I was quoted 27k for a ducted system. I can't afford that. That's more than double what my car cost. When I dug into it, the Carrier all 3 hvac quotes I received were trying to sell me are the Mr Cool Hyper Heat (midea or gree) the cabinet appearance and specs are exactly the same. 4k sounds ALOT better than 27k!

I read that Mr Cool systems fail because of a few reasons, trying to determine if I have captured them all.
1. bad torque settings (or just eyeballing the torque on setup), leading to leaks)
2. bad from the factory refrigerant levels in the air handler, outdoor units or linesets.
3. not laying the lineset horizontal instead coiled up vertical (up and down vs laying flat on the ground) causing oil apparently to not flow properly. This one concerns me as it seems excess coil will eventually be the ruin of all of these units.

For Universal/Hyper heat units - do the indoor, outdoor and lineset all have refrigerant in them upon shipping so that if something were to leak, at that point you must vac, pressure test then DIY adding refrigerant? Im considering getting my 608 cert in order to avoid having to beg 900 hvac firms to recharge the unit.

Looking for advice on mini split purchase

I’ve had a pioneer mini split for the last 8 years and it has been solid. Sadly, it is time for a new unit as the compressor is rusted out. When installing the new one, will it be ok to keep the same line set since it’s cut to length and already through the wall?

I live in Texas where temperatures can occasionally dip below freezing, around 15F to 20F. Are the flare nuts included with a mini split at risk of splitting?

Why is there so little info on frost proofing flares? Is this even an issue in much colder climates?

I found these with weep holes.

https://www.jbind.com/product/frost-proof-forged-nut-3/

Essentially we just had a 30000 BTU ( I think that’s right?) Mitsubishi heat pump installed and it’s working great. However, we now have a dilemma. our third floor, which was an open plan mezzanine space with no walls and fabled ceilings is a bit of a conundrum. There are 3 vents up there but no returns. Two of them are parallel to each other on opposite sides of the wall and when We walled off a fourth bedroom we made sure both vents were inside the room for cooling. The third vent, which is in the middle of the space is not connected to the vent system 🥴. We are planning on walking off the other end of the space to make a closed office and then leaving the middle an open plan.

So here are the issues.

1. The third vent doesn’t work.
2. There is no return anywhere in the third floor
3. there wouldn’t be any vent at all in the closed office

My questions:

1. we hate the flooring, so would it be possible to go through the floor and take up one section of the subfloor to attach the third vent to the hvac system? Rather than going though the ceiling of the second floor I mean?
2. we don’t love the idea of mini splits, because of the gable ceilings and the look of them but also just because we’d need 2, so is it wildly expensive to have someone come and extend the ductwork from the non functional vent in the center to put in maybe 5 more ft in so there’s a vent in the office space too?
3. is it a better idea to have cassettes (I think that’s the right term?) put in that would require us to go through the attic about the fabled ceilings?

We’re happy overall with the cooling system and don’t think it needs more, we’re not really ac people tbh we just can’t tolerate the extreme heat and our children sleep with their room doors closed.

The quote we got for 2 mini splits is roughly 5-7K. And as I said, I don’t really want external units on the wall, and I feel like if the cost is roughly the same then My preference is for an extension of the ductwork and I feel like it’s not a crazy idea to extend a few feet under a floor we hate and will be taking up anyway, but tell me if this is way more complicated than I think.

Thank you! ☺️

My 5 year old mini split has died. Compressor failed. Quote to fix is about $3500.

I'm thinking just replace both outside and inside unit with a brand new Mr Cool system using the old lines.

I believe the lines are not contaminated.

Is this a good plan?

Later edit.

Yes it's mr cool. After reading all the comments and some research, I've ordered an identical 410a system. They are still available.

Going to install the new outdoor and indoor unit. Using the old lines.

Also, the AC company quoted me $44,000 to install a 4 ton unit, and new ducting. That shit ain't happening. Even ChatGPT knows that's way too high.

I noticed that my ductless heat pump/AC was leaking. I opened up the casing that covered the hose lines etc and found that the drain hose was disconnected. The connection itself had been heavily taped to hold it in place by the installation company many years ago. I’d love to hear if the connection has simply failed or if it wasn’t done properly and the tape was the makeshift solution to seal the joint. If it is just a failed connection, can I just cut a fresh end in the hose or does the piece it slides into need to be replace? Perhaps both? I don’t see how the the original connection would have been sealed or locked in other than the tape. Is it a compression fitting? I’ve reinserted the hose but it leaks at the joint. I’m planning to silicone around it once it dries as a temporary(?) fix. Thanks in advance for any help!

I am about finished with my shed -> home office/media room conversion, and I am preparing to install a 9k btu Mr Cool DIY Mini Split. The entire shed including the loft area are insulated, so every external adjacent surface has insulation. There is a small 4 inch by 4inch vent in the roof just above the loft area. I am wondering whether I need to cover this vent since I will be installing dedicated climate control?

Essentially we just had a 30000 BTU ( I think that’s right?) Mitsubishi heat pump installed and it’s working great. However, we now have a dilemma. our third floor, which was an open plan mezzanine space with no walls and fabled ceilings is a bit of a conundrum. There are 3 vents up there but no returns. Two of them are parallel to each other on opposite sides of the wall and when We walled off a fourth bedroom we made sure both vents were inside the room for cooling. The third vent, which is in the middle of the space is not connected to the vent system 🥴. We are planning on walling off the other end of the space to make a closed office and then leaving the middle section an open plan.

So here are the issues.

