Contractor with 25 years of experience here (I've personally worked for 2 different HVAC companies for over 4 years as well). DIY mini splits are by far the best bang for your buck. Don't go with a offbrand that won't be in business 3 years down the road, and don't do a half-assed rush job on the install. You'll be fine. Plumbers were crying the same way HVAC guys are now back when PEX, and sharkbites hit our market 20 years ago. They realized that the average person could handle the work themselves reasonably well in most cases. Most companies, and many contractors are charging entirely too much for their work. There are many reasons why this is happening. There isn't a "smoking gun" as to why this is happening. Some of it is the price that materials has gone up (not as big of a chunk as you might think), price of fuel, insurance, etc. If they're a large company they have a lot of overhead (office, shop, utilities, maintenance, staff, advertising, ect). BUT a lot of it is just old fashioned greed. Many are charging hundreds of dollars a hour simply because they can. It's shameful. Your best best is to find a honest independent contractor in your area, and develop good business practices with them. I can assure you they do exist. They are out there.
It's hard to find honest contractors without having them come to your house though. I had tried to diagnose my fridge ice maker and couldn't find anything wrong with it and finally gave up. I called a refrigerator repair man and when they found the problem they told me it would be an additional $200 for an additional electrical diagnosis fee on top of the 120 minimum for them to come out. Long story short, they charged me $320 to plug in a cable that they had seen was disconnected after it came loose. I hadn't checked the wire behind a screwed on cover.
@@captainvlogl had a friend suffer $650 HVAC bill for nothing(no parts). He left her with a fan that wouldn't work and a $6000 quote for a new unit. I took the outside cover off and spotted a swollen capacitor. $35 buck later she was back in business..........GREEDY CROOKS!
You are so correct.. These Hvac contractors are licensed to steal. For instance I want a12000 unit put in. Quoted like 5-6 thousand dollars. Takes 4-5 hours to install some time a little more. I when on line and they had Goodman splits made buy Daiken now. Paid $661 out the door with the raceway piping and wires for communication between the units. Granted it doesn't have all the bells and whistles but so what it cools just as good. I can put one in in a heart beat. Just flat outrageous. You-tube is gonna kill these greedy guys.
The main reason is that everyone went into computers starting in the 80s when we were at school districts tearing out wood shop, metal shop, welding shops and installing Apple computers. Everyone then went into computers and decades later they are dime a dozen and we have a huge shortage of trades people. I was there and saw it happen. Now trades people are killing it with their wages. turning into a real rip off generation.
The only way to alleviate the mode switching problem is to install only single head units. Honestly, as an hvac professional, that is my normal recommendation if there is not an excessive number needed. It simplifies things when each indoor unit is independent. Also if there is a leak or a problem with the outdoor unit, you don’t lose heat or cooling in the entire house. Not a criticism, just an observation.
@@TheRenoBros without knowing layout of the building, you likely have it pretty close to ideal. Anything over three heads and you almost certainly have to use multiple indoor units per outdoor unit. Whatever area you set condensers in just gets crowded. Normally I would install a typical forced air system, ducting heat to wherever it is needed and running off of one unit. The Gree flex and Bosch ids systems offer much the same efficiency with proper ductwork. Returning to the con with your system, I was trying to say that the problem is not unique to Mr.cool. With any minisplit system you will have the changeover issue. Some like Fujitsu are worse in that when you mismatch modes it creates an error requiring a hard reset, as in cycling power to the outdoor unit.
Finally got it up and running. The only delays we had was because we realized we needed some extra parts (I’ll list that below) th-cam.com/users/postUgkxihMYiJNXcHdbH-7ihymsLz61l7jVyb5O . So we have a loft where our current hvac just couldn’t seem to keep cool during the summer. We have been using a window unit since we bought this house over 6 years ago (all the houses in this neighborhood were built in the 80’s and majority of the houses built like ours use a window unit). I hate window units because they are just so noisy and the one we had really only cools one side of the loft. I had contemplated upgrading our current HVAC, but with all the rising prices these days, it would take years before saving up enough to do that. With the advice of my father-in-law (used to run an HVAC business), he recommended we get an inverter instead. We thought we bought everything we needed, but there were just a few other parts we didn’t anticipate needing (which is what caused most of our delay). My friend and father-in-law did all the work to get it installed and running and now we have nice cool air circulating nicely throughout the entire loft. It is very quiet and even the outside unit is much quieter than our main HVAC unit. Saved ourselves thousands getting this.
If you live in the south do not use the crappy insulation given for the Freon lines. Just a little of exposure to summer UV here in Dallas where there was a small gap exposed was disintegrated by one full summer of sun. The foam at $3 for 6 feet is much better than that provided.
I purchased a log home with a 6 head mini split system. Right away we noticed we barely need to run the AC. Even the past week it's hit 100° outside the system barely works the outside unit rev's up a few times here and there. We turn on the AC periodically just to get humidity out it's pretty amazing how well insulated a log is.
@@TheRenoBros - FYI - the extra length of line set that is roped up outside should be in horizontal storage (like a garden hose rolled up and laying down on the ground flat or underneath a metal bracket horizontally if wall mounted bracket is used ,instead of being in a vertical setup. You will get more efficient flow of refrigerant through the high/low lines. Additionally, at the time of setup, you could have shortened the lineset by cutting, deburring, and flaring the copper lines prior to hooking them up to the outside condenser unit. You have to use a vaccuum pump to empty out the lineset through the service ports and then finally open up the ports to let the refrigerants flow. If you want to do this now you will have to hire a HVAC service tech to pump down the system or evac the refrigerant all together, shorten the lineset and then repeat the vaccuum and refill with refrigerant over again. If you are handy and have access to a vaccum pump (you can buy one for $125 from Harbor Freight) and a copper line flare kit, you could do this yourself.
Seems like it at first but when you actually think it through it's a pretty poor business model because each of these tickets is going to be pretty low dollar just to start and diyers are cheap kind of by definition so you're going to get constant pushback on your already low prices so it's not going to be worth your time to actually go out to places
@@xedden2 some people become diyers as a result of being constantly overcharged. HVAC guy wants 5k for product + install of 18k btu mini split. a day's labor for ~3k? yeah i'll just try to do this myself. 1k for labor and i wouldn't think twice and let a pro install
@@bobsondugnutt7526 except that 5k is not 3K of profit just for the person's labor. That's paying for most likely a better product than you can get as a consumer, That's paying for all the training that they have to actually do this and make sure it's up to code which you're not going to meet as a diyer, it's paying for their licensing and insurance, their transportation time, their equipment, their gas, all their taxes, their other staff members that schedule the appointment for you, their office, all the softwares they have to pay for, their transportation, etc etc etc. People like to assume that every business is just out to screw them but unless you run a business yourself you don't actually rise how many other costs there are
I recently purchased a MrCool DIY 4th Gen 12K BTU 115V single-zone mini-split from Costco online as it went on sale. it will be installed in my garage. I already had an electrician put in the dedicated electrical for it with a disconnect switch. After it was delivered by UPS I contacted a multi-state MrCool authorized dealer - Sta'bl-Power to inquired on the installation cost but after they heard that I purchased it from Costco they weren't interested in doing the installation. So I will do the installation myself, since after seeing several installation videos on TH-cam and reading the installation manual it's fairly straightforward. Advice is to make sure to have all the proper tools to do the installation, such as a torque wrench, 3.5 inch hole saw, power drill, etc.
In Europe and in Norway where my wife’s family is heat pumps are the top standard for old & new construction and the tech is getting better all the time.
I live in Arkansas, hot humid summers and cold winters. About 80 degree diff in seasons. I've owned mine since 2021, they have had the motor noise for at least 6 months now and I had to clean the fan out as it was clogged and not blowing very well. Other than that they remove humidity very well and on 100 degree days keep my not so well insualted house around 71 inside!
HVAC contractor here. You can’t cut your refrigerant lines on a minisplit set up. They come pre charged with the exact amount of refrigerant for the size system it is on. If you need to add a longer line set, the manufacturer has a chart to let you know how many ounces to add. But there is a bare minimum, and it’s typically 15 feet linsets.
If you cut the pre charged lines you no longer have a diy install. Have to vacuum the lines and probably should recover and weigh in the proper amount of Freon.
Loved the video. Your integrity is outstanding!! You could have made things up to make yourself look flawless...you owned up to the good and the bad. I really appreciate the fact that you ask for critics. It teally helps everyone. Thank you so much. Getting ready to do my second unit...
really simple fix for the extra coil I saw on another vid is to build a box under the condenser and place the coil horizontally on a shelf in it. Problem gone for a few pieces of wood or metal. Plus raises the unit off the ground away from insects and animals, wind blown and lawn mower launched debris, rain splattered dirt, puddles and especially keeps it above the snow drifts, and generally increases the ventilation. It also makes it easier to service and if you enclose it reduces heat or cold loss from coil. win win win. Also I recommend putting a nice little roof over it. Anything that gets wet attracts dirt, insects, corrosion and heat loss. Things that live under cover last forever. Hopefully no bears make their home there. There's also less expansion and contraction of components due to cyclical moisture evaporation.
Highly recommend taking the condenser unit apart and taping over the holes for wires going to the board. We had a frog climb in there and short out the board, and since that was an "act of nature" it wasn't covered under the warranty. Still waiting for the replacement board after 4 weeks...
Daiken, LG, Mitsubishi, Carrier/Bryant..same wait..china manufactured controls. I talked to mrcool diy sometime (5or 6 Yrs) back, was tolg all parts available in Kentucky..so I pushed the product..then recently I found out the parts were actually just freighted in from China..
Idk where that would be, but it's not here. We get up over 100 degrees sometimes. Generally our summer temps are not much hotter than 85, but that is by no means the max.
I am 80 plus yrs old, live in a 60 yr old 560sq ft mobile home. they wanted $4500 for a system . My son bought me an 18,000 btu Mr Cool mini split. A couple of guys and I installed. Love, love Mr Cool. Great Video, mine is 3 years old now, no problems but love all of your hints. I need to clean my coils, do keep my filters spotless.
Looking at a larger MrCool split system to replace my central air system with a leaky coil. Was quoted $4500 to replace coil, $13,000 to replace with like-for-like. Insane. Or I can get a MrCool 3 or 4 ton system for half the price with a higher SEER rating. I feel like HVAC companies refuse to work on them because they feel threatened by DIY systems.
I think its not that they feel threatened as much as it is that they really are not as smart as you think they are. Eery unit is different and things change every few years so they like to work on the easy stuff
Yes, I built a house in 2005, shark bites and pex were just getting a start here. I had plumbers quote and they were crazy. Meanwhile they were desparately trying to keep pex and shark bites out of the market. So I decided to do my self, boot legged and saved well over 10k. Sharkbites and pex made plumbing easy for DIY and plumbers hated it. Well quit screwing people! I understand everyone needs to make money, but they do not need to make 500 per hour.
