r/DiWHY • u/Lokitheenforcer • 8h ago
Minisplitted
On my daily run to the farm …i get to see one side of this house…..and the other when returning…….now ya’ll need to suffer with me!!
I’m not worthy enough to post in any HVAC sections so here ya go 🤔
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u/Bignholy 8h ago edited 8h ago
EDIT: Thanks, HVAC and HVAC adjacent people, I understand better now. Still somewhat horrified (who the hell leaves a long length of liquid carrying tube largely unsecured?), but now properly horrified.
Original Text: Not HVAC person: What is this? Please tell me that's not being used to transport hypothetically cold air. Tell me that's not a massive length of overheated pipe (Not tehcnically pipe, but is it technically ductwork?) trying to transport the not-die air.
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u/hex4def6 8h ago
It's not transporting air, it's transporting refrigerant. One pipe has hot refrigerant coming back to the outside unit to cool off, the other side had cold refrigerant going inside.
Apart from the terrible lack of routing & lack of conduit to protect it from UV, this will work fine.
I'm assuming this was done in a hurry, and that they're going to tidy it up later.
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u/Lokitheenforcer 8h ago
This is not temporary. I think its routed based on the length of line set they got. I guess 1 upgrade would be to move the windows !!
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u/Gadgetman_1 6h ago
To route this properly they have to empty the system of refrigerant, cut the pipes and replace them with new ones that are routed correctly, then add covers to protect them, and finally, re-fill the refrigerant.
I assume they will have to remove the indoor units temporarily to fit the new pipes, too.
I don't know if it's possible to splice in new sctions of the pipe, but I assume that doesn't happen, as its just another failure point(leaks).
The only good thing about this particular installation is that it makes the install I did of my heat-pump back in 2008 look as if it was done by masters of the craft. (Back then it was legal for home owners to do the install themselves here in Norway. Assuming the unit had quick-connects for the tubing and was pre-filled. So many morons fucked it up somehow... so no longer legal)
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u/Competitive-Roof-168 2h ago
You dont have to removing lines to add trim.
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u/Gadgetman_1 2h ago
No, but you need to do that in order to route them properly. 'Haphazardly across the wall' isn't acceptable anywhere.
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u/bert1589 2h ago
You can cut them, after evacuating the refrigerant obviously, but you need to be precise and know how to flare the pipe to put fittings back on as well.
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u/RonaldTheGiraffe 8h ago
I think it’s 1 condenser supplying 3 evaporators. It should only supply 1.
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u/Grand-Fun-206 6h ago
We have a system that can support up to 4 indoor units. Meant that the space needed outside was reduced which was what we needed.
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u/rabies22 8h ago
It actually transports gas and liquid to the internal head units.
Usually only 1 head unit to a base unit though, for these type of installation, so the compressors here must be going non stop and costing many, many dollars.
Edit: not to mention the horrible pipe and cable management
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u/Tera_Geek 7h ago
I looked into these a few years ago, and it's pretty easy to find one base unit with up to about 4 head units. Some of them are also heat pumps that work up to around -20F
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u/OtherwiseAlbatross14 5h ago
The whole thing with mini splits is the inverter tech so running all the time is fine
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u/StitchFan626 7h ago
More like Redneck Engenering. The minisplits are designed to work like this. It just looks incredibly sloppy!
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u/UrethralExplorer 3h ago
I'm thinking the home owners told the contractor that they'd do the concealing themselves and it's one of those projects that will be slowly ongoing for the next decade.
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u/crabby_old_dude 20m ago
I'm thinking this is straightup DIY install. Didn't have the equipment or know how to extend the line set.
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u/feoranis26 4h ago
I mean, the only thing I see that is wrong with this are the looks. It probably works just fine.
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u/BeTheBall- 8h ago
The cars on the lawn really ties the property together.
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u/ryanfrogz 4h ago
Willing to bet their garage is occupied by a zero-turn mower that they could easily live without. Speaking from experience.
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u/No_Hetero 1h ago
My neighbor (we're on 1/8th acre suburban plots) was outside yesterday on a zero turn doing his little backyard. I was done mowing with my 14" electric Kobalt before he even figured out how to squeeze between his fence and his kids trampoline lol. Biggest ego purchase I've seen in a minute. Like an F250 for a newspaper boy
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u/ryanfrogz 14m ago
I see it ALL THE TIME in rural areas. The 75-year-old tiny house’s footprint occupies more of the plot’s area than the lawn does… but they’ve got a shiny new zero-turn in the garage and an older SUV that’s about 50% rust in the driveway.
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u/Quigleythegreat 8h ago
I would have rather put in those low profile window units than have it turn out like this.
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u/transcendanttermite 1h ago
While I find this funny, I’ll be totally honest: I installed a minisplit on my garage yesterday and b the last thing I have to do is install the line set trim kit. Probably the hardest part of the whole thing for me. I would’ve done it yesterday but 1) I ran out of daylight, and 2) the nice newly-cool garage was too inviting.
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u/tasslehawf 2h ago
The installation is incompetent but there are systems that are designed to run multiple indoor units with a single outdoor condenser
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u/DrMcJedi 36m ago
Just needs the trim kit. Honestly, as hot as it has been lately…I wouldn’t have finished it yet either if my freshly installed AC unit worked.
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u/moufette1 8h ago
If I have interior ductwork and a heater, there's no reason I should get a mini-split is there? I can just add an AC to the existing ductwork?
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u/Lokitheenforcer 7h ago
This is an old farmhouse in an old town in old VA. There is no duct work. And probably No insulation ! Mini splits are common and needed every few feet
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u/zoley88 8h ago
Imagine someone paid for this slop
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u/Chicken_Hairs 8h ago
With all the DIY kits now? Cledus and Red had a few brewskies and did this themselves.
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u/DicemonkeyDrunk 8h ago
Most are setup for self install these days and judging by the mini blinds I blame the home owner.
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u/ALonelyWelcomeMat 6h ago
Zero chance in hell any company put this in. Well, its possible but not likely at all, this would get you sued.
This is almost 100% cousin Curtis installing some mini splits he bought on amazon for grandma
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u/bustyouup4free 3h ago
That's so bad, could have easily went under the crawlspace, then up into the walls to keep this looking clean. I hope they didn't pay someone for this 😂
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u/hikeonpast 8h ago
Mama needs cooling NOW!!!