< |:)~
Posted on 06/18/2022 9:30:32 AM PDT by DUMBGRUNT
DYI Mini Split Heat Pump, I did it! And it works very well!
My existing Trane AC sadly died an early death at a very young 27 years.; RIP. I did have the need R-290(Not the old Texas R-1bbq refrigerant, real R290, no water vapor) to revive it, but then the fan solenoid gave out. And we said our goodbyes.
Our daughter and HVAC guy S.I.L. put on an addition and went with a Mitsubishi/Trane mini split system, the Cadillac of heat pumps $$$. They love it! And last year my brother an MIS, installed his own Pioneer mini split purchased from Home Depot. I purchased directly from Park-Davis because I had many questions and they were VERY helpful. Also a 5% veterans/senior discount, same product. IMO, Pioneer might be more like a Chevy or Oldsmobile??? He loves it!
Most of the compressor units come from China even some Mitsubishi. Mrcool says made in the USA, the compressor is a Tecumseh and has a good reputation among the few I ask that were familiar.
Good stuff! The old unit SEER 12 guzzled about 4,000 watts; I have watt meters on both incoming power lines. The new unit SEER 21.5 with both systems in Turbo mode with a HOT, 98F Outside ~1,600 Watts; I did not shut the rest of the house off for an exact reading. The 100-year-old house is 2,800 sq ft plus an UNcondutioned basement. We have added the maximum possible insulation and all new windows.
Being a split I did the second floor first with hot weather on the way. With ONLY the second-floor unit running the upstairs was fine at 76F, 50% humidity and the first floor Was OK at 82 F, 55% humidity; drawing 800 Watts max, the load varies with solar gain. The big old trees HELP! The unit runs constantly by design, slowing down as needed; lower energy use, and better humidity management. Plus few stops/starts.
Installation
With a bit of luck to have the studs in the right place...EASY PEASY. But the manuals are a bit sketchy on a few details, like how to take the wall unit down after it is hanging??? I hung the unit without any connections to check it out? HOW TO TAKE IT DOWN? A call to my brother and he ran into the same issue and made some claws to release the unit and sent photos.
The biggest help was the EasyBend Lineset Bender, which takes the worry out of kinking a $200 line set.
I did above and beyond standard testing ( basically the Mitsubutsi test schedule) Pressure testing staged up to 300 PSI nitrogen overnight then 500 PSI for one hour. Vacuum testing sub 100 Micron hold for 30 minutes.
My brother did his with a cheap <$100 vacuum pump and the $40 vacuum gauge set from Pioneer. Works fine. Pioneer also sells a $40 flush kit, no vacuum is needed?
The unit is shipped with additional refrigerant, no additional is needed for standard length line sets.
Open the valves, and turn it on.
I own an ancient refrigeration gauge set that goes with my even older Welch 1400 vacuum pump. From 27 years ago... The hose set was not up to the sub 500 Micron vacuum, I used 1/4 inch copper lines.
https://www.pioneerminisplit.com/products/dual-zone-outdoor-section-230v-21-seer-multi-split-air-conditioner-heat-pump
Plus one 12,000 Btu wall mount and one 12,000Btu floor mount plus line sets. $2,143.00 delivered. I have add ons above home depot.
Plus a $65 set of : https://www.supplyhouse.com/Easybend-84381-1-4-to-5-8-EasyBend-Lineset-Bender-Minisplit-Kit-w-13-Mandrels
A used micron vacuum meter from a friend; $40.
Vacuum pump oil $20, needs replacement with each use.
A whole house surge suppressor, $65, Outside disconnect and whip, $10+$10, additional condensate hose, $10 from a big box.
Two stalks of conduit and wire from a friend, now I owe.
Additional labor from my wife; happy (AC cooled) wife= good life...
—”What no back-up generator?”
That brings up a sore point.
With the new high-tech boiler (more computer than boiler)
I upgraded to a new EM inverter Generac, also portable for other use, still can carry the boiler and pumps and more...
But no 220VAC!! like the old generator.
But I would NEVER run any high-tech ANYTHING on the old generator. Voltage and frequency with the RPM like a seasaw.
—”Install/assemble, open valves, done.”
Not as fast as that Mr Cool guy, but close.
Time is money and you pay one way or the other.