@@option311 I think they are taking advantage of the fact nobody wants to do hvac and plumbing, therefore lack of competition + their customers typically need their home fixed asap. My brother would rather work at bestbuy and live at my parents house in his 30s, even though ive shown him several open hvac jobs with no experience requirement.
@@hundred.billion I converted an 18 by 18 ft garage into an office. There were no A/C ducts going to that room. I put in the mini split that both heats and cools. My increase in Electric bill was $20.00 a month but well worth it.
Mini Splits are widely used in Asia and Europe. My wife and I lived in S Korea for a few years and used these units exclusively. They were not Mr. Cool's of course but usually Samsung or Mitsubishi. The only issue I had with them was the inside blower getting clogged up with lint. There is a spinning blade in there that looks like the fan blower on a central unit, just smaller and longer. Even if you take the filter screens out and wash them frequently that blower will still get clogged and slow down. Eventually it will start leaking water down the wall from the lint building up and clogging the drain line. The drain lines clog easily. I also noticed the heat pump side of the unit will heat all the way down to fairly low temps. Around 10-20 degrees F. Below that it may start icing up at the outside condensing unit. You MUST keep snow from piling up around the outside unit or it will not heat. You can pour water on the ice to get it to melt quicker. Overall I love these units and I plan to put several in my house so I don't need to run the central air units. Good video!
@@TheRenoBros We had the same issue with my parents house. They put one in the living room / dining room area. The drain line blocked up and leaked into the room.
Good advice on the electrical, these diys are much better for those that know how to be comfortable with electrical . I’m a retired electrician and my five year old 2 ton unit in my large 3 car garage, Mr. Cool has been great .
@@nothingface0xx Yep, that's the nasty part you never hear of. I noticed air force was way down. I took unit apart to get to the squirrel cage blower, it was full of mold and fungus.
One more annoyance, local utility companies offer nice size rebates! But ours only gives rebates to units that are installed by approved A/C contractors! WTF😢
Mr cool great product,installed 2 on my own with no DIY experience 8 years laetr still running great ;no leak ,no rust, like many others cheaper brand.. with seal problem ,rust problem..
The way I solved the lack of insulation and drafty windows in my cinder block home was to build a wood-frame wall inside the house along the exterior walls. Basically I built a house inside the house with the insulation right up against the cinder block, and tight seals around the windows. Now it is insulated and the drafts are gone. And now I can hang a picture on one of those walls, since it is a standard drywall wall on the inside.
I clean the blower wheel by removing the outer case then the black protective grill at the bottom. A small soft brush gently brush off the blower wheel while sucking with a vacuum near or close making sure the unit is shut off of course. Works well If careful
My MrCool unit is 3 years old and used continuously with it running whisper quite. I also purchased mine from Ingram's Air. I has a exterior unit control board burn up that was honored under their warranty. I had to provide the labor.
Last winter was my first with a 27k two zone in my garage. Mr. Cool's defrost I believe is 3 min long and NOT long enough for a New England winter. The defrost runs long enough to create a bubble around the fins outside. It's still crusted with ice, but there's a space between the ice and fins. This starts a defrost cycle hell where you have no heat for hours. Make a COVER or shelter for your heat pump outdoors. I spent so much time outside in the cold trying to "defrost" it manually with heat guns and picks. Not fun. I believe there's a way to prolong the defrost cycle, but this requires opening up the heat pump cover, and Mr. Cool does not provide info on any of that, and I haven't found any info thus far. Aside from that, great unit so far all DIY
Amen! Good advice! Especially if your area is prone to lots of snowfall, always build a little roof over it big enough to keep snow away from the unit so it can breath and do what it needs to.
I had this same problem except the ice only accumulates at the bottom of the condenser fins. To solve this i ordered a 6ft piece of heat tape(120volt) off Amazon and routed it so its touching the bottom of the condenser fins all the way around the bottom. This helped tremendously. Actually spoke to a contractor who said they do something similar with Daikin units they install. The unit has a heating element to help the water drain out of the bottom (after its melted off the fins) so be careful your heat tape doesn't touch the factory installed heat element. This thing was pushing out hot air down to -5° this last winter. Lower than that it and starts to struggle. But its saved us so much trouble & money keeping the house warm or cool. Had it about 15months now. Amazing pieces of equipment and crazy efficient
I'm not sure I'd use any mini-split as a primary heat source in any far northern climate. But perhaps building the shelter and using heat tape makes it doable.
I've installed two Mr. Cool systems. One is the split system with air handler as in a central HVAC system and the other is a 24,000 btu unit in my shop. Both have been in for two years. So far, no problems. Easy to install if you don't kink the lines.
On a multi head mini split condenser, all heads have to be in the same mode for it to work properly, because their is only one compressor and one reversing valve. If you have multiple single head units, you have to properly address the remotes in the program menu for each zone.
Drainage..pump up or gravity tube, cleaning drains and also mention filter screens. Also on attic runs, yes cover the comm wires. Squirrels love the taste of the jacket..
I installed a Mr Cool several years ago and it is working great in the winter. It was only rated for -5 below but it has gotten tp -20 here and the Mr Cool worked great. Generally the temp is 0 to -5 on average. So I recommend them. The newer ones would work much better.
Just wanted to say my experience with support has been pretty good as well. We were having problems with the settings you discussed shutting units off and support guy back to us with the hour and kept with us for a couple of days until we figure out what was going on. First the record, we had set up the app, as well as the remotes and they were fighting with each other. Use one or the other and everything should be fine. Right now I'm looking into the cleaning because we are expecting temps of close to 110 next week, that's why I'm here commenting on your video 🙂
Contractor with 25 years of experience here (I've personally worked for 2 different HVAC companies for over 4 years as well). I couldn't agree more. DIY mini splits are by far the best bang for your buck. Don't go with a offbrand that won't be in business 3 years down the road, and don't do a half-assed rush job on the install. You'll be fine. Plumbers were crying the same way HVAC guys are now back when PEX, and sharkbites hit our market 20 years ago. They realized that the average person could handle the work themselves reasonably well in most cases. Most companies, and many contractors are charging entirely too much for their work. There are many reasons why this is happening. There isn't a "smoking gun" as to why this is happening. Some of it is the price that materials has gone up (not as big of a chunk as you might think), price of fuel, insurance, etc. If they're a large company they have a lot of overhead (office, shop, utilities, maintenance, staff, advertising, ect). BUT a lot of it is just old fashioned greed. Many are charging hundreds of dollars a hour simply because they can. It's shameful. Your best best is to find a honest independent contractor in your area, and develop good business practices with them. I can assure you they do exist. They are out there.
I've heard or seen others with leaking DIY linesets. Otherwise, if they do leak, you can pump them down, then cut off the ends and make them into any other flare sets if you remove the adapters on the unit itself.
Sounds like a great idea! Thanks for commenting! If I have an issue with leaking, which I have not yet in the last 2 1/2 years, I will definitely take that opportunity to remove the excess line set as well if it seems easy enough.
Doing the same thing because of leaking line sets. Where do you get the adapters to replace on the unit ? We have 1/2 in line going in the adapter on the unit is much smaller.
@@Battleneter Any recommendations? I’ve heard Daikin is absolute number 1 when it comes to reliability, customer service, and availability of replacement parts.
I recommend you buy a Flir C5 thermal imaging camera and find out where the heat is coming in and cold air getting out. You might be able to rent something similar. As a contractor you should seriously consider buying a thermal imaging camera to use on jobs. Don't replace the motor. Try using 30W motor oil to lubricate the bearings. It sounds like the bearing are dry.
Not being able to heat on one unit and cool on another is a design flaw of the outside unit but also a great feature. ABSOLUTELY NO reason should you have one room heating up and the next room over cooling down. Thats just wild.
I installed one about two years ago in a 550 sq ft mobile home and it has worked wonderfully. The best part is I can see the temperature on my phone and adjust it from my real home one state away.
Overall it seems these Mini Split’s work well. I am impressed you still get decent heating in the cold weather. The noise you hear after a few years in the indoor units is an inherent issue with that type of small fan motor. Basically it’s the small ball bearings failing from hours of use and age. It’s not a specific problem in any brand, they will all eventually sound noisy with lots of hours of operation.
Good tips and maintenance advice. Don't forget the drain line cleaning. Many people get walls damaged due to clogged drain lines and failed drain pumps. Vinegar, tubing line brushes...
The humming is not the motor. It’s the holder sub-assy lack of lubricant so the axis of the cross-flow fan rubs against the hole of the holder sub-assy and makes the humming noise. You can put some lubricant or just WD40 in the hole of the holder sub-assy, the the noise should go away. The holder sub-assy is on the left end of the indoor unit. You should be able to find it on the service manual. 80% of the noises of the high wall indoor unit of mini split are because of this.
Thanks for commenting! It actually was the motor. The noise was only coming from the right end of the inside unit. After removing the old motor and replacing it, that fixed our problem entirely. And with the old motor removed, I could split the drive shaft manually and it made the same sound as it did when the motor was inside the unit. I would however be interested to know if perhaps some WD40 would fix the motor issue. I’ll have to try that next time one starts acting up.
@@RyanHarris77 We would have had to take the motor apart to figure out what was making the noise exactly, and it didn’t look like it was made to really be disassembled, so we just opted with the free replacement part. But do you know how to take the motor apart? When it goes out of warranty, that’s the kind of solution I’d be looking for!
Yeah, I don’t remove them very often but I just shared that detail because it’s a poor design. Worthy of a con in my opinion. Homeowners shouldn’t have to file down any ridges to make something function correctly
Single mini split (2 ton) owner of about 9 years down in coastal Georgia (island) where outside relative humidity runs exactly like you were calibrating a hygrometer surrounded by salt water (ie; 75% pretty much year round). Our unit is a fairly nice earlier Electolux/Frigidaire which is now discontinued (but ours still works great). Cleaning tip for inside evaporator where mold build-up takes time, but still happens every 6-12 months (not during a heating season, of course): Ours does not have the following feature on the remote, however I noticed that if I manually run it for 10-15 minutes everyday on Fan-Only Mode, the inside unit dries itself very well and prolongs the 1-2 year manual cleaning cycle! (Our cleaning primarily due to mold build-up.) I do not know what other manufacturer's remotes might have such a setup possible on a 24 hour timer basis to be able to accomplish this automatically, but I believe those in high humidity locations would benefit on a short off-hour cycle like this for cleanliness. Appreciate your video!
