was very loose and it unscrewed. The fitting is there to convert it from a traditional flange condenser to the DIY line set type. So obviously air got inside the fitting, not sure if it would have been enough to cause a problem but didn't want to take that chance.
Luckily I have installed a few traditional heat pumps myself and have a High vac pump and a micron vac gauge so I tightened everything up and attached the pump to the vac port and pulled vac on the line set and indoor unit. I was worried that there would be refrigerant in the line set and indoor unit but it was only vacuum and the bit of air that was in the fitting so the vac came down quickly. Was able to get it down to 250 microns and it held less than 400 at rest so I know all the seals are good. After that I released the refrigerant from the condenser and all works great, good heat and cooling. Also checked everything with soapy water and no leaks so I should be good to go.
I was installing My 24K unit on my garage this weekend and was getting ready to attach the line set to the outdoor unit and when I went to unscrew the protection cap off the (small Line) adapter that they have on the outdoor unit the whole fitting was very loose and it unscrewed. The fitting is there to convert it from a traditional flange condenser to the DIY line set type. So obviously air got inside the fitting, not sure if it would have been enough to cause a problem but didn't want to take that chance.
Luckily I have installed a few traditional heat pumps myself and have a High vac pump and a micron vac gauge so I tightened everything up and attached the pump to the vac port and pulled vac on the line set and indoor unit. I was worried that there would be refrigerant in the line set and indoor unit but it was only vacuum and the bit of air that was in the fitting so the vac came down quickly. Was able to get it down to 250 microns and it held less than 400 at rest so I know all the seals are good. After that I released the refrigerant from the condenser and all works great, good heat and cooling. Also checked everything with soapy water and no leaks so I should be good to go.
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Any strong recommendations with a 24k vs 36k? I was going to go with a 36k but they are backordered again at Ingram's.
My shop is 28x40 stick built. It will soon have a drywall ceiling with r30 cellulose. My walls will be r15 and drywalled. My insulation zone is 4 though in the mountains. We will have a couple of weeks a year with days in 20s and 2-3 days a year over 90. This will be a hobby shop so mostly in the evenings and weekends. I do have 4 insulated windows and 1 big 18x10 insulated door.
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My shop is 28x40 stick built. It will soon have a drywall ceiling with r30 cellulose. My walls will be r15 and drywalled. My insulation zone is 4 though in the mountains. We will have a couple of weeks a year with days in 20s and 2-3 days a year over 90. This will be a hobby shop so mostly in the evenings and weekends. I do have 4 insulated windows and 1 big 18x10 insulated door.
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Fueler
Well-known member
1: I have the 36K in a 40x40 open ceiling pole barn with no where near the air tight or insulation you have and have not had the weather triumph over the unit.
2: It is early winter time so I would wait for the 36K if you can.
Thanks. This is where I'm leaning. I can wait a couple of months if necessary. I have a quote from Ingram's so I can place the order on the 36k. I can cancel it until it ships so I can continue to watch other places.
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I think the 24K would be fine, but a 36 would pull it down or heat it up much faster.
Ours has been working great with the new air handler - all summer, and now a bit of heat as we head into fall. Just love these things.
Ours has been working great with the new air handler - all summer, and now a bit of heat as we head into fall. Just love these things.
just to update, they sent me new boards for both indoor / outdoor units. Replaced the indoor one in about 30 min and all is well.
A couple of years ago I built a 24x32 detached garage in north Jersey. Half is 12’ flat ceiling, half is 14’ cathedral ceiling. Entire ceiling is R30 with a metal interior. Walls are R13 with plywood or OSB. 4 windows, 1 insulated man-door, and two 10x11 garage doors.
Right now I have an ~8K BTU window AC that I run when I’m in there in the summer and dehumidifier. Dehumidifier runs all the time. Window AC only on if I’m in there and it may knock off a couple of degrees, but not a lot. And noisy. In the winter I’ll run a couple of 1500W little electric heaters and they don’t do much unless you are working right on top of them. So I’m looking to improve my situation out there, so I’ll be more inclined to work out there rather than be a lazy POS and say it’s too hot/cold out there.