Well done! Your labor and your smarts saved you thousands of dollars. Now just find a way to get your new arrangement to charge your EV.
—”I would have run the 30 inch vacuum over night as well”
A fun tidbit: the width of the needle on a mechanical vacuum gauge is 10,000s of thousand Microns of the face scale on the gauge.
To fully remove any moisture, holding at sub 500 Micron is needed. For noncondensable, you may need a purge condenser or active flush?
That said my brother’s unit and millions both of others work just fine.
—” Now just find a way to get your new arrangement to charge your EV.”
No EV yet and BIG GOV is doing everything to discourage their use IMO.
Here in Illinois, they have added a new EV tax because not using gasoline, and pressurizing the EV cram down pushes more poorly designed crap.
Thinking I’ll let others be the beta testers.
Point is, those mini split systems, they come sealed and pre-charged with freon. If you buy it as a kit.
Can you even find R-11? That was the flush! Clean and dry even on a retube of a salt water condenser.
The micron gauges came out and I was in heaven!
We have split units in a few rentals. Love, love em!
My roof is 20 and I think it’s a 25-year roof, looks in pretty good shape. Every so often this neighborhood gets targeted with ads for the new metal roof stuff...
Well I finally read some of this stuff and it’s not only metal roofing they’re doing your whole roof with a heat sync type of material that reduces the temperature of your attic so in 5 years after I understand even more about this phenomenal new product I keep hearing about but ignored, maybe they’ll be more information and testimony.
< |:)~
Bkmk....split AC
AHave one of these PTAC units in our bonus room, above the garage.
considering a minisplit for the garage. Haven’t found anything that works as I want, and it is also my woodworking and reloading space.
A friend of mine recommended hotel style for us as well.
“I would have run the 30 inch vacuum over night as well. I hate air and noncondensables. Other than that”
A guy serviced our heat pump several years ago (R22), said there was air in the system and flushed it out by pushing though new freon, letting the old stuff exhaust in the air.
I thought wow, hope the freon police don’t come by. I never worried about freon in the atmosphere other than a tiny concern about R12.
Some trivia: America doesn’t allow flammable refrigerants. Many other countries do. Propane, for instance, can be used as a refrigerant.
Testing
My Image host suddenly left town?
https://i.postimg.cc/50nkKLVn/63112841-a88a-4aac-bb8e-90ee27323c74.jpg
Sub 100 microns and holding...
—” America doesn’t allow flammable refrigerants.”
R-290 that I added to revive my system tends to be flammable and is used in the USA, but is limited to a given volume.
Ammonia is used in huge systems everywhere.
And can be very reactave.
It all depends on your own individual factors - budget, layout, noise tolerance, degree of DIY capabilities. Both make sense depending on the situation.
One 30000btu for the living/dining/kitchen/FL room, which has its own outside unit.
Each bedroom is 9000 btu, each with its own outside unit, figuring that if one failed we can sleep in the other bedroom, while we wait for parts, or swap parts if necessary. They are now ten years old and am replacing the bedroom units, same size 24-SEER
Initial cost
$3k for both bedrooms including disco box, line set, inside/outside units, wire, drain tubes, line set covers.
$3k for the living room.
I poured the outside slabs and mounted the in and out units, the disco box and drilled the holes in the block walls. Electric drop lines from main box was run by electrician and AC guy I know flared the line sets, drew the vacuum and dumped the Freon. Total cost was less than $8k.
VERY quiet.
August electric bill is ~$120/mo to keep the house 78° & winter is about $80/mo...and there is zero insulation in the attic. I'll get to that one day this winter when it's not so hot up there and rent a blower to blow in 18” of pink panther.
I bought from ecomfort in Illinois. Both times, great service, very helpful, shipped to my house.
I say all this to echo your thoughts and to encourage others who may be considering options.
Thanks for the great article!
bookmark
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
![https://postimg.cc/cgtmrK6n][img]https://i.postimg.cc/50nkKLVn/63112841-a88a-4aac-bb8e-90ee27323c74.jpg[/img][/url](https://postimg.cc/cgtmrK6n][img]https://i.postimg.cc/50nkKLVn/63112841-a88a-4aac-bb8e-90ee27323c74.jpg[/img][/url){kind=link}