Thanxs for the excellent video. I am finalizing my mini split install. The two units in the upper floor have been up and running for a couple months. Just finishing the units in the basement. The systems are MrCool DIY Gen4. I got two 36K outdoor units, 4 zone capable. One of the units has an 18K wall unit in the upper main bed/bathroom and an 18K wall unit in the bsmt west family room. The other unit has a 24K wall unit in the upper living room / kitchen and a 12K wall unit in the bsmt east family room. The house is 1488 sq ft upper and 1488 sq ft lower. Garden level basement. The walls are all 2X6 insulated to R34 and the ceiling is also R34. We installed all new windows all low E 1 1/2 yrs ago. The outside walls are full brick to the eves, bricklayer built the house for himself. The systems are all totally functional as far as heat and cool is concerned, I'm getting all of the cooling condensate to go to a central tank to use to water plants. This required a few condensate pumps and some downhill engineering. None of the wall units are on outside walls ie: all of the linesets, power + comm and condensation lines are run inside. I mounted the outside units on a 2 1/2" pipe rack about 24" above the ground. The units are mounted 'shoulder to shoulder' on the pipe. I will be placing a wind fence in front of the units to keep wind pressure down. I have a cover over the units to keep direct drips off of them. The backs of the units are under the deck where there is no wind to speak of. I placed a power meter (Drok) on each of the circuits via cts going to the outdoor units to have a running total of power used. The house (all electric) had resistance heating, radiant mounted on walls up 6" or so below the ceiling. It was cooled by a large swamp cooler (evaporative) mounted in the north wall of the living room. The insulation level of the house kept it from being REAL expensive to heat and the swamp cooler is just a large squirrel cage fan and a little teeny water pump that uses very little power for LOTS of cooling (and LOTS of humidity). I have only removed the electric heating from areas where I was actually mounting a wall unit. This next winter will dictate which units might stay up.. The gen4 features are very similar to your system. The follow me is now lockable so it stays selected even after a power failure. There is NO clock based timing available in the system!!! That's a CON. Only timing available is elapsed time based, bummer.. I have heard that there are systems out there from Mitsubishi that CAN cool and heat on different units at the same time. BUT they are the ones that have the distribution manifold box that mounts in the house and the wall unit linesets are routed to that box as well as a single large lineset and com + pwr line to the outdoor unit ($$$). There were some rather old units that had supplemental heat in the wall units that kinda kluged it and could heat with that while another unit was cooling. I will probably get more refrigeration tools this winter with the majority of hvac repair people are going shoulder to shoulder against diy units. The quote for installing my system was right about $9000 avg over three places. They were all comparable products as well, but were (same avg 3) $2250 higher on material. For my $8200 total, and I bought a LOT of stuff I didn't need, I think it was a sound decision to do it myself. I'm 73, retired facility maintenance electronics tech. Located about 45 miles NE of the Denver, Co. metro limits. 7.8kW of on grid solar. I am going to contact MrCool and see if they are going to make a big unit that is as efficient as these. I need about a 5 ton to help my shop out back.
😃 I appreciate the confidence you have in me. Although I do have an HVAC contractor connection for all those needs, and he tends to be pretty reasonable with pricing. Cheaper for me to hire him than to do it myself.
On your comment of the unit not keeping up is because you needed a manual j load calculation to know that the units you bought are to small for the room because of the lack of insulation in the house. I get the day thing but a proper load calculation is required before installing any unit to make sure it is sized correctly.
So true! These are sized correctly for the house and keep up just fine. There are generally only one to five days per year that I notice it struggles to keep up, and those are outliers
The thing about cutting the lines to get rid of the coil is that the lines were pre-charged in the first place and the reason that it's DIY. If an HVAC guy did come out he would have to remove the 410a from the system, cut, flare, and reconnect the lines. Then he would need to vacuum the line, then possibly want to use nitrogen to pressure test the new connections, and I'm not sure if you have to vacuum the line again, but would need to recharge the system with new refrigerant (410a). Would they use the stuff you have previously and top up if necessary? If they would be using new stuff then that would be expensive. No one would quote on that because the cost would defeat the low cost DIY system and no one would want to pay for that.
You would definitely need to vacuum again. This is to remove moisture and air from the system, as anything other than refrigerant and oil will impact the ability of the system to condense and evaporate refrigerant, and they would reuse the recovered refrigerant, most refrigerant types aren't allowed to be vented directly to atmosphere. Also, the linesets aren't just a simple flare, they use a proprietary connection made specifically to allow them to stay charged until connected.
I inherited a split Mitsubishi system when I bought my residence. The unit is 5 yrs old now. It functions well and is quiet inside and out. One air handler in the master bedroom needs to be cleaned quarterly because of the combination of lint and steam from the shower clogging the filters and condensate tray. The other unit is cleaned annually but could go twice as long if need be. Can't speak to the money savings, but I can attest that the wife is cool in the summer and warm in the winter. That's enough for me. The newer systems will offer a split mode for each air handler that will allow heat and cool at the same time. What's not to love?
Mitsubishi and Hitachi were the two brands that I was considering (leaning towards Hitachi) before finding Mr Cool. I think the estimate for the Hitachi system was about $27000 after installation. I’m pretty sure I can DIY my entire house for half that with Mr Cool, and I can do one room at a time and spread the cost out.
@@RyanHarris77 I met an installer who only installs Daikin because he hates callbacks and never has any with Daikin. He used to install Mitsubishi but they’ve started cheapening certain parts and he started getting callbacks because of it. If I were to do it all over again, I’d DIY a Daikin system. You can purchase fittings that allow you to pretty easily DIY even the linesets and such. Just hire an electrician for the electrical setup and seems pretty simple to do the rest of it now that I’ve already installed the Mr Cool.
Great series of videos, I watched all three episodes and they are very informative. I’m planning to install a MrCoolDIY unit in my garage/workshop. PS: in three years, I would have thought that you could have used a bit of tape to secure the battery door on your remotes 😂
Thanks for the suggestion! We tried that first, and had the same sound. We even pulled the blower motor out and could hear the sound simply when turning the drive shaft. Definitely the bearings
I self installed Blueridge units last fall. Winter cut my heat bill by about 1/3 over the prior ground source heat pumps. (Main savings seemed to be in the cost of pumping water (pump and dump system) which was costing about $150 per month.) Installed 2 systems with air handlers in basement connected to the previously installed ductwork. Also 1 minisplit with 2 heads. I would never install multiple heads on 1 condenser again. Might be better if both heads are in the same area but mine are in a breezeway and the basement workshop in my garage. It is also a pain to change from heating to cooling because it involves going through the garage and downstairs to switch that one and back up for the breezeway. Overall I am very happy with the systems and would do it again. I did cut lines to length and reflare fittings when doing install. The Blueridge systems don't use the precharged linesets and need to be vacuumed after installation.
Great video 👍 i need at least one MrCool for my Moms house right now. But I don't have the $ now. So i had to buy a portable AC unit, because her windows are not even large enough for a window AC. And the portable unit she had just quit, i tried to repair but it apparently leaked off. So... I'm hoping to get her a MrCool next year. I'd like to get one for my house also as I only have a single window ac. And I'd love to have one for my barn, as its insulated but no AC or heat so it gets super hot in summer. Cold but not below freezing in the winter. Maybe someday 🙃
Thank you for this video. I purchased a single unit about 6 months ago and have loved the performance and capabilities so far. I especially appreciate the section the on the temperature or thermostat settings differences in the air handler. I am having issues with the unit running and (cooling) much lower than the setting I have set. I will now, try the follow me setting on the remote and see how that performs. Thank you!
Enjoyed your video. I'm soon starting my install after sitting in the garage for 9 months. The tips you mention are helpful and easy to understand. You inspire me that i can do this! Thanks.
That motor hum sounds very much like a dead bearing due to the usage of an unsealed or shielded bearing. This is generally in order to save 3-4 dollars per motor unit vs a sealed bearing which you can expect to last for the lifetime of the unit. A confident DIYer could likely swap the motor bearings for nice sealed bearings
Early in your video you talked about the savings being $8,400 . I believe on the screen it was right at $840, (12 * $70). I am sure you either got comments before about that or you just mis-calculated in your head. Thanks for the video. Very helpful.
After not receiving a response to a pre-sales email and then a phone call I decided to check Mr. Cool out on BBB. While they have an A+ rating, BBB says the rating in NOT related to the complaints received (which I have a hard time to understand). Based on the number of complaints and the types (including shipping costs) I decided not to buy Mr. Cool.
I have a 24k DIY for 2 years now and working good. I however had an issue with temperature. The unit would cool down to 7 degrees below set temperature so I tested the sensor and it was fine. The strange thing it would only start the offset at 5pm and return to normal the next morning. I removed the wifi adapter and it resolved the issue. MR cool had no explanation on why. Does anyone have thoughts on this. Mr cool is by far the best mini split AC in my opinion. great job on the video.
Thanks for commenting! Never heard of that issue! 🤔 Very strange. I’ve heard that Daikin and Mitsubishi are far better in terms of quality and reliability, but I’m happy with my Mr Cool so far!
Great video. Sums up my experience after 4+ years with two Mr Cool DYI installs in my house. One of them has become noisy and Mr Cool sent me a replacement motor. I watched the video they suggested and… I'm working up to the task. You mentioned that after three motor replacements, you have the task down to about 2 hours. Is there any chance you may have videoed your experience swapping out the motor? Or, any chance you have tips to offer on the task? My experience has been that most of these mini split, air handlers develop some sort of noise after time. I'm not deterred by this and I'm about to install a third Mr Cool. I never had the option of any other systems anyhow. Also, I've saved so much money doing the DYI thing, that even if I had to replace each unit after time, I would still be ahead. I was quoted $16K by an HVAC guy for two units that cost me $2,500 combined (plus the day it took to install them and $600 for the electrician to be sure the hookup were up to code). So… That's $3,100 vs $16,000. Do the math, it's a no brainer. BTW: I asked the HVAC guy how long it would take to install the two Mitsubishi units in his estimate. He said, a full day. That means 5-6 hours to me. The units cost less than $1,000 (to him). So let's just say his cost was about $2,000 + another $800 for parts and wear and tear on his tools and truck and cost of doing business (insurance, etc). So… rounding up, let's say his cost is $3K, which leads me to believe that he's be paid $13,000 for a days work. Convert that to by-the-hour at 6 hours total and you have $2,167/hour. When I asked him if that seemed fair… he told me to take a hike. Hell, I would have been happy to pay double his cost ($6K) and he would have been making $500/hour. Anyhow, I'm glad I'm handy and was able to do both installs in a single day. The electrician came the day prior and had everything ready to roll. BTW: The lowest of three bids I received was $12K and that guy didn't return my call! $16K was the highest of the three. Thanks for your great videos.
Someone has to pay for the HVAC guy's new truck! Finding someone to pay $16K gives him a nice down payment for sure. I'm all for everyone making a decent living. But that's just price gouging.
