The saga of the missing Mr. Cool mini-split

[Fixin'Stuff]

Well, I'm shopping once again for a mini-split. The Mr. Cool Oasis ES that I placed an order for with Ingram's Water and Equipment back on May 22 was delivered by Averitt Express to the first stop on its journey, their local office/warehouse back on May 24. I thought that was great, the next stop should be my driveway, and that I might even see it at my house on May 25th. Ha!

First, the local office for Averitt called the following Monday to tell me that they could NOT deliver it for at least another week and that they would finally deliver it on Monday, June 4th (Yeah, it traveled all the way from Kentucky to Houston in 2 days, but they can't get it beyond there for over a week!???) between 8 AM and Noon. So I sit around all morning twiddling my thumbs, because I don't want to be in the middle of another project when the truck arrives. Noon comes and nothing but crickets... At 12:20 they call to tell me that they're very sorry that they won't be able to make the delivery today, because their truck broke down. (This was later proven to be a BIG FAT LIE, but I'll get to that...) Seriously? You couldn't have called me ANY earlier to tell me this? Wasted my entire morning. To top it off, they tell me that now they won't be able to deliver it before Friday, June 8. Now I'm pissed.

As an aside, one other interesting tidbit: The local office asked if they could "send me a form" that I could sign and the driver would leave the unit in my driveway if I wasn't home. Uh, not only no, but HELL NO. Do that and I have zero recourse if they drop off a bunch of boxes that fell off the back of the truck and destroyed the contents.

I called the very nice and helpful lady at Ingrams to let her know what was going on, to see if they could do anything from their end. She said that she would call their Averitt rep right away. Soon afterwards, I get a call from another lady, in Georgia (headquarters?), that wants to fix this. First she says that they can deliver it on Tuesday afternoon. (And BTW, she told me the reason they didn't deliver on Monday was because two drivers called in sick, NOT due to the broken truck story the first caller told me.). Then she calls back early Tuesday morning to let me know that they could only deliver it at 10AM on Tuesday, the exact time that I already have a doctors appointment. So we agree that they'll deliver it on Wednesday morning, once again, between 8 AM and Noon. Well, it's Wednesday at 3:01 PM as I'm typing this and again, nothing but crickets... Haven't heard a word from the Averitt Express. Yet another wasted morning.

I just called Ingrams and requested a refund. They can work out the logistics from there with Averitt Express. I'm done with it. It seems that Averitt Express has been going through some kind of re-organization and their logistics are totally screwed up. Ingrams said that I was not the only one of their customers having problems with Averitt Express and that they have switched their outgoing shipments to a different carrier. Ingrams has been delightful to work with, so no dig against them, but it's damn near 100 hot, muggy degrees in the Houston area already. But I'm back to the drawing board.

Will they kick someone in the a$$ and get the unit here today somehow, or just have to eat the lost sale and make Averitt Express return the unit to them for free? I'll know within 2 hours.

 

[purplezr2]

If the office is local, why can't you go pick it up.

 

[Fixin'Stuff]

If the office is local, why can't you go pick it up.

They offered that. I said that I would come pick it up if they met me at the dock with $100, because part of the price I paid was for lift gate delivery to my house. The Averitt Express folks didn't seem to give a **** that they were wasting my time.

 

[Jackfre]

I’d send them a bill and keep it just under the Small Claims limits. What the hell. It will only be another half day. It might be fun.

 

[James-W]

I would cancel it and request a refund. No use screwing around any longer and getting all stressed out.

 

[PoorOwner]

Next time order it from home depot and ship to the local store. Open it there, or even at home, if you have any problems just go back to the counter, refund to your credit card right away. I know you have to pay tax but it is worth it to have assurance that the unit is going to work. Damage is fairly common, I have had to reject some before.

 

[u3b3rg33k]

credit card chargeback. if you're feeling nice, let them know you got your money back and not to deliver it. problem solved.

 

[8mpg]

I have a somewhat similar story but I was not in a rush to get it.

