has anyone looked into Mr. Cool DIY systems. I've been reading and YouTubing, but results seem mixed. I might be able to gear myself up for the simplest installation which would be our MBR. first floor, the outdoor unit would be directly below the indoor, 120v nearby. $2,000. for materials vs $7,000. pro istall, but I would have no service.
These mentioned ductless issues are not unique to minisplit heat pumps, but common to all types of un-ducted, zoned HVAC systems. My home was built with zoned electric resistance heat, no cooling, no ducts, a very common type in this region. The "poor conditioning in adjacent spaces" issue is more a winter than summer issue here. My building envelope upgrades have helped considerably, new code-compliant construction should be better still. Only very recently did AC adoption climb above 50% of housing units in some Western Washington counties, while others still remain slightly below 50%. Census Bureau Releases New Local Estimates of Air Conditioning Access https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/data/king-countys-cooling-divide-new-data-maps-our-ac-haves-and-have-nots/ I can't speak to dehumidification issues as I've never lived in a climate zone needing more than simple exhaust fans (ideally on programmable timers) next to water sources, such as bathrooms and laundry. Inland from here for probably over a thousand miles eastwards, they have the opposite problem of natural humidity being lower than desirable. Last month my spouse's doctor even recommended getting a humidifier to increase our home humidity. (I declined after asking for a numeric target, and received an answer that we already met.)
i thought 50% was ideal. dehumidification is a big deal around here in summer, and humidification in winter, although our house with a boiler and radiators is more humid than our ild house with warm air. but the humidifier on that furnace was an ongoing maintenance problem
mr. cool: MRCOOLAdvantage 1 zone 12000-BTU Ductless Mini Split Air Conditioner Heat Pump Included with 115-Volt20$ 1,046 .48
some friendly advice on Mr. Cool systems - look at the you tube reviews after the systems are a couple of years old.
You can get all the big brands as DIY if you want.* I really like the Fujitsu we most recently installed. Our oldest one is a Lennox, probably wouldn't get that brand again. *There will probably be limits or even total exclusions on warranties
Mr Cool with precharged line sets and quick connects on those lines force you to coil up excessive length. Typically its cooled vertically behind the condenser. This causes multiple undesirable oil traps. It would better to coil excess length horizontally, ideally in an attic. But no one does as it complicates the line set routing. I would get a minisplit (only for an addition or garage) that allowed brazed or pressed connections and size line lengths as needed.
From the Lowe's description page: "2-Year compressor and 1-year parts warranty when registered and when installed by a licensed professional" Seems awfully short. Seems low by today's standards. Though I'm still calibrated more to the old HSPF scale, not the newer lower-reading HSPF2 scale. And I seem to remember from somewhere that these lower figures are partly a consequence of the pre-charged lines of the DIY models. A traditional system where the lines must be vacuum pumped before charging were said to end up with less non-refrigerant air so performed better.
Ten years warranty on a compressor and most parts is normal on products from Rheem. Others are 5 years these days. One year on labor covered by the installer. Most mainstream manufacturers will sell a comprehensive 10 years parts and labor warranty.
The loss of the federal 30% tax credit is a big blow to adoption of such efficiency and carbon cutting improvements. Which is great for homes with forced air heat or central A/C already installed. Otherwise it is a much bigger and costlier job, and likely only worth considering if gutting the house. Mini-splits have their downsides, but there is a lot of houses out there with hydronic heating and no central air. Is that one the same or different than the units that fit in the ceiling? It is going to depend on the prices being compared, like there is an almost $2 difference between them right now. The price of propane is close to that of gasoline, while having roughly 30% less energy. Heating oil compares to diesel(essentially the same thing) in price with a little more energy than gasoline. There is more to consider for costs though. In comparable units, the propane one is likely more efficient in using its btus. Propane units are natural gas ones with a few different parts for handling the differences in the fuels. The oil one will also use electricity for the fuel pump. Which is balanced by tank costs. Pressure vessels going to cost more than a steel tank for liquids; leasing propane tanks is common. Siting requirements for a propane tank are stricter, which is why it is common for them to be installed away from the house.
Different. You are probably thinking of the "ceiling cassette." The one we have is called the "Slim Duct" and it is packaged the same as a traditional air handler, but it has connections and control systems that are compatible with a minisplit system. One of our systems has one outdoor coil driving two indoor units- one is that slim duct air handler, and the other is a white wallmount in the next room. This was a great solution for our living room because there just wasn't a wall appropriate for a wallmount, given the arrangement of windows and fireplace. The duct unit can go under floor or over ceiling, the installers just have to put in a few feet of ductwork and cut a few vents as appropriate. Most minisplit manufacturers have an equivalent device. Here's an example.
Actually, the mini-cassette looks new to me. Might even be a a better fit for my situation, with smaller holes cut in plaster than the slim duct.Guessing more care for both needed for drainage than a wall unit. Really, I'm looking for ways to get cooling to the upstairs bathroom while keeping the outside unit on the opposite side of house. Sucking it up, and leaving it hot in the summer is looking like the only reasonable option for this
I can understand that. We do not condition the air in our upstairs bathroom or hallway, they just get a little spillover effect from the three bedrooms up there. Doing it over again from scratch, I would probably use wallmounts in the larger two of the bedrooms and a slim-duct in the attic crawlspace over the smallest, with short ducts extending to the bathroom and hallway to give them a little something. But that upstairs system was the first one we installed, most of 10 years ago. Learned a lot since. We also lack conditioning in the laundry room and the downstairs bathroom. The first was a deliberate choice- we tend to close that room off, crack a window and let the dryer pull in outside air and vent it back out again. I'm due to replace the vent fan in the bathroom and I'm likely to install one that adds a heat mode. Panasonic makes fantastic ones that are extremely quiet, none of that "Broan groan" to be heard.
not sure about how this would look: 'from reddit, avoiding the coil': I did neither. I zigzagged the lines down the outside wall ensuring a downslope.