From what I have watched and read, I was told one unit would facilitate different rooms. We have a smal footprint, but only real installation possibility is upstairs in a dedicated prayer room, very small 9'x9' approximately. The lower portion is a Sunday house, basically a 20x14 foot shed roof salt box type house circa 1800's, with a vaulted addition of 12'x14', and 12'x14' respective..which involves a fairly low shed roof side. Doesn't seem to be a lot of area to address, but we are new at this. The originaly building is double wall rock…talk abotu way to go! But hard to cut holes thru:)
Con #5 request to have one touch mode change for all systems would be a good feature request to make to the manufacturer. I’m assuming they don’t remotely update the firmware on the systems, but it should be much easier to implement in the app.
Great video-- I have a Daikin mini-split unit cooling 5 different zones--it was professionally installed (cost me nearly $14-k); I wish I had watched this video and bought this system. I feel empowered to tackle a DIY and add another unit to condition other areas of my house in need; and as much as I would have loved to keep all the AC units under one same brand, Daikin will invalidate it's warranty if the unit is not professionally installed. Your video reviewing MrCool reassures me that the company stand behind their product and the product is reliable.
Honestly that’s not bad. If I had it to do over I wouldn’t be so afraid of a Daikin pro installation. I’m curious who they classify as a professional and how you can gain that status in order for them to honor the warranty? Daikin is apparently the best mini split brand in the country with very low maintanence service issues. So far, my Mr Cool has had issues with almost all of the motors, and I’d rather have a system that doesn’t need those kind of warranty repairs within 2 years. $14k for 5 interior heads seems like a pretty good deal in all reality
That's what attracts me to Mr. Cool. Looking at probably half price to get the system in compared to a pro install, AND you get a full warranty. I'll roll the dice on issues after that.
The Cielo Breeze is the most amazing product for mini-split units. It s an ir control that you place in every room where you have a mini split. Their app makes it really easy to control all of them. It also lets you program timers and conditions for operation. I've been using it for almost 2 years, and it's never failed. I'm using it with 5 zones of Mitsubishi.
Thanks for the info! Mr Cool has settings like that within their app as well. So you purchased Cielo Breeze as a sort of accessory to your Mitsubishi mini split?
@@TheRenoBros yes, it's a pretty simple product the sends signals to the wall unit via IR. And if you use the remote that came with your wall unit, the Cielo sees the command and keeps it in sync. I did notice that the app on your video looks a lot like the Cielo app. Maybe Mr. Cool partnered with them.
@@SoCalVipers Yup, the Mr Cool IoT stuff is Cielo. I know because they sent me a new wifi dongle and controller board under warranty. Actually I think Ingrams sent it but Cielo was responsible for the diagnostic process.
Regarding contractors working on DIY systems, I get their concern about being liable for future issues. But could they not just have the customer agree to terms that say, we will happily perform your requested work but it comes with NO WARRANTY?
I have had an issue with two air handler units on one exterior condenser unit. The air handlers were out of sync. Easy to reset once you understand the problem. This problem only occurred with one condenser and pair of interior air handlers.
You should build interior walls on all the exterior brick walls so you can properly insulate and airseal. Yes you’ll lose some living space but the comfort level will go through the roof.
I live in Ontario Canada, I have 3 mini split heat pumps, 18000, 24000 and 12000 in the master bedroom. I only use them for AC having replaced a 3 ton central air. They are much cheeper for AC than the central air but are more than twice as expensive to heat compared to my gas furnace. Now having said that electricity is very expensive in Ontario and the price increases the more you use.
I am considering a minisplit to improve the temperature in my master bedroom (around 400sq ft including master bath minus closet) which is the furthest room from my forced air furnace / AC. The room gets too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. I believe one could easily solve both problems however my largest concern is noise. I would say my temperature range is similar to the video but goes down to around -5F for 1 to 3 days a year and doesn't really hit 100 but gets close on the hottest days.
If you have easy access to the ducts that feed it, you might consider adding a concealed duct unit by putting a return opposite the registers that currently connect to the whole house system in that room. Instead of having a wall mounted head, you'd have a regular wall mounted thermostat and the air handler would be in either your attic or basement/crawlspace, just with a dedicated system only for that room.
If your mini split system design is capable of multiple wall evaporator's then when one room call for heat and another call for cool they have to take turns the heat may get first priority and cool will have to wait unit heat is satisfied kinda like a zone system in central hvac.
We have 6 Pioneer mini split units in our house 2 exterior with 3 interior on each. We have 6 remotes but one remote works on all of them. When I want to change the temperature I choose the temperature setting on a remote and reset all the interior units with one remote by pointing at each individual unit at a time. Try it with yours, it might work.
That would work but I’d have to run all over the house and up and down 2 flights of stairs. Moreso just pointing out that central air is more convenient to control from one unit. I believe it would be simple to add that capability to a mini split.
We had the same problem, and they replaced the motor. I wonder if their motors are defective. More importantly when seeing how gross the the blower wheel was and how difficult it is to get to it, and you really need to remove it to clean with a water hose. I do think I would have reconsidered buying these as I think this needs to be done yearly.
I put in a 12000 btu 220volt with my wife’s help total cost around $ 1400, my brother just had an old unit replaced by a contractor for 4000 but he is not as diy as I am, both units work great
Normally you'll have a back up heat source during cold spells. This is usually your old hvac system. Refrigerant just wont cut it anywhere below 20 degrees
You need to repair the mortar between the bricks and then seal it, this should stop all your air problems going through the bricks themselves. Then you need to caulk around those windows in order to make sure it's sealed as well. This job is easy enough that you should easily be able to figure it out even if you have zero experience.
That's not the whole story...not even close. Brick transfers heat VERY well. Once the brick is cool, that cold air, relative to the warm air in the room, will sink to the floor. This really creates a remarkable draft. That big brick wall is basically a huge waterfall of cold air, creating a drafty situation. No amount of tuck pointing will fix it. You get the same effect on windows. Sometime this winter, go to a window and put your hand near the top and the bottom of a tall window. The difference is remarkable....literally a breeze of cool air falling on your hand.
Great video. Two small notes. First, you mention SEER as the energy efficiency rating of the unit, but really it’s just the measure of cooling efficiency. The HSPF rating tells you the heating efficiency and in a heating dominant climate like yours it’s really the one to look for (though generally if a unit has a high SEER it will have a high HSPF too). Second, you note that a water boiling radiator is more efficient. In reality a gas fired heater can only be around 98% efficient at most, and potentially down to 80%. A heat pump can top 400% efficiency so even if it is powered by a natural gas generating plant that is burning at 50% efficiency it still has a net efficiency of 200%. Even at below freezing temps most modern heat pumps stay over 200% efficient so they’re using less total gas. It’s more accurate to say that a gas fired boiler can be cheaper, not more efficient because gas sold directly to consumers is often cheaper per unit of energy than electricity. As more and more electricity is generated by wind and solar and the number of residential gas users drops this may flip.
So for follow me mode, beware of using it on the remote. It unfortunately uses IR to communicate the temp to the air handler so it really needs line of sight. If like two periods of reporting the temperature fail it will revert back to regular mode and you probably won't even know this happened. I've found follow me works best from the wall mount mini-stat because it has a pretty powerful IR transmitter. All that said, I have an 18k in my 24x24 great room with vaulted ceilings, three exterior walls and a bay window on the south side, and the internal air handler sensor ultimately is what I use almost all of the time. No cal needed either.
Instead of having to wait for the compressor/condenser to defrost have you thought about building some kind of insulated box/housing that you can put over/around it during the winter months. I think some kind of temporary insulating housing has got to be better than nothing.
That remote battery cover is incredibly annoying. I've got that same unit. It's about 3 years old and the interior unit is emitting a pretty annoying sound when running. so I probably will need to replace the blower motor and/or clean. Hopefully Ingram will be helpful.
Just wanted to say, thank you for your video, very helpful for us to make a decision of purchasing a unit... Still a little bit stand offish. I do have a question for you... ? Winter time... We get a substantial amount of snow, like 6 feet at times. The question is were we get so much snow, what to do with the condencer / unit that is out side.. Do we cover it? Do we not cover it ? Do we have to keep removing the snow from around it.. if so that would be a lot of digging snow out from around it.... This might be a deal breaker for me if so.. Thank you Danny B
Thanks for watching and commenting! Great question, first of all I’d recommend to you to consider Daikin or Mitsubishi. The DIY component of Mr Cool is easily accomplished by purchasing Rectorseal fittings to connect the line sets of a pro system. If I had it to do over, I wouldn’t be so afraid of installing a pro system. The Mr Cool DIY needing new blower motors within 3 years isn’t a good sign, and Daikin has the number one spot in most reliable and best service ratings. Check into it! I’m not sorry I bought Mr Cool, but I hope that I don’t become sorry if things keep wearing out before they should. As for the snow, definitely build a roof structure overtop of the mini split condenser. I’m sure you’ll be able to find videos of this on TH-cam, or even how people in cold climates with a lot of snowfall do to protect their mini split investment. I know that some top manufacturers actually require a roof over the minisplit in order for the warranty to be valid. That’s not a bad thing, because they know that they’re offering a great warranty and they want their units to last a long time for their customers.
Big professional mini splits have PTC heaters for when its in defrost mode, if yours doesn't then a space heater isn't a bad idea. Dyson ones are expensive but I can leave it on without worry.
I actually prefer the Mr Cool mini-stat. I don't like the capacitive buttons but I use that as my main interface. The remote just sits there unused. So I haven't had that issue.
Contractor with 25 years of experience here (I've personally worked for 2 different HVAC companies for over 4 years as well). DIY mini splits are by far the best bang for your buck. Don't go with a offbrand that won't be in business 3 years down the road, and don't do a half-assed rush job on the install. You'll be fine. Plumbers were crying the same way HVAC guys are now back when PEX, and sharkbites hit our market 20 years ago. They realized that the average person could handle the work themselves reasonably well in most cases. Most companies, and many contractors are charging entirely too much for their work. There are many reasons why this is happening. There isn't a "smoking gun" as to why this is happening. Some of it is the price that materials has gone up (not as big of a chunk as you might think), price of fuel, insurance, etc. If they're a large company they have a lot of overhead (office, shop, utilities, maintenance, staff, advertising, ect). BUT a lot of it is just old fashioned greed. Many are charging hundreds of dollars a hour simply because they can. It's shameful. Your best best is to find a honest independent contractor in your area, and develop good business practices with them. I can assure you they do exist. They are out there.
It's hard to find honest contractors without having them come to your house though. I had tried to diagnose my fridge ice maker and couldn't find anything wrong with it and finally gave up. I called a refrigerator repair man and when they found the problem they told me it would be an additional $200 for an additional electrical diagnosis fee on top of the 120 minimum for them to come out. Long story short, they charged me $320 to plug in a cable that they had seen was disconnected after it came loose. I hadn't checked the wire behind a screwed on cover.
@@captainvlogl had a friend suffer $650 HVAC bill for nothing(no parts). He left her with a fan that wouldn't work and a $6000 quote for a new unit. I took the outside cover off and spotted a swollen capacitor. $35 buck later she was back in business..........GREEDY CROOKS!