I was originally thinking a gas heater, originally thinking propane until I realized the cost to run it. It would be a pain to get NG out to the garage at this point. I decided to call in a pro and see what they say. 1 guy came and recommended mini-split, Mitsu Hyper Heat 24K to be exact. Now around here a typical winter will probably only get into the 20/teens for a cold snap, or at night. Single digits are rare, but possible, but if that’s the case I’d probably be too busy keeping the wood stove stoked to be working out in the garage. After the pro left, I looked up the Hyper Heats and more minisplit stuff and realized there were other models half the price of the Hyper Heats that had full heat efficiency down to 5F. So I contacted his office twice to tell him to quote the other model line. Anyway, he comes back with a quote for two Mitsu 18K Hyper Heats at a total of $15K!! He saw the garage and toys and saw dollar signs. Sorry, NEXT!!
So now I’ve been reading up on the Mr Cool DIY. They look great, and definitely in my wheelhouse of capability. After a bunch of research and reading this monster thread I decided to go for it and ordered the 24K from Ingrams with the 16' lineset. I put int the electric over the weekend, and Pitt Ohio just left (liftgate in the street and wheeled the pallet jack 100' into Garage Mahal). I unboxed everything, no damage. I'll get some of it in tomorrow, and should finish up on Wednesday. Really looking forward to this.
A couple of shots of Garage Mahal (need better pics lol).
Right now I have an ~8K BTU window AC that I run when I’m in there in the summer and dehumidifier. Dehumidifier runs all the time. Window AC only on if I’m in there and it may knock off a couple of degrees, but not a lot. And noisy. In the winter I’ll run a couple of 1500W little electric heaters and they don’t do much unless you are working right on top of them. So I’m looking to improve my situation out there, so I’ll be more inclined to work out there rather than be a lazy POS and say it’s too hot/cold out there.
I was originally thinking a gas heater, originally thinking propane until I realized the cost to run it. It would be a pain to get NG out to the garage at this point. I decided to call in a pro and see what they say. 1 guy came and recommended mini-split, Mitsu Hyper Heat 24K to be exact. Now around here a typical winter will probably only get into the 20/teens for a cold snap, or at night. Single digits are rare, but possible, but if that’s the case I’d probably be too busy keeping the wood stove stoked to be working out in the garage. After the pro left, I looked up the Hyper Heats and more minisplit stuff and realized there were other models half the price of the Hyper Heats that had full heat efficiency down to 5F. So I contacted his office twice to tell him to quote the other model line. Anyway, he comes back with a quote for two Mitsu 18K Hyper Heats at a total of $15K!! He saw the garage and toys and saw dollar signs. Sorry, NEXT!!
So now I’ve been reading up on the Mr Cool DIY. They look great, and definitely in my wheelhouse of capability. After a bunch of research and reading this monster thread I decided to go for it and ordered the 24K from Ingrams with the 16' lineset. I put int the electric over the weekend, and Pitt Ohio just left (liftgate in the street and wheeled the pallet jack 100' into Garage Mahal). I unboxed everything, no damage. I'll get some of it in tomorrow, and should finish up on Wednesday. Really looking forward to this.
A couple of shots of Garage Mahal (need better pics lol).
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juddspaintballs
Well-known member
I was surprised how quickly installation was once the electric and outdoor mount locations were already in place.
menkarran
Member
I got my MrCool installed last night. It works well but it ran all night long trying to cool down my garage. I shut it off this morning to see how well the garage would hold its temp. So far so good!
cork
Well-known member
Why are you cooling your garage in November?
My Old Tools
Well-known member
That's the way it works. Once it hits your set point, it drops down to an idle and pretty much stays there. My first 24 hours in July, it sucked gallons of moisture out of the shop, after that, just barely ran.
On most the inside fan runs all the time, while the outside unit, fan, compressor etc is not running.
My Old Tools
Well-known member
MrCool will shut down completely if it doesn't need to run, unless you set the fan to run on its own.
SALIV8
Well-known member
If you’re talking about the indoor unit shutting down in cooling mode in auto, I like that. Mine shut down in heating but continuously run in cooling mode.
I have a 24x32, 12' ceiling over the two-car and 18' vault over the 3rd bay. Well insulated all the way around, with a 24k that does absolutely fine. The best thing that I have found is to set the temp and leave it, it's more efficient at keeping temp vs. raising it substantially. SW Ohio temps go from negatives to over 100. I've had mine for just over a year now, I love it.
Installed and so far so good. The hardest part was trying to route the lineset through the 3x4 plastic gutter. I should have either 1) cut it lengthwise so I could spread it help move the linset along, or 2) buy the expensive lineset covers. Other than that the install was pretty straightforward.
