MrCool or Ramsond or.. ? Multi-zone?

[katit]

Looking for current 2023 advice. I had good experience with Ramsond mini-split in my 22x22 garage. It did fail after 10 years, so I guess I got my money worth out of it. Fan broke, and then it took down compressor. I just ordered new Ramsond and all is well now.

Now... I have new garage (3 car double and single doors, 35x35 with vaulted ceiling, 10 at sides and ~14 in a middle)
And I need to climate control it.

I was going to do Ramsond again, with 2 zones. But.. I am not sure..
- 2 heads complicate install, take more space. However, my logic was that it would "mix air better" in large 35x35 area. True/False?
- It's only 24K BTU and from what I can tell - it's on a border of efficiency for this area

Seems like everyone likes MrCool this days.
- Single zone unit - 36k BTU! WOW. It should handle area. But.. Will it mix air correctly with only one head?
- They claim it's DIY, so how exactly does it work? I am not AC technician, but I am totally capable of cutting/flaring line set and pulling vacuum before releasing refrigerant..

Perhaps other better ideas on mini split units for my task?

Thank you

 

[Toyo72]

I have a 2-head MrCool in the finished space in my barndo-shop, 27k cooling about 900sq ft total with 10-ft ceilings (two rooms, a bathroom, and two closets), and it is overkill. I could have gotten by with a smaller unit for sure, as I don't have any windows on the west wall and it is well-insulated.

What makes the MrCool DIY is that the lines are pre-charged. No flaring needed, just threaded fittings. Follow the instructions and open the valve, that's it, assuming you have a good seal and don't overtighten the fittings. You do need a 240v line, which typically requires an electrician, particularly if you need to add a breaker to your panel or permits, etc.

For your shop, I'd say that two heads will be much more effective as they should be able to move more air across the space than one, given the volume of the space. I'm not an expert, so maybe someone else has more experience and thoughts on that part of it.

 

[katit]

According to this calculator I do need 33k BTU. How I need to find 2 head mini split that can handle this. What is a usual setup suggestion, heads located away from doors?

 

[dcg9381]

I looked into multi-zone. Complicated. And I could get 2 single zones for what a multi-zone cost, so that was the determining factor for me.
In Texas, I'm not afraid to slightly "over HVAC" with mini-splits. They do well at lower settings and don't over cycle.

 

[katit]

Right... Maybe single zone and add some kind of air circulator/blower? Would be much cheaper vs second head or second unit..

 

[pcmeiners]

Have a 35x30 garage, average wall/ceiling insulation, 10 ft ceiling, 2 garage doors, 2 windows, part wall to the house. Have ( 2 ) 9k Fujitsu 33 SEER, 14.2 HSPF low temp minisplits installed. Only ran 1 unit last winter, some days at 7 degrees, plenty of heat. A/C not a big issue due to shading. The second unit will remain off, mainly as a backup. For a garage larger than mine, (2) 9k units would be good to even out the air flow. Do not oversize, 36k is oversize. If you look up the specs on Fujitsu website , a 9k puts out more heat than it's 9k rating, not sure about Mr Cool's actual output.

 

[PoorUB]

Is this a shop, or a man cave?

How much comfort do you need?

Do you care if one end of the shop is 72 degrees and the other end 74? Unless you have huge heat loss on one wall it will all be close to the same temp.

A single unit and a ceiling fan will blend the air in the space for less money and a simpler set up.

The only other consideration is a couple 12k BTU units would do it, blend the temps better and perhaps only one unit would cool the space 3/4ths of the time. It might be less money to run, but not a huge amount. With two units you get redundancy if one fails.

I am not a big fan of multiple head units, sure they might cost less to install, but between the cost of the units, and electrical, and perhaps running line sets from one out door unit I question if it is worth it. It isn't a huge difference.

 

[katit]

Its a garage 90% of time. However I need it climate controlled for lathe/mill and motorcycle collection.
It will have to be cooled or heated 24/7
Doors will be used multiple times a day to drive out/ in

 

[shade]

I have a 40x30 and went 2 Mr Cool units.
24k each.
I'm also in AZ and run IT equipment in the garage 24x7.
So glad I went 2 units

 

[Black Oak]

Pioneer , Blueridge , Senville , and Mr. Cool( I believe) are all made by the same company in China . Senville however includes all the lineset and pcs. to install . If looking at those choices , Senville saves a little money .

 

[Toyo72]

MrCool includes everything, and the linesets are pre-charged. Only thing you have to do is provide electric source, breaker, etc. It's not the cheapest, but it is the easiest to DIY.