You are so correct.. These Hvac contractors are licensed to steal. For instance I want a12000 unit put in. Quoted like 5-6 thousand dollars. Takes 4-5 hours to install some time a little more. I when on line and they had Goodman splits made buy Daiken now. Paid $661 out the door with the raceway piping and wires for communication between the units. Granted it doesn't have all the bells and whistles but so what it cools just as good. I can put one in in a heart beat. Just flat outrageous. You-tube is gonna kill these greedy guys.
100%, thanks for this.
The main reason is that everyone went into computers starting in the 80s when we were at school districts tearing out wood shop, metal shop, welding shops and installing Apple computers. Everyone then went into computers and decades later they are dime a dozen and we have a huge shortage of trades people. I was there and saw it happen. Now trades people are killing it with their wages. turning into a real rip off generation.
The only way to alleviate the mode switching problem is to install only single head units. Honestly, as an hvac professional, that is my normal recommendation if there is not an excessive number needed. It simplifies things when each indoor unit is independent. Also if there is a leak or a problem with the outdoor unit, you don’t lose heat or cooling in the entire house. Not a criticism, just an observation.
What would you have recommended in this circumstance? 1 building, 2 apartments, 7 interior heads total (3 in one apartment and 4 in the other)
@@TheRenoBros without knowing layout of the building, you likely have it pretty close to ideal. Anything over three heads and you almost certainly have to use multiple indoor units per outdoor unit. Whatever area you set condensers in just gets crowded. Normally I would install a typical forced air system, ducting heat to wherever it is needed and running off of one unit. The Gree flex and Bosch ids systems offer much the same efficiency with proper ductwork. Returning to the con with your system, I was trying to say that the problem is not unique to Mr.cool. With any minisplit system you will have the changeover issue. Some like Fujitsu are worse in that when you mismatch modes it creates an error requiring a hard reset, as in cycling power to the outdoor unit.
@@sethsturtevant9082 Thanks for the insights! I appreciate it!
If you want to save even more money get some insulation for the walls and floor and ceiling and some great stuff for your drafting this
The beauty of a split is it’s autonomy. If it breaks you only have to change one. The cost is greatly reduced
Finally got it up and running. The only delays we had was because we realized we needed some extra parts (I’ll list that below) th-cam.com/users/postUgkxihMYiJNXcHdbH-7ihymsLz61l7jVyb5O . So we have a loft where our current hvac just couldn’t seem to keep cool during the summer. We have been using a window unit since we bought this house over 6 years ago (all the houses in this neighborhood were built in the 80’s and majority of the houses built like ours use a window unit). I hate window units because they are just so noisy and the one we had really only cools one side of the loft. I had contemplated upgrading our current HVAC, but with all the rising prices these days, it would take years before saving up enough to do that. With the advice of my father-in-law (used to run an HVAC business), he recommended we get an inverter instead. We thought we bought everything we needed, but there were just a few other parts we didn’t anticipate needing (which is what caused most of our delay). My friend and father-in-law did all the work to get it installed and running and now we have nice cool air circulating nicely throughout the entire loft. It is very quiet and even the outside unit is much quieter than our main HVAC unit. Saved ourselves thousands getting this.
Way to go! Glad it has worked out well for you!
If you live in the south do not use the crappy insulation given for the Freon lines. Just a little of exposure to summer UV here in Dallas where there was a small gap exposed was disintegrated by one full summer of sun. The foam at $3 for 6 feet is much better than that provided.
Thanks for the info!
I purchased a log home with a 6 head mini split system. Right away we noticed we barely need to run the AC. Even the past week it's hit 100° outside the system barely works the outside unit rev's up a few times here and there. We turn on the AC periodically just to get humidity out it's pretty amazing how well insulated a log is.
I’ve had my one ton Mr. cool for four years. Cleaned it every year. Works perfectly
Good to know! Thanks for commenting!
@@TheRenoBros - FYI - the extra length of line set that is roped up outside should be in horizontal storage (like a garden hose rolled up and laying down on the ground flat or underneath a metal bracket horizontally if wall mounted bracket is used ,instead of being in a vertical setup. You will get more efficient flow of refrigerant through the high/low lines. Additionally, at the time of setup, you could have shortened the lineset by cutting, deburring, and flaring the copper lines prior to hooking them up to the outside condenser unit. You have to use a vaccuum pump to empty out the lineset through the service ports and then finally open up the ports to let the refrigerants flow. If you want to do this now you will have to hire a HVAC service tech to pump down the system or evac the refrigerant all together, shorten the lineset and then repeat the vaccuum and refill with refrigerant over again. If you are handy and have access to a vaccum pump (you can buy one for $125 from Harbor Freight) and a copper line flare kit, you could do this yourself.
Thank you for clearing up these myths and the very helpful tips. Just installed two of these units and the savings was $8000 compared to a contractor.
Glad you had a good experience so far!
Did you buy a multiple mini split system or did you buy multiple condensers?
Seems to me a small business opportunity exists to do maintenance on DIY mini splits.
Seems like it at first but when you actually think it through it's a pretty poor business model because each of these tickets is going to be pretty low dollar just to start and diyers are cheap kind of by definition so you're going to get constant pushback on your already low prices so it's not going to be worth your time to actually go out to places
@@xedden2 some people become diyers as a result of being constantly overcharged. HVAC guy wants 5k for product + install of 18k btu mini split. a day's labor for ~3k? yeah i'll just try to do this myself. 1k for labor and i wouldn't think twice and let a pro install
@@bobsondugnutt7526 except that 5k is not 3K of profit just for the person's labor. That's paying for most likely a better product than you can get as a consumer, That's paying for all the training that they have to actually do this and make sure it's up to code which you're not going to meet as a diyer, it's paying for their licensing and insurance, their transportation time, their equipment, their gas, all their taxes, their other staff members that schedule the appointment for you, their office, all the softwares they have to pay for, their transportation, etc etc etc.
People like to assume that every business is just out to screw them but unless you run a business yourself you don't actually rise how many other costs there are
@@bobsondugnutt7526yeah - mine want $12,000 for a 12,000 BTU single zone. It’s insane!
I recently purchased a MrCool DIY 4th Gen 12K BTU 115V single-zone mini-split from Costco online as it went on sale. it will be installed in my garage. I already had an electrician put in the dedicated electrical for it with a disconnect switch. After it was delivered by UPS I contacted a multi-state MrCool authorized dealer - Sta'bl-Power to inquired on the installation cost but after they heard that I purchased it from Costco they weren't interested in doing the installation. So I will do the installation myself, since after seeing several installation videos on TH-cam and reading the installation manual it's fairly straightforward. Advice is to make sure to have all the proper tools to do the installation, such as a torque wrench, 3.5 inch hole saw, power drill, etc.
In Europe and in Norway where my wife’s family is heat pumps are the top standard for old & new construction and the tech is getting better all the time.
I live in Arkansas, hot humid summers and cold winters. About 80 degree diff in seasons. I've owned mine since 2021, they have had the motor noise for at least 6 months now and I had to clean the fan out as it was clogged and not blowing very well. Other than that they remove humidity very well and on 100 degree days keep my not so well insualted house around 71 inside!
HVAC contractor here.
You can’t cut your refrigerant lines on a minisplit set up. They come pre charged with the exact amount of refrigerant for the size system it is on. If you need to add a longer line set, the manufacturer has a chart to let you know how many ounces to add.
But there is a bare minimum, and it’s typically 15 feet linsets.
What happens if the lines get cut to shorten them? Will it still work?
If you cut the pre charged lines you no longer have a diy install. Have to vacuum the lines and probably should recover and weigh in the proper amount of Freon.
@@joesutera6940 Can still be a DIY, but you need to get the tools and the EPA license.
Loved the video. Your integrity is outstanding!! You could have made things up to make yourself look flawless...you owned up to the good and the bad. I really appreciate the fact that you ask for critics. It teally helps everyone. Thank you so much. Getting ready to do my second unit...
Thanks so much! Really appreciate the support!
really simple fix for the extra coil I saw on another vid is to build a box under the condenser and place the coil horizontally on a shelf in it. Problem gone for a few pieces of wood or metal. Plus raises the unit off the ground away from insects and animals, wind blown and lawn mower launched debris, rain splattered dirt, puddles and especially keeps it above the snow drifts, and generally increases the ventilation. It also makes it easier to service and if you enclose it reduces heat or cold loss from coil. win win win. Also I recommend putting a nice little roof over it. Anything that gets wet attracts dirt, insects, corrosion and heat loss. Things that live under cover last forever. Hopefully no bears make their home there. There's also less expansion and contraction of components due to cyclical moisture evaporation.
Highly recommend taking the condenser unit apart and taping over the holes for wires going to the board. We had a frog climb in there and short out the board, and since that was an "act of nature" it wasn't covered under the warranty. Still waiting for the replacement board after 4 weeks...
Oh wow! Thanks for the heads up! Sorry to hear that happened to you!!
Daiken, LG, Mitsubishi, Carrier/Bryant..same wait..china manufactured controls.
I talked to mrcool diy sometime (5or 6 Yrs) back, was tolg all parts available in Kentucky..so I pushed the product..then recently I found out the parts were actually just freighted in from China..
As someone that lives in texas where it can get to 110 F. Im very interested in moving to a city where max temp are 85. 😅
Idk where that would be, but it's not here. We get up over 100 degrees sometimes. Generally our summer temps are not much hotter than 85, but that is by no means the max.
Thank You! I wish more YT creators would do follow up on stuff. Especially expensive stuff!
You’re so welcome! I agree, it’s good to see the longevity over time
I am 80 plus yrs old, live in a 60 yr old 560sq ft mobile home. they wanted $4500 for a system . My son bought me an 18,000 btu Mr Cool mini split. A couple of guys and I installed. Love, love Mr Cool. Great Video, mine is 3 years old now, no problems but love all of your hints. I need to clean my coils, do keep my filters spotless.
Yup 💯agree. Best bang for the buck in my opinion!
Looking at a larger MrCool split system to replace my central air system with a leaky coil. Was quoted $4500 to replace coil, $13,000 to replace with like-for-like. Insane. Or I can get a MrCool 3 or 4 ton system for half the price with a higher SEER rating. I feel like HVAC companies refuse to work on them because they feel threatened by DIY systems.
Update. Installed myself, works fantastic, quiet…efficient…etc. saved at least $12k.
Good man, going to do the same here shortly
I think its not that they feel threatened as much as it is that they really are not as smart as you think they are.
Eery unit is different and things change every few years so they like to work on the easy stuff
Yes, I built a house in 2005, shark bites and pex were just getting a start here. I had plumbers quote and they were crazy. Meanwhile they were desparately trying to keep pex and shark bites out of the market. So I decided to do my self, boot legged and saved well over 10k. Sharkbites and pex made plumbing easy for DIY and plumbers hated it. Well quit screwing people! I understand everyone needs to make money, but they do not need to make 500 per hour.