Right now I don't run it full time, and I don't know if I will. I expect I'll run it hours or a day before I plan to be in there, depending on the actual indoor and outdoor temp. I wish the thermostat had a lower min temp, like 50 or 55, instead of 62. When I first installed it and ran it, it took 38 minutes to raise the temp 10 degrees.
A couple of pics of the install, and Garage Mahal in general as I was jockeying cars around after finishing the install and putting things back where they belong.
Right now I don't run it full time, and I don't know if I will. I expect I'll run it hours or a day before I plan to be in there, depending on the actual indoor and outdoor temp. I wish the thermostat had a lower min temp, like 50 or 55, instead of 62. When I first installed it and ran it, it took 38 minutes to raise the temp 10 degrees.
A couple of pics of the install, and Garage Mahal in general as I was jockeying cars around after finishing the install and putting things back where they belong.
Attachments
My Old Tools
Well-known member
Both indoor and outdoor will shutdown in cooling mode.
Is it possible that different models work differently??
It IS possible. I'm relatively sure the inside airhandler cage turns very slowly as long as the unit is in a 'mode'. When the system reaches target temp the outside compressor shuts down, but the inside air handler remains on standby.
Perhaps there was an update in this configuration on the new gen models.
Perhaps there was an update in this configuration on the new gen models.
Hi:
I'm looking for some advice here. I am in Ontario (Canada) and i have a 650 sq ft loft over my garage. The garage is heated in the winter (keep it about 55) and everything is very well insulated (2x6 and pink fibreglass) The loft has a 54" walls and about a 10 ft vaulted ceiling. We will rarely use this room but I am as interested in heating as I am in cooling. The company in Canada that sells these is Senville. They recommend a 12k btu unit and it looks like that will be fine for my needs. They also have a floor mounted indoor blower and that would work best for me with the short side walls. The confusion is in the specs on their website. It says 12,000 btu cooling and 1200 btu heat pump? That doesn't make any sense to me. It seems that most people here are buying the mr Cool units for AC and I would want it for both. Does this seem like an acceptable solution?
I'm looking for some advice here. I am in Ontario (Canada) and i have a 650 sq ft loft over my garage. The garage is heated in the winter (keep it about 55) and everything is very well insulated (2x6 and pink fibreglass) The loft has a 54" walls and about a 10 ft vaulted ceiling. We will rarely use this room but I am as interested in heating as I am in cooling. The company in Canada that sells these is Senville. They recommend a 12k btu unit and it looks like that will be fine for my needs. They also have a floor mounted indoor blower and that would work best for me with the short side walls. The confusion is in the specs on their website. It says 12,000 btu cooling and 1200 btu heat pump? That doesn't make any sense to me. It seems that most people here are buying the mr Cool units for AC and I would want it for both. Does this seem like an acceptable solution?
Phuckin' Jim
Well-known member
I just checked their website, and it seems to say roughly 12,000 btu heating for both the Aura and Leto.��
Phuckin' Jim
Well-known member
Ah, okay I found it in the description on the 12k floor console page.
Guessing that it is a typo.
Check out the 12k wall mount pages, and they say 12,000 btu....
Guessing that it is a typo.
Check out the 12k wall mount pages, and they say 12,000 btu....
It’s a fairly simple install but I will need to find someone to vac the lines. A few people have said that these units won’t heat well below 32 f. That’s not a big deal for me but some say it will? I do have a quote for a 12000 Mitsubishi for around 4K installed. If it was a much better unit that seems reasonable but other than the charging of the system I am comfortable taking on the install
juddspaintballs
Well-known member
The Mr Cool DIY kits have vacuumed and pre-charged line sets already hooked up to them. When you install the indoor unit, you feed the flexible lines through the wall and run them to the outdoor unit where you connect the lines. Once connected, you go through the startup procedure, which instructs you how to open the valves on the lines. Done. No one needs to come vacuum the lines before you charge and run the system.
I've been very happy with my 12k BTU unit in an addition I built. It heats and cools quite well and you can barely hear it running even when standing outside next to it. It's totally silent inside.
I've been very happy with my 12k BTU unit in an addition I built. It heats and cools quite well and you can barely hear it running even when standing outside next to it. It's totally silent inside.
Phuckin' Jim
Well-known member
I think as far as the senville units go, the Auras would heat reasonably well to about-25°c.
Phuckin' Jim
Well-known member
The lines would have to be evacuated, but the advantage is that you can cut and flare them to the proper length.
