LINUS! Mini-split advice!

[Erranty]

So, I bought and self installed mine a while ago.

 

You can get a 120V 12000BTU unit! I have one from Pioneer, and its been working great.

 

Also, do not disconnect your heated baseboards! Mini-splits can't heat your area below if its -25c outside!

 

Please, please do more research on this. It's a fantastic solution, but you need to know more about it.

[lewdicrous]

@LinusTech

 

Edit:

I have a mini-split unit as well, from Daikin, I live in a hot country and it works really well, I don't know how well it'll work during the winter, cause I don't use it as a heater (it's cold enough outside to keep the window open, but not too cold to warrant heated air, closing the window solves that)

Bit of advice, don't place the drain pipe somewhere that'll get it blocked quickly, relatively speaking, we've had all our units stop cooling for several months and spent a lot of money cleaning and servicing them, just to find out that it was caused by a blockage on the drain pipe; the water-level sensor on the indoor unit would detect that the tray is filled with water, so it just turned into an expensive ceiling fan.

[Aurn]

Hey

Shout out to Linus if he wants to talk to an HVAC specialist about his air conditioning for free, if anyone can help point him to seeing this that would be great.

I would highly suggest he goes for a multi system which will fix any issues he has with his panel, easy to install for your electrician Brian, love the content with him in it 

 

if you go to "https://www.abodeac.co.nz/products-residential/" their super multi split system is what you will be after.

This style will fix your power issues with multiple rooms and reduce the difficulty for Brian to install they are actually wired up the same as a standard split just only have one outdoor unit.

[waka324]

Yeah, I just completed my DIY multi-zone LG install.

• 24K outdoor unit
• 12k ducted cassette 
• 9k ducted cassette
• 7k ductless wall unit

Tips:

• If you want to use a smart thermostat, be sure to make sure that you can get a "3rd-party thermostat controller". Sometimes they go by "dry-contact" controller.
• R410a can be bought on Ebay if your line-set is longer than the factory charge will support. I think it is a legal grey area for the sellers though.
• You will need a bunch of HVAC tools/supplies:
  • Crows-foot torque wrench (or torque wrench with crows foot socket adapters)
  • Nylog sealant
  • Flaring tool (if you are not going to use factory-flared lines, or need to extend a line that ends up being too short.)
  • Dry Nitrogen Canister and regulator that can go up to 550PSIG
  • Vacuum pump. May want to spend a bit more money to get something nice, then resell it later.
  • Micron gauge. I can recommend the CPS one on Amazon.
  • 5/16 to 1/4 adapters
  • Hose set
  • Leak detection fluid. Don't use soapy water, as it can contaminate the system if your vacuum fails.
  • if adding charge:
    • Imperial 535-C Kwik Charge Liquid Low Side Charger. Not 100% necessary, but liquid coolant should never go into the suction side, needs to convert to gas. This tool does that for you, and lets you dump liquid r410a into it.
    • Scale to measure charge. Should have .1 oz resolution. I just used a kitchen scale with a small 1.43lb r410a can.
  • If doing duct work:
    • Duct tape (not the fix-it-all tape, but the aluminum-backed stuff)
    • Insulation
    • Duct Mastic to air seal
    • Silicone caulk to air seal register boots
• Optional tools:
  • Valve stem core removal tool. Makes vacuuming go a LOT faster, and just makes everything involving the service port easier. (get the 5/16 Appion one.)
  • Refrigerant manifold (not really necessary if using core removal tool, but a good one could still be handy. Might leak under vacuum. Good for future servicing)
• Follow install guidelines from manufacturer with regards to torque settings, and purging requirements. In my case I had to do 3 pressure tests with nitrogen, then a triple-purge of vacuuming, then 50PSIG of nitrogen.
• You should be able to pressure test up to 550PSIG without leaks.
• You should be able to vacuum below 500microns without leaks.
• Check valve stems for leaks. Core removal tool is useful for this A valve-stem depressor on one of my hoses damaged one of mine.
• Use the Nylog liberally.
• Duct-seal liberally.
• If installing in snowy areas, make sure outdoor unit is above the snow-line.
• If using ducted units, make sure you pay very close attention to pressures, air volume, and duct sizing:
  • Low static ducted units don't make much pressure, so try to keep duct runs short, with wide radius bends, and lots of duct cross-area.
  • High static units can be treated more similarity to traditional duct work.
• If pressure/vacuum testing fails, check and isolate tooling first. I was using a Testo 552 that seems to have a leak, and it wasn't until I swapped that out, that I could maintain a vacuum.
• Cheap tools: You get what you pay for. Care should be taken here.
• Plan things out with pen and paper first.
• Seriously.
• Check clearances once you think you know where things will go.
• Make sure you have egress to get units into their final locations. I had to install a new attic access to make the access wide enough for my air handlers.
• Make sure you install things in such a way that they can be serviced in the future without removing refrigerant lines or duct work.
• Read all the literature on units as you are picking one out. Pay special attention to:
  • Min-temperature for heating
  • Circuit requirements. Check your panel to make sure you can provide the breakers AND amperage required. In my case, I was running up to the max of the 100A panel, and could only afford a 240V 20A set of breakers.
  • Max line-lengths
  • Min-max number of zones.
  • Min-Max BTUs of outdoor unit. Some can modulate to super-low BTUs under low load, others have to cycle. This will impact efficiency and longevity if you don't size it correctly.
  • Check line-set sizes (usually 1/4,3/8 for most mini-splits. some larger BTU units will be larger.)

Linus specific tips:

• Look into Outdoor units that have more heat capacity in colder temperatures.
• Probably want to keep your baseboard heat as an aux heat source. 

I'll update this if I can think of anything else I missed.