@@option311 I think they are taking advantage of the fact nobody wants to do hvac and plumbing, therefore lack of competition + their customers typically need their home fixed asap. My brother would rather work at bestbuy and live at my parents house in his 30s, even though ive shown him several open hvac jobs with no experience requirement.
I have a Bosch mini split. This is my second year operating this unit. It has performed perfectly. The increase in my electric bill was $20 a month.
isn't a mini split supposed to use less electricity than hvac? did you mean to say your electric bill decreased by $20?
@@hundred.billion I converted an 18 by 18 ft garage into an office. There were no A/C ducts going to that room. I put in the mini split that both heats and cools. My increase in Electric bill was $20.00 a month but well worth it.
I have had two mini splits, one is 10,000 BTU, the other 9,000 BTU, and it's $90-$100 a month less.
I live in Tampa.
@@billstapleton1084Hi, what size unit did you go with? I’m looking to do the same with my garage that’s 19x19. Thanks
@@amstewart2003able I have a 12,000 btu heat and cooling unit. The garage space I have is 18 ft x 18 ft.
Mini Splits are widely used in Asia and Europe. My wife and I lived in S Korea for a few years and used these units exclusively. They were not Mr. Cool's of course but usually Samsung or Mitsubishi. The only issue I had with them was the inside blower getting clogged up with lint. There is a spinning blade in there that looks like the fan blower on a central unit, just smaller and longer. Even if you take the filter screens out and wash them frequently that blower will still get clogged and slow down. Eventually it will start leaking water down the wall from the lint building up and clogging the drain line. The drain lines clog easily. I also noticed the heat pump side of the unit will heat all the way down to fairly low temps. Around 10-20 degrees F. Below that it may start icing up at the outside condensing unit. You MUST keep snow from piling up around the outside unit or it will not heat. You can pour water on the ice to get it to melt quicker. Overall I love these units and I plan to put several in my house so I don't need to run the central air units. Good video!
Thanks for sharing and thanks for the support!
@@TheRenoBros We had the same issue with my parents house. They put one in the living room / dining room area.
The drain line blocked up and leaked into the room.
Good advice on the electrical, these diys are much better for those that know how to be comfortable with electrical . I’m a retired electrician and my five year old 2 ton unit in my large 3 car garage, Mr. Cool has been great .
That’s not lint buildup that’s mold from condensation
@@nothingface0xx Yep, that's the nasty part you never hear of. I noticed air force was way down. I took unit apart to get to the squirrel cage blower, it was full of mold and fungus.
One more annoyance, local utility companies offer nice size rebates! But ours only gives rebates to units that are installed by approved A/C contractors! WTF😢
Mr cool great product,installed 2 on my own with no DIY experience 8 years laetr still running great ;no leak ,no rust, like many others cheaper brand.. with seal problem ,rust problem..
Thanks for the info. Because of this info I’d use two different brands of mini split to avoid the inability to change settings in different rooms.❤❤
The way I solved the lack of insulation and drafty windows in my cinder block home was to build a wood-frame wall inside the house along the exterior walls. Basically I built a house inside the house with the insulation right up against the cinder block, and tight seals around the windows. Now it is insulated and the drafts are gone. And now I can hang a picture on one of those walls, since it is a standard drywall wall on the inside.
Well done for doing this and having the courage to get in front of the camera - full admiration! 👍
Thanks! I appreciate the comment and the support!
@@TheRenoBros 👍
Mr cool works great in my house now for 7 years
Saves a lot of money over all
I love it for all seasons
Nice! Glad to hear that! I would love to get at least 15 years out of this setup. 20 years would surprise me but be awesome
How many interior units do you have, and did you install it all yourself?
@@TheRenoBros one air handler
And did it myself
I had to hirer an electrician for the 230v box
Only charged $250
@@TheRenoBros me too
@@MrJohnny4705 That’s great! I hope it continues to perform well for you!
I clean the blower wheel by removing the outer case then the black protective grill at the bottom. A small soft brush gently brush off the blower wheel while sucking with a vacuum near or close making sure the unit is shut off of course. Works well If careful
Thank you, I wonder if I could do that?
My MrCool unit is 3 years old and used continuously with it running whisper quite. I also purchased mine from Ingram's Air. I has a exterior unit control board burn up that was honored under their warranty. I had to provide the labor.
Last winter was my first with a 27k two zone in my garage. Mr. Cool's defrost I believe is 3 min long and NOT long enough for a New England winter. The defrost runs long enough to create a bubble around the fins outside. It's still crusted with ice, but there's a space between the ice and fins. This starts a defrost cycle hell where you have no heat for hours. Make a COVER or shelter for your heat pump outdoors. I spent so much time outside in the cold trying to "defrost" it manually with heat guns and picks. Not fun. I believe there's a way to prolong the defrost cycle, but this requires opening up the heat pump cover, and Mr. Cool does not provide info on any of that, and I haven't found any info thus far. Aside from that, great unit so far all DIY
Amen! Good advice! Especially if your area is prone to lots of snowfall, always build a little roof over it big enough to keep snow away from the unit so it can breath and do what it needs to.
I had this same problem except the ice only accumulates at the bottom of the condenser fins. To solve this i ordered a 6ft piece of heat tape(120volt) off Amazon and routed it so its touching the bottom of the condenser fins all the way around the bottom. This helped tremendously. Actually spoke to a contractor who said they do something similar with Daikin units they install. The unit has a heating element to help the water drain out of the bottom (after its melted off the fins) so be careful your heat tape doesn't touch the factory installed heat element. This thing was pushing out hot air down to -5° this last winter. Lower than that it and starts to struggle. But its saved us so much trouble & money keeping the house warm or cool. Had it about 15months now. Amazing pieces of equipment and crazy efficient
I'm not sure I'd use any mini-split as a primary heat source in any far northern climate. But perhaps building the shelter and using heat tape makes it doable.
Just got split ACs with an SEER of 29 and even 30 coming from older ones with 9. Should save me lots of money in the long term.
good to know. Been looking at Mr Cool units. Need to replace our old whole house unit and mini splits look like a great option.
I've installed two Mr. Cool systems. One is the split system with air handler as in a central HVAC system and the other is a 24,000 btu unit in my shop. Both have been in for two years. So far, no problems. Easy to install if you don't kink the lines.
Great! Glad it has worked out well for you! Yes, easy to kink the lines if you're not careful!
On a multi head mini split condenser, all heads have to be in the same mode for it to work properly, because their is only one compressor and one reversing valve. If you have multiple single head units, you have to properly address the remotes in the program menu for each zone.
Drainage..pump up or gravity tube, cleaning drains and also mention filter screens.
Also on attic runs, yes cover the comm wires. Squirrels love the taste of the jacket..
I installed a Mr Cool several years ago and it is working great in the winter. It was only rated for -5 below but it has gotten tp -20 here and the Mr Cool worked great. Generally the temp is 0 to -5 on average. So I recommend them. The newer ones would work much better.
Celsius?
15:00 Some mini-splits have resistive heaters on the outside unit for defrosting. Manufacturers often brand those systems as being for cold climates.
Just wanted to say my experience with support has been pretty good as well. We were having problems with the settings you discussed shutting units off and support guy back to us with the hour and kept with us for a couple of days until we figure out what was going on.
First the record, we had set up the app, as well as the remotes and they were fighting with each other.
Use one or the other and everything should be fine.
Right now I'm looking into the cleaning because we are expecting temps of close to 110 next week, that's why I'm here commenting on your video 🙂
Contractor with 25 years of experience here (I've personally worked for 2 different HVAC companies for over 4 years as well). I couldn't agree more. DIY mini splits are by far the best bang for your buck. Don't go with a offbrand that won't be in business 3 years down the road, and don't do a half-assed rush job on the install. You'll be fine. Plumbers were crying the same way HVAC guys are now back when PEX, and sharkbites hit our market 20 years ago. They realized that the average person could handle the work themselves reasonably well in most cases. Most companies, and many contractors are charging entirely too much for their work. There are many reasons why this is happening. There isn't a "smoking gun" as to why this is happening. Some of it is the price that materials has gone up (not as big of a chunk as you might think), price of fuel, insurance, etc. If they're a large company they have a lot of overhead (office, shop, utilities, maintenance, staff, advertising, ect). BUT a lot of it is just old fashioned greed. Many are charging hundreds of dollars a hour simply because they can. It's shameful. Your best best is to find a honest independent contractor in your area, and develop good business practices with them. I can assure you they do exist. They are out there.
@3:58 ish....thanks for the shout out and answering my question in the video! 😊
Haha! Yesss!! Glad you got to see the follow up video and you’re welcome for the shout out! Thanks for asking a great question!
I've heard or seen others with leaking DIY linesets. Otherwise, if they do leak, you can pump them down, then cut off the ends and make them into any other flare sets if you remove the adapters on the unit itself.
Sounds like a great idea! Thanks for commenting! If I have an issue with leaking, which I have not yet in the last 2 1/2 years, I will definitely take that opportunity to remove the excess line set as well if it seems easy enough.
Doing the same thing because of leaking line sets. Where do you get the adapters to replace on the unit ? We have 1/2 in line going in the adapter on the unit is much smaller.
@@janetpuccio8209 You should be able to remove the adapter on the unit and then do a normal flare setup.
Thank you for all this advice I’m getting two units. This week for my house
You’re welcome! Thanks for the comment!
Having to change all the motors only two years into their lifecycle is not super great, I would be looking at another brand.
@@Battleneter Any recommendations? I’ve heard Daikin is absolute number 1 when it comes to reliability, customer service, and availability of replacement parts.
I recommend you buy a Flir C5 thermal imaging camera and find out where the heat is coming in and cold air getting out. You might be able to rent something similar. As a contractor you should seriously consider buying a thermal imaging camera to use on jobs. Don't replace the motor. Try using 30W motor oil to lubricate the bearings. It sounds like the bearing are dry.
Not being able to heat on one unit and cool on another is a design flaw of the outside unit but also a great feature. ABSOLUTELY NO reason should you have one room heating up and the next room over cooling down. Thats just wild.
I installed one about two years ago in a 550 sq ft mobile home and it has worked wonderfully. The best part is I can see the temperature on my phone and adjust it from my real home one state away.
Overall it seems these Mini Split’s work well. I am impressed you still get decent heating in the cold weather. The noise you hear after a few years in the indoor units is an inherent issue with that type of small fan motor. Basically it’s the small ball bearings failing from hours of use and age. It’s not a specific problem in any brand, they will all eventually sound noisy with lots of hours of operation.
We have a central air system in our new place, and it's just as loud when the condenser turns on
Good tips and maintenance advice. Don't forget the drain line cleaning. Many people get walls damaged due to clogged drain lines and failed drain pumps.
Vinegar, tubing line brushes...