So FYI, Averitt Express does not do home delivery. THey are freight/commercial only and their home delivery is hired out to another company. I was told a company called "Final Mile". Well, my delivery was supposed to happen on a Thursday. Didnt happen and was called 30 minutes past the window and I was told the truck broke down as well. Disappointed but thats ok. They setup a delivery the next day and it was delivered in the window as promised. The guys were really nice, package arrived nicely without damage.

 

[johnnyradiant]

For all the times you hear the vehicle broke down you'd think you wouldn't be able to drive down most streets due to all the broken vehicles.

 

[larry4406]

For all the times you hear the vehicle broke down you'd think you wouldn't be able to drive down most streets due to all the broken vehicles.

Yes. Every day from the subs on the job I hear this. Monday will be “brown flu” excuse for not showing up. Too many brewskies over the weekend.

 

[webdog]

The last two UPS freight shipments to my business never get delivered to us, Ive always had to go pickup. They always claim to need a appointment, I tell them were a business come anytime 9-6. With every other freight company they just show up.

Seems light freight companies are hit or miss.

Now I would not be taking it out on Ingrams as they are the seller not eh freight company.

 

[Oggy]

My favorite was DHL Express telling me they couldn't pick up because their drivers wife was having a baby. I knew for 4 months she was pregnant, why didn't the supervisor know and have a plan in place?

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[...]

I have a somewhat similar story but I was not in a rush to get it.

So FYI, Averitt Express does not do home delivery. THey are freight/commercial only and their home delivery is hired out to another company. I was told a company called "Final Mile". Well, my delivery was supposed to happen on a Thursday. Didnt happen and was called 30 minutes past the window and I was told the truck broke down as well. Disappointed but thats ok. They setup a delivery the next day and it was delivered in the window as promised. The guys were really nice, package arrived nicely without damage.

I had a similar story with mine (the replacement one). This was a Friday before a holiday weekend and they said they could not bring it until the following tuesday or wednesday because "something happened to the driver.". I told them the reason I needed it today was to get it installed this weekend and I had already taken the Friday off to wait for it.... The lady called me back about 5 minutes later and said it would be Delivered first thing the next day (Saturday) at 8am and it was.

 

[Fixin'Stuff]

Update: Within an hour of calling Ingram's to cancel my order I got a call from the local delivery company. They promised to have my shipment loaded on a truck first thing the next morning and out to me. Finally, at 8:30 AM on Thursday, it arrived (14 days after it arrived at their warehouse!). I think they may have hired a local hot shot delivery service because my A/C unit was the only thing in the back of the truck.

Ingrams's did what they could, but once the item leaves their dock then they too are at the mercy of the shipper. However, they have an Averitt Express rep that handles their account. I suspect that he got a serious **** chewing when I called to cancel my order, and then forwarded that **** chewing to the local delivery misfits.

Friday afternoon, a nice lady from Averitt Express called to ask me how my overall delivery went. She seemed to be someone that just does follow up customer satisfaction surveys and didn't seem to have any idea what an earful she was about to get. I don't think she was quite ready for the story that I told her.

The outside unit is mounted on the concrete pad that I poured a while back. Hope to get the indoor unit mounted today. It's just so hot in the garage that I can't work in there for very long without taking a break. At 6 AM it's the "low" for the day at 75 degrees, but the humidity is 96%. Miserable. Once the inside unit is mounted, I can install the line duct, run the refrigerant line and signal wires, then call the a/c guy to do the final leak check, vacuum and then release the cold juice!

BTW, the garage is insulated with R13 walls, R30 ceiling and R10 door. I'm finding that it does a fine job of holding in the heat that does get inside. Makes it pretty hot and muggy. I can't wait until the refrigerated air is blasting.

Also, the Mr. Cool system seems to be very nicely built. My only concern in that the fan blade in the outdoor unit is plastic. Makes me wonder just how long that might last since it's exposed to temperature extremes and sunlight.

 

[8mpg]

Just a word of advice... install the lineset out the left side if you can. Its pretty rigid tubing when it comes out of the back of the unit, goes across the unit and then gets flexible. I just followed their video and drilled the 3.5" hole on the right side of the bracket. Had to straighten out the lineset but Im afraid of trying to bend it more so its more 90* down the outside wall.