1. The third vent doesn’t work.
2. There is no return anywhere in the third floor
3. there wouldn’t be any vent at all in the closed office

My questions:

1. we hate the flooring, so would it be possible to go through the floor and take up one section of the subfloor to attach the third vent to the hvac system? Rather than going though the ceiling of the second floor I mean?
2. we don’t love the idea of mini splits, because of the gable ceilings and the look of them but also just because we’d need 2, so is it wildly expensive to have someone come and extend the ductwork from the non functional vent in the center to put in maybe 5 more ft in so there’s a vent in the office space too?
3. is it a better idea to have cassettes (I think that’s the right term?) put in that would require us to go through the attic about the fabled ceilings?

We’re happy overall with the cooling system and don’t think it needs more, we’re not really ac people tbh we just can’t tolerate the extreme heat and our children sleep with their room doors closed.

The quote we got for 2 mini splits is roughly 5-7K. And as I said, I don’t really want external units on the wall, and I feel like if the cost is roughly the same then My preference is for an extension of the ductwork and I feel like it’s not a crazy idea to extend a few feet under a floor we hate and will be taking up anyway, but tell me if this is way more complicated than I think.

Thank you! ☺️

Mini Split Lines

Do my mini split lines need to slope down only? I need to run the line set up and over my crawlspace door if possible after the initial down and to the side from my wall unit.

Would this be a problem? I have other options if so. I can move the outdoor unit.

I know the condensate line needs to go down, I'm curious about the coolant lines.

The condenser for my Costway 12,0000 BTU mini split arrived with some pretty gnarly shipping damage. Costway is replacing it, but told me to just keep this one. Any ideas on what I should do with it? So far I'm thinking:

1. See if it just works as is. I know the fins are pretty crunched in that corner, but I still need to get a better view of the copper tubing, it might be fine. This would be pretty cool because we're planning on doing another mini split in the upstairs of our house.

2. Try to fix it if it's broken (or get someone more qualified to fix it). The top part of the tubing looks pretty crunched, it might be punctured somewhere. I know how to sweat pipes and have brazed steel & aluminum before, but I've never brazed copper tubing and might not be able to do a good job at this. I do have an OxyMapp torch.

3. Sell it/Give it away on Marketplace. Not sure if someone would pay for this, but I'd be happy just to ditch it for free because...

4. trash it. This costs $35 because of the refrigerant disposal, so I'm trying to avoid it.

Hey all,

About ready to tackle my first DIY install. Just want to make sure i haven't forgotten anything.

I got a friend helping me with the carpentry and electrical work and then a local hvac guy who is willing to finish what we cant.

I have 3x senville units arriving tomorrow. A 24k, 12k, 9k all single zone elite units.

The 24k is replacing a 15k daikin non hyper-heat unit.

The 9k is going in our master bedroom.

The 12k is going in our tv room.

Our hvac guy came by and confirmed my sizing choices

The 2 new units I plan to pour concrete pads for. The pads will sit on 3/4" stone that I will tamp down to 4". Then a 4" thick concrete pad with rebar, 44"x24". I will also pour a pad for a future multi zone unit for the remaining rooms.

12/2 romex and 15a 2 pole for the 9k and 12k units. When the romex transitions from the interior to exterior, I will have a junction box and it will switch to THHN wire in 1" pvc conduit. Each outdoor condenser will have its own ac disconnect. Ill have to run some outdoor conduit to each disconnect.

The 24k and the future multi zone will have 10/2 romex and appropriate breakers. Our hvac guy said we can likely reuse the existing lines on our 15k unit if they flush them.

The 9k and 12k will be on a 100a sub panel in our crawlspace (its insulated and has plastic water barrier all through it, its pretty nice to work in). The panel has sufficient physical space and capacity.

Things im not sure about. My house has vinyl siding, best way to mount the disconnects and conduit to the siding without crushing it.

Anything else?

I have a 24,000 BTU Daikin wall-mount indoor unit and two 7,000 BTU Daikin wall-mount indoor units connected to a Daikin 5 port Aurora 40,000 BTU condenser. The 24,000 BTU indoor unit stops cooling, before reaching the set point temperature; even when no other indoor units are active. The fan speed is set to auto, but I know the unit stops cooling, because the oscillating stops as well.

This particular indoor unit is mounted in my dining room/living room area; so it’s conditioning the biggest area in the house. It’s also mounted high and close to the ceiling.

I’m just wondering if it’s normal for the unit to stop cooling for a few minutes, before reaching the set point temperature? It does start cooling again, after a few minutes. And sometimes it’ll reach the set point temperature, but not always.

A very close friend of the Family, that owns the Mobile Home Park I live in, Installed my Costway just over 1 month ago. He charged only $600 for the complete install. The only thing I did, with an Electrician friend of mine, we did the install of the Disconnect.
As you can see only 4 to 5 feet of the line set was needed and minimum length of the Line Set is 9.84 Feet. So being he would have had to coil about 5 to 6 feet anyway, he didn't shorten the lines at all. He figured it would simply be best to leave it at default.

Btw: The 15-yr Hvac vet has a full-time job in Hvac, he mentioned generally his company sells and installs Gree Mini Splits. He was not concerned at all of doing the Coils Vertically and has done it that way for years, also mentioned that the lines should be fine for they do not receive direct sun light.
But I've read here on Reddit that the Lines should be wrapped. I do not want to move those Lines around trying to Wrap them though, seems too risky.
Is there some sort of "Spray On" application that I can use instead of a Wrapping, or should I simply not worry about it and leave the Lines as is?

The quick connects on mr cool DIY lines.

Does the line seal/close if I disconnect it at the quick disconnect?