Phuckin' Jim
Well-known member
I have ordered this one, and am eagerly awaiting it's arrival. ��
https://senville.ca/9000-btu-mini-split-air-conditioner-sena-09hf/
https://senville.ca/9000-btu-mini-split-air-conditioner-sena-09hf/
Phuckin' Jim
Well-known member
This is the one I’m going to order. They have a 10% off sale right now as well. I will mount the outside unit on the wall. I won’t need to trim the lines, I have a cubby hole that I can coil the extra in. I will run the lines on the inside wall and make a small box to hide them. Are you going to do the install yourself?
https://senville.ca/12000-btu-floor-console-air-conditioner-heat-pump-sena-12hf-if/
https://senville.ca/12000-btu-floor-console-air-conditioner-heat-pump-sena-12hf-if/
Phuckin' Jim
Well-known member
Yup.
Will do the install myself.
I have my refrigerant certification number and access to a vac pump and nitrogen so I should be good to go. ��
Will do the install myself.
I have my refrigerant certification number and access to a vac pump and nitrogen so I should be good to go. ��
I would be more interested in this unit for heating, so I found the following info HSPF4 = 12 AND HSPF5 = 9.9
https://senville.com/12000-btu-mini...RV8Fk4CF-IMLHD-PKB1HiAcYekXTrDLRoC61EQAvD_BwE
This gives the relative heating performance, depending on which zones you live in. Basically, the colder the climate, the lower the HSPF. A map showing the different zones in the lower 48 is shown in the following reference, with some discussion about whether it is applicable to mini-splits, since it was developed for a ducted system.
https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.co...:text=HSPF4 = 9,check out with that minisplit.
I know this is the Mr. Cool DIY mini split thread, but I also thought it was worth mentioning that Mr. Cool now has a DIY ducted central split system with a variable speed condenser and air handler.
https://mrcool.com/mrcool-universal-series-dc-inverter-heat-pump-air-conditioner-split-system/
2-3 ton example:
https://iwae.com/shop/2-to-3-ton-18...p-split-system-upflow-horizontal-ha20919.html
It seems to work down to very low temperatures per their literature and youtube videos.
I wish this was around a year ago when I replaced my home's system. I couldn't justify the payback for other brands to step up to the variable speed system. At this price point, I would have been willing to give Mr. Cool a shot.
https://mrcool.com/mrcool-universal-series-dc-inverter-heat-pump-air-conditioner-split-system/
2-3 ton example:
https://iwae.com/shop/2-to-3-ton-18...p-split-system-upflow-horizontal-ha20919.html
It seems to work down to very low temperatures per their literature and youtube videos.
I wish this was around a year ago when I replaced my home's system. I couldn't justify the payback for other brands to step up to the variable speed system. At this price point, I would have been willing to give Mr. Cool a shot.
juddspaintballs
Well-known member
Nice. I think I would prefer that in a shop/garage because you can use big paper filters instead of needing to wash the screen filters on the indoor unit of a mini split...often in a shop environment.
Keep in mind I am not an AC tech, just another guy trying to get by. From what I understand I would not coil the lineset! It can be installed in a serpentine fashion which would eliminate any possibility of oil traps.
For vertical coils, yes. Lazy coils in a horizontal fashion, or moving the units further apart are what the tech support for MrCool suggested. I called them specifically about this since my second install had the outdoor unit directly below the indoor, about 7 feet below. I decided to incorporate a weather sheild and excess line storage compartment, and it has worked out perfectly.
Some AC techs were dismayed by some of the installs where excess lineset was coiled up like a garden hose behind the outdoor compressor unit. Or underneath a support stand. If the lineset pools too much oil it can starve the compressor - it needs to flow through as the freon is pumped through.
BrianS
Well-known member
What an informative thread, thanks to all for all the great info.
I'm looking at doing a 2 zone Mr Cool DIY for my 24x32x14 garage with a 12x32 bonus room above. Insulated with R19 walls and R30 roof. Located in SW Ohio.
I'm torn between a 18k+9k or 24k+12k. Price is only $300 difference, does it make sense to just go with the larger units? The Mr Cool DIY central system linked above is also an interesting option and priced basically the same.
I'm looking at doing a 2 zone Mr Cool DIY for my 24x32x14 garage with a 12x32 bonus room above. Insulated with R19 walls and R30 roof. Located in SW Ohio.
I'm torn between a 18k+9k or 24k+12k. Price is only $300 difference, does it make sense to just go with the larger units? The Mr Cool DIY central system linked above is also an interesting option and priced basically the same.