 

[RAM2940]

You at least had plenty of time for the concrete to setup.

But really, Thats the kinda **** that will put you in the hospital.

 

[Fixin'Stuff]

Just a word of advice... install the lineset out the left side if you can. Its pretty rigid tubing when it comes out of the back of the unit, goes across the unit and then gets flexible. I just followed their video and drilled the 3.5" hole on the right side of the bracket. Had to straighten out the lineset but Im afraid of trying to bend it more so its more 90* down the outside wall.

Is yours the DIY model? Mine is not DIY and it looks like going out the left side means that the lineset connection will be inside, behind the wall unit. I may end up doing it that way just to not have to shorten the lineset, since it will make for a longer run to the outside unit. Didn't get to do anything with mine today, other than confirm that it seems that they no longer include a wall template that is shown in some of their videos.

 

[PoorOwner]

Is yours the DIY model? Mine is not DIY and it looks like going out the left side means that the lineset connection will be inside, behind the wall unit. I may end up doing it that way just to not have to shorten the lineset, since it will make for a longer run to the outside unit. Didn't get to do anything with mine today, other than confirm that it seems that they no longer include a wall template that is shown in some of their videos.

No, don't do it that way (connection behind the indoor) if you don't have to, have a helper, or have the mighty bracket tool. The line should point straight back easily. On the larger BTU the suction line may even be corrugated, but if it is not, be careful bending it.

 

[8mpg]

Is yours the DIY model? Mine is not DIY and it looks like going out the left side means that the lineset connection will be inside, behind the wall unit. I may end up doing it that way just to not have to shorten the lineset, since it will make for a longer run to the outside unit. Didn't get to do anything with mine today, other than confirm that it seems that they no longer include a wall template that is shown in some of their videos.

I did the DIY version and out of the box it is setup to go out of the left. The install video online shows them going out of the right. Had I known before I drilled the hole, I'd have drilled on the left side of the template, not the right. It can be installed either way.

 

[Fixin'Stuff]

No, don't do it that way (connection behind the indoor) if you don't have to, have a helper, or have the mighty bracket tool. The line should point straight back easily. On the larger BTU the suction line may even be corrugated, but if it is not, be careful bending it.

Thanks for the tip! I can see where that connection would be pretty tricky without that mighty bracket. That thing would be a very handy tool for anyone that installs mini-splits on a regular basis. Looks like it would make hanging the indoor unit a fairly easy one-person job.

For those wondering, here's a link to the mighty bracket: https://www.rectorseal.com/mighty-bracket/

 

[SALIV8]

I used (2) 6' ladders, a piece of plywood I cut to span them, and some foam I put on top of the wood as an install support for my mini splits.

Similar to the mighty bracket idea, but was cheaper and I had the wood, foam, and the ladders. This helped me to position the units where I wanted as the factory line sets were pretty long and I needed more room off the walls than the mighty bracket would provide.

 

[abgiles]

I have a somewhat similar story but I was not in a rush to get it.

So FYI, Averitt Express does not do home delivery. THey are freight/commercial only and their home delivery is hired out to another company.

That may be true in your area, but here in Jacksonville, FL, they do home delivery. I had my system dropped off last week, and it was Averitt, right to my house.

Perhaps they had more than they could handle and had a separate company helping out?

https://photos.app.goo.gl/36Yxqbb7sGsEJ7bs9

 

[Browneye]

One 2-ton down, another 1-ton on order. Can't wait!

On my next one I have quite a lot of excess line set - are you guys coiling up or rolling up the extra?

Some HVAC forums implore that no vertical loops be in the line set - put them horizontal. Something about trapping refrigerant oil, but that just doesn't make sense to me. It's under high pressure, it's not going to get trapped no matter where the line goes - especially since it will pump up and down up to 25'. I'm just not getting this.

I was going to build a box to hide the 15 feet of extra lineset I'll have. [shrug]

 

[Git]

One 2-ton down, another 1-ton on order. Can't wait!

On my next one I have quite a lot of excess line set - are you guys coiling up or rolling up the extra?