The humming is not the motor. It’s the holder sub-assy lack of lubricant so the axis of the cross-flow fan rubs against the hole of the holder sub-assy and makes the humming noise. You can put some lubricant or just WD40 in the hole of the holder sub-assy, the the noise should go away. The holder sub-assy is on the left end of the indoor unit. You should be able to find it on the service manual. 80% of the noises of the high wall indoor unit of mini split are because of this.
Thanks for commenting! It actually was the motor. The noise was only coming from the right end of the inside unit. After removing the old motor and replacing it, that fixed our problem entirely. And with the old motor removed, I could split the drive shaft manually and it made the same sound as it did when the motor was inside the unit. I would however be interested to know if perhaps some WD40 would fix the motor issue. I’ll have to try that next time one starts acting up.
@@TheRenoBros I recommend using a high quality synthetic lubricant over WD-40. It will stay put longer.
@@RyanHarris77 We would have had to take the motor apart to figure out what was making the noise exactly, and it didn’t look like it was made to really be disassembled, so we just opted with the free replacement part. But do you know how to take the motor apart? When it goes out of warranty, that’s the kind of solution I’d be looking for!
This content is valuable to the DYI guys.
@@lawrencecarlson2425 👍👍
Have you ever considered filing the ridge down on the remote holder to prevent the snag that pops the remotes cover off? Just a thought…
Yeah, I don’t remove them very often but I just shared that detail because it’s a poor design. Worthy of a con in my opinion. Homeowners shouldn’t have to file down any ridges to make something function correctly
Single mini split (2 ton) owner of about 9 years down in coastal Georgia (island) where outside relative humidity runs exactly like you were calibrating a hygrometer surrounded by salt water (ie; 75% pretty much year round). Our unit is a fairly nice earlier Electolux/Frigidaire which is now discontinued (but ours still works great). Cleaning tip for inside evaporator where mold build-up takes time, but still happens every 6-12 months (not during a heating season, of course): Ours does not have the following feature on the remote, however I noticed that if I manually run it for 10-15 minutes everyday on Fan-Only Mode, the inside unit dries itself very well and prolongs the 1-2 year manual cleaning cycle! (Our cleaning primarily due to mold build-up.) I do not know what other manufacturer's remotes might have such a setup possible on a 24 hour timer basis to be able to accomplish this automatically, but I believe those in high humidity locations would benefit on a short off-hour cycle like this for cleanliness. Appreciate your video!
Thanxs for the excellent video. I am finalizing my mini split install. The two units in the upper floor have been up and running for a couple months. Just finishing the units in the basement. The systems are MrCool DIY Gen4. I got two 36K outdoor units, 4 zone capable. One of the units has an 18K wall unit in the upper main bed/bathroom and an 18K wall unit in the bsmt west family room. The other unit has a 24K wall unit in the upper living room / kitchen and a 12K wall unit in the bsmt east family room. The house is 1488 sq ft upper and 1488 sq ft lower. Garden level basement. The walls are all 2X6 insulated to R34 and the ceiling is also R34. We installed all new windows all low E 1 1/2 yrs ago. The outside walls are full brick to the eves, bricklayer built the house for himself. The systems are all totally functional as far as heat and cool is concerned, I'm getting all of the cooling condensate to go to a central tank to use to water plants. This required a few condensate pumps and some downhill engineering. None of the wall units are on outside walls ie: all of the linesets, power + comm and condensation lines are run inside. I mounted the outside units on a 2 1/2" pipe rack about 24" above the ground. The units are mounted 'shoulder to shoulder' on the pipe. I will be placing a wind fence in front of the units to keep wind pressure down. I have a cover over the units to keep direct drips off of them. The backs of the units are under the deck where there is no wind to speak of. I placed a power meter (Drok) on each of the circuits via cts going to the outdoor units to have a running total of power used. The house (all electric) had resistance heating, radiant mounted on walls up 6" or so below the ceiling. It was cooled by a large swamp cooler (evaporative) mounted in the north wall of the living room. The insulation level of the house kept it from being REAL expensive to heat and the swamp cooler is just a large squirrel cage fan and a little teeny water pump that uses very little power for LOTS of cooling (and LOTS of humidity). I have only removed the electric heating from areas where I was actually mounting a wall unit. This next winter will dictate which units might stay up..
The gen4 features are very similar to your system. The follow me is now lockable so it stays selected even after a power failure. There is NO clock based timing available in the system!!! That's a CON. Only timing available is elapsed time based, bummer.. I have heard that there are systems out there from Mitsubishi that CAN cool and heat on different units at the same time. BUT they are the ones that have the distribution manifold box that mounts in the house and the wall unit linesets are routed to that box as well as a single large lineset and com + pwr line to the outdoor unit ($$$). There were some rather old units that had supplemental heat in the wall units that kinda kluged it and could heat with that while another unit was cooling.
I will probably get more refrigeration tools this winter with the majority of hvac repair people are going shoulder to shoulder against diy units. The quote for installing my system was right about $9000 avg over three places. They were all comparable products as well, but were (same avg 3) $2250 higher on material. For my $8200 total, and I bought a LOT of stuff I didn't need, I think it was a sound decision to do it myself. I'm 73, retired facility maintenance electronics tech. Located about 45 miles NE of the Denver, Co. metro limits. 7.8kW of on grid solar.
I am going to contact MrCool and see if they are going to make a big unit that is as efficient as these. I need about a 5 ton to help my shop out back.
You're more then qualified to cut, flare and evacuate those extra coils.
Please post the video when you do, can't wait to watch!!!
😃 I appreciate the confidence you have in me. Although I do have an HVAC contractor connection for all those needs, and he tends to be pretty reasonable with pricing. Cheaper for me to hire him than to do it myself.
On your comment of the unit not keeping up is because you needed a manual j load calculation to know that the units you bought are to small for the room because of the lack of insulation in the house. I get the day thing but a proper load calculation is required before installing any unit to make sure it is sized correctly.
So true! These are sized correctly for the house and keep up just fine. There are generally only one to five days per year that I notice it struggles to keep up, and those are outliers
I live in Sol Cal and have purchased Mr Cool mini split for 6 years or more with no issues. Thanks for some tips
The thing about cutting the lines to get rid of the coil is that the lines were pre-charged in the first place and the reason that it's DIY. If an HVAC guy did come out he would have to remove the 410a from the system, cut, flare, and reconnect the lines. Then he would need to vacuum the line, then possibly want to use nitrogen to pressure test the new connections, and I'm not sure if you have to vacuum the line again, but would need to recharge the system with new refrigerant (410a). Would they use the stuff you have previously and top up if necessary? If they would be using new stuff then that would be expensive. No one would quote on that because the cost would defeat the low cost DIY system and no one would want to pay for that.
You would definitely need to vacuum again. This is to remove moisture and air from the system, as anything other than refrigerant and oil will impact the ability of the system to condense and evaporate refrigerant, and they would reuse the recovered refrigerant, most refrigerant types aren't allowed to be vented directly to atmosphere. Also, the linesets aren't just a simple flare, they use a proprietary connection made specifically to allow them to stay charged until connected.
I inherited a split Mitsubishi system when I bought my residence. The unit is 5 yrs old now. It functions well and is quiet inside and out. One air handler in the master bedroom needs to be cleaned quarterly because of the combination of lint and steam from the shower clogging the filters and condensate tray. The other unit is cleaned annually but could go twice as long if need be. Can't speak to the money savings, but I can attest that the wife is cool in the summer and warm in the winter. That's enough for me. The newer systems will offer a split mode for each air handler that will allow heat and cool at the same time. What's not to love?
Mitsubishi and Hitachi were the two brands that I was considering (leaning towards Hitachi) before finding Mr Cool. I think the estimate for the Hitachi system was about $27000 after installation. I’m pretty sure I can DIY my entire house for half that with Mr Cool, and I can do one room at a time and spread the cost out.
Nice! Love it!
@@RyanHarris77 I met an installer who only installs Daikin because he hates callbacks and never has any with Daikin. He used to install Mitsubishi but they’ve started cheapening certain parts and he started getting callbacks because of it. If I were to do it all over again, I’d DIY a Daikin system. You can purchase fittings that allow you to pretty easily DIY even the linesets and such. Just hire an electrician for the electrical setup and seems pretty simple to do the rest of it now that I’ve already installed the Mr Cool.
@@TheRenoBros my dad is a retired industrial/commercial electrician so I have that covered. Thanks for the tip!
@@RyanHarris77 You’re welcome! So fortunate to have family that knows how to do that kind of stuff! What a huge help!
Thank you for all this advice I’m getting two units.
Thanks for commenting! Glad you liked the video!
I've had my mini-split by Mitsubishi Mr. Slim for 13 years. No issues.
Great series of videos, I watched all three episodes and they are very informative. I’m planning to install a MrCoolDIY unit in my garage/workshop.
PS: in three years, I would have thought that you could have used a bit of tape to secure the battery door on your remotes 😂
Cleaning the blower assembly should quiet that sound. Cleaning is essential for these style systems. It is possible it's motor bearings though
Thanks for the suggestion! We tried that first, and had the same sound. We even pulled the blower motor out and could hear the sound simply when turning the drive shaft. Definitely the bearings
Thank you for the tips on the mini splits
You're welcome!
I self installed Blueridge units last fall. Winter cut my heat bill by about 1/3 over the prior ground source heat pumps. (Main savings seemed to be in the cost of pumping water (pump and dump system) which was costing about $150 per month.) Installed 2 systems with air handlers in basement connected to the previously installed ductwork. Also 1 minisplit with 2 heads. I would never install multiple heads on 1 condenser again. Might be better if both heads are in the same area but mine are in a breezeway and the basement workshop in my garage. It is also a pain to change from heating to cooling because it involves going through the garage and downstairs to switch that one and back up for the breezeway. Overall I am very happy with the systems and would do it again. I did cut lines to length and reflare fittings when doing install. The Blueridge systems don't use the precharged linesets and need to be vacuumed after installation.
Great video 👍 i need at least one MrCool for my Moms house right now. But I don't have the $ now. So i had to buy a portable AC unit, because her windows are not even large enough for a window AC. And the portable unit she had just quit, i tried to repair but it apparently leaked off. So... I'm hoping to get her a MrCool next year. I'd like to get one for my house also as I only have a single window ac. And I'd love to have one for my barn, as its insulated but no AC or heat so it gets super hot in summer. Cold but not below freezing in the winter. Maybe someday 🙃
Four years and no complaints. Issue at the start with a bad remote. Took ten mins for a call back. Had a replacement in four days.
Thank you for this video. I purchased a single unit about 6 months ago and have loved the performance and capabilities so far. I especially appreciate the section the on the temperature or thermostat settings differences in the air handler. I am having issues with the unit running and (cooling) much lower than the setting I have set. I will now, try the follow me setting on the remote and see how that performs. Thank you!