Some HVAC forums implore that no vertical loops be in the line set - put them horizontal. Something about trapping refrigerant oil, but that just doesn't make sense to me. It's under high pressure, it's not going to get trapped no matter where the line goes - especially since it will pump up and down up to 25'. I'm just not getting this.

I was going to build a box to hide the 15 feet of extra lineset I'll have. [shrug]

I have heard that also. Think about it - a bottle of beer is 'under pressure' but the fluid is still free to move around inside of it.

 

[Browneye]

I have heard that also. Think about it - a bottle of beer is 'under pressure' but the fluid is still free to move around inside of it.

But, if you put that pressure to a tube it moves it all through the tube. So you're saying the compressor doesn't move the oil through the system? Just the freon gas?

And why do so many installs show a coil of lineset near the unit? Are all of these destined to fail? A pro will tell you 'yes', but they can't really explain why. Because they are are trained to cut the lineset to fit, re-flare it, and do the vac/test/charge. Whereas the DIY unit has a fixed length.

 

[u3b3rg33k]

But, if you put that pressure to a tube it moves it all through the tube. So you're saying the compressor doesn't move the oil through the system? Just the freon gas?

And why do so many installs show a coil of lineset near the unit? Are all of these destined to fail? A pro will tell you 'yes', but they can't really explain why. Because they are are trained to cut the lineset to fit, re-flare it, and do the vac/test/charge. Whereas the DIY unit has a fixed length.

compressors have a sump which retains most of the oil, most of the time.

 

[The Cobbler]

not to sidestep this thread, but can these units be hooked to a conventional t stat instead of using the remote?

 

[OzarkMan]

You cant connect to a standard T-stat. You can buy a wall mounted wired t-stat from the manufacturer. On my LG units, they were $150 each.

 

[Browneye]

compressors have a sump which retains most of the oil, most of the time.

That diagram is for 'rising to compressor' - the opposite of most installations, unless you're putting it on the roof.

MrCool replied to my query, said rolling excess lineset or 'coiling' it up, should be horizontal rather than vertical. So I'm going to build a shelf/roof combo for the unit to protect it from weather and store the coiled lineset. Easy-peasy.

 

[u3b3rg33k]

Sure, but I think the idea is that you don't end up suspending your entire oil charge in a piece of vertical pipe - that'd be bad, which is what I think most people are trying to avoid when they say things.

A vertically oriented coil would amount to a lot of traps, would it not? does't sound sooo bad, assuming you have sufficient oil to let some hang out - that may be the real issue.
most of the installation guidelines I see for standard split systems have restrictions on how much vertical rise you have (either way), while horizontal they don't care much about.

 

[Browneye]

Here's my query at the MRcool blog about 'pre-charged linesets' here:
http://mrcool.com/blog/pre-charged-line-sets-real-right/

I wasn't real impressed with the answer, it's not very direct, but 'horizontal' seems to be clear enough. [shrug]
I was hoping for something more difinitive, like, "vertical loops can trap oil and that could be bad, so it's best to not coil them or at least make the loops horizontal for best refrigerant oil distribution."

Isn't that how you and I would answer???

Browneye says:
June 11, 2018 at 6:16 pm

Most any HVAC how-to says coiling refrigerant lines is a no-no. Something about trapping refrigerant oil.
So with the outside unit sitting below an inside unit on a single level home, I’ll have about 15 extra feet of line set – and I can simply coil it? Horizontal or vertical? Does it matter?
Has something changed over the years in line sets?
Thanks!
Reply

MR COOL says:
June 12, 2018 at 8:35 am

If you are going to coil it, coil it horizontally behind the unit. Many homeowners run the full length of the line set down a wall to keep it as straight as possible. For example, you would run it down to the ground, then left or right across the the outside of the building, then install your condenser at the maximum extension point. I just think it looks a lot neater that way, and you don’t have to have the extra coiled line laying around anywhere. As to line sets and refrigerant oil, I know that can be an issue with slight kinks or leaking, but properly installed that shouldn’t be an issue.​

 

[SALIV8]

Seems vague but then direct at the same time? Lol.