Thanks! Glad you’re enjoying the units so far! Those settings have made a huge difference for me, hopefully it helps you too!
Enjoyed your video. I'm soon starting my install after sitting in the garage for 9 months. The tips you mention are helpful and easy to understand. You inspire me that i can do this! Thanks.
That motor hum sounds very much like a dead bearing due to the usage of an unsealed or shielded bearing. This is generally in order to save 3-4 dollars per motor unit vs a sealed bearing which you can expect to last for the lifetime of the unit.
A confident DIYer could likely swap the motor bearings for nice sealed bearings
Early in your video you talked about the savings being $8,400 . I believe on the screen it was right at $840, (12 * $70). I am sure you either got comments before about that or you just mis-calculated in your head. Thanks for the video. Very helpful.
Just misspoke 🫣 I did the math right, I just said the wrong thing lol. We didn't catch it until we were editing
After not receiving a response to a pre-sales email and then a phone call I decided to check Mr. Cool out on BBB. While they have an A+ rating, BBB says the rating in NOT related to the complaints received (which I have a hard time to understand). Based on the number of complaints and the types (including shipping costs) I decided not to buy Mr. Cool.
Thanks for all the great pros/cons/tips - it's really helpful information. Did you record video of one of the 3 the blower motor replacements?
I have a 24k DIY for 2 years now and working good. I however had an issue with temperature. The unit would cool down to 7 degrees below set temperature so I tested the sensor and it was fine. The strange thing it would only start the offset at 5pm and return to normal the next morning. I removed the wifi adapter and it resolved the issue. MR cool had no explanation on why. Does anyone have thoughts on this. Mr cool is by far the best mini split AC in my opinion. great job on the video.
Thanks for commenting! Never heard of that issue! 🤔 Very strange. I’ve heard that Daikin and Mitsubishi are far better in terms of quality and reliability, but I’m happy with my Mr Cool so far!
Great video. Sums up my experience after 4+ years with two Mr Cool DYI installs in my house. One of them has become noisy and Mr Cool sent me a replacement motor. I watched the video they suggested and… I'm working up to the task. You mentioned that after three motor replacements, you have the task down to about 2 hours. Is there any chance you may have videoed your experience swapping out the motor? Or, any chance you have tips to offer on the task?
My experience has been that most of these mini split, air handlers develop some sort of noise after time. I'm not deterred by this and I'm about to install a third Mr Cool. I never had the option of any other systems anyhow. Also, I've saved so much money doing the DYI thing, that even if I had to replace each unit after time, I would still be ahead. I was quoted $16K by an HVAC guy for two units that cost me $2,500 combined (plus the day it took to install them and $600 for the electrician to be sure the hookup were up to code). So… That's $3,100 vs $16,000. Do the math, it's a no brainer.
BTW: I asked the HVAC guy how long it would take to install the two Mitsubishi units in his estimate. He said, a full day. That means 5-6 hours to me. The units cost less than $1,000 (to him). So let's just say his cost was about $2,000 + another $800 for parts and wear and tear on his tools and truck and cost of doing business (insurance, etc). So… rounding up, let's say his cost is $3K, which leads me to believe that he's be paid $13,000 for a days work. Convert that to by-the-hour at 6 hours total and you have $2,167/hour. When I asked him if that seemed fair… he told me to take a hike. Hell, I would have been happy to pay double his cost ($6K) and he would have been making $500/hour. Anyhow, I'm glad I'm handy and was able to do both installs in a single day. The electrician came the day prior and had everything ready to roll. BTW: The lowest of three bids I received was $12K and that guy didn't return my call! $16K was the highest of the three.
Thanks for your great videos.
Thanks for the comment! Here’s the video I watched to feel confident about the motor replacement: th-cam.com/video/WkdUJz5IMdY/w-d-xo.html
Someone has to pay for the HVAC guy's new truck! Finding someone to pay $16K gives him a nice down payment for sure. I'm all for everyone making a decent living. But that's just price gouging.
From what I have watched and read, I was told one unit would facilitate different rooms. We have a smal footprint, but only real installation possibility is upstairs in a dedicated prayer room, very small 9'x9' approximately. The lower portion is a Sunday house, basically a 20x14 foot shed roof salt box type house circa 1800's, with a vaulted addition of 12'x14', and 12'x14' respective..which involves a fairly low shed roof side. Doesn't seem to be a lot of area to address, but we are new at this. The originaly building is double wall rock…talk abotu way to go! But hard to cut holes thru:)
Con #5 request to have one touch mode change for all systems would be a good feature request to make to the manufacturer. I’m assuming they don’t remotely update the firmware on the systems, but it should be much easier to implement in the app.
So true! Definitely a worthy feature to add for those who have multiple heads. Makes it way more efficient to control things
Great video--
I have a Daikin mini-split unit cooling 5 different zones--it was professionally installed (cost me nearly $14-k); I wish I had watched this video and bought this system. I feel empowered to tackle a DIY and add another unit to condition other areas of my house in need; and as much as I would have loved to keep all the AC units under one same brand, Daikin will invalidate it's warranty if the unit is not professionally installed. Your video reviewing MrCool reassures me that the company stand behind their product and the product is reliable.
Honestly that’s not bad. If I had it to do over I wouldn’t be so afraid of a Daikin pro installation. I’m curious who they classify as a professional and how you can gain that status in order for them to honor the warranty? Daikin is apparently the best mini split brand in the country with very low maintanence service issues. So far, my Mr Cool has had issues with almost all of the motors, and I’d rather have a system that doesn’t need those kind of warranty repairs within 2 years. $14k for 5 interior heads seems like a pretty good deal in all reality
That's what attracts me to Mr. Cool. Looking at probably half price to get the system in compared to a pro install, AND you get a full warranty. I'll roll the dice on issues after that.
So agree with Con #4. Man, that cover falling over every time you grab the remote is annoying.
Seriously tho…
The Cielo Breeze is the most amazing product for mini-split units. It s an ir control that you place in every room where you have a mini split. Their app makes it really easy to control all of them. It also lets you program timers and conditions for operation. I've been using it for almost 2 years, and it's never failed. I'm using it with 5 zones of Mitsubishi.
Thanks for the info! Mr Cool has settings like that within their app as well. So you purchased Cielo Breeze as a sort of accessory to your Mitsubishi mini split?
@@TheRenoBros yes, it's a pretty simple product the sends signals to the wall unit via IR. And if you use the remote that came with your wall unit, the Cielo sees the command and keeps it in sync.
I did notice that the app on your video looks a lot like the Cielo app. Maybe Mr. Cool partnered with them.
@@SoCalVipers It’s very possible! Pretty good functionality
@@SoCalVipers Yup, the Mr Cool IoT stuff is Cielo. I know because they sent me a new wifi dongle and controller board under warranty. Actually I think Ingrams sent it but Cielo was responsible for the diagnostic process.
Regarding contractors working on DIY systems, I get their concern about being liable for future issues. But could they not just have the customer agree to terms that say, we will happily perform your requested work but it comes with NO WARRANTY?
I have had an issue with two air handler units on one exterior condenser unit. The air handlers were out of sync. Easy to reset once you understand the problem.
This problem only occurred with one condenser and pair of interior air handlers.
You should build interior walls on all the exterior brick walls so you can properly insulate and airseal. Yes you’ll lose some living space but the comfort level will go through the roof.
I live in Ontario Canada, I have 3 mini split heat pumps, 18000, 24000 and 12000 in the master bedroom. I only use them for AC having replaced a 3 ton central air. They are much cheeper for AC than the central air but are more than twice as expensive to heat compared to my gas furnace. Now having said that electricity is very expensive in Ontario and the price increases the more you use.
I am considering a minisplit to improve the temperature in my master bedroom (around 400sq ft including master bath minus closet) which is the furthest room from my forced air furnace / AC. The room gets too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. I believe one could easily solve both problems however my largest concern is noise. I would say my temperature range is similar to the video but goes down to around -5F for 1 to 3 days a year and doesn't really hit 100 but gets close on the hottest days.
If you have easy access to the ducts that feed it, you might consider adding a concealed duct unit by putting a return opposite the registers that currently connect to the whole house system in that room. Instead of having a wall mounted head, you'd have a regular wall mounted thermostat and the air handler would be in either your attic or basement/crawlspace, just with a dedicated system only for that room.
If your mini split system design is capable of multiple wall evaporator's then when one room call for heat and another call for cool they have to take turns the heat may get first priority and cool will have to wait unit heat is satisfied kinda like a zone system in central hvac.
We have 6 Pioneer mini split units in our house 2 exterior with 3 interior on each. We have 6 remotes but one remote works on all of them. When I want to change the temperature I choose the temperature setting on a remote and reset all the interior units with one remote by pointing at each individual unit at a time. Try it with yours, it might work.
That would work but I’d have to run all over the house and up and down 2 flights of stairs. Moreso just pointing out that central air is more convenient to control from one unit. I believe it would be simple to add that capability to a mini split.
Thank you for this information. I had not even thought of using liquid tight flex conduit for the wiring. A very good idea!
can you post a video of how you replaced the motor? Really want ot clean my blower wheel and wanted to see how you got access to it
We have a TH-cam short where we show that, but Mr Cool has a better one that walks you through those steps:
th-cam.com/video/kAY6i8VpTBo/w-d-xo.html
We had the same problem, and they replaced the motor. I wonder if their motors are defective. More importantly when seeing how gross the the blower wheel was and how difficult it is to get to it, and you really need to remove it to clean with a water hose. I do think I would have reconsidered buying these as I think this needs to be done yearly.
I put in a 12000 btu 220volt with my wife’s help total cost around $ 1400, my brother just had an old unit replaced by a contractor for 4000 but he is not as diy as I am, both units work great
Normally you'll have a back up heat source during cold spells. This is usually your old hvac system. Refrigerant just wont cut it anywhere below 20 degrees
You need to repair the mortar between the bricks and then seal it, this should stop all your air problems going through the bricks themselves. Then you need to caulk around those windows in order to make sure it's sealed as well. This job is easy enough that you should easily be able to figure it out even if you have zero experience.
That's not the whole story...not even close. Brick transfers heat VERY well. Once the brick is cool, that cold air, relative to the warm air in the room, will sink to the floor. This really creates a remarkable draft. That big brick wall is basically a huge waterfall of cold air, creating a drafty situation. No amount of tuck pointing will fix it. You get the same effect on windows. Sometime this winter, go to a window and put your hand near the top and the bottom of a tall window. The difference is remarkable....literally a breeze of cool air falling on your hand.
@@PayNoTax-GetNoVote It's still better then an unsealed wall with broken mortar.
Great video. Two small notes. First, you mention SEER as the energy efficiency rating of the unit, but really it’s just the measure of cooling efficiency. The HSPF rating tells you the heating efficiency and in a heating dominant climate like yours it’s really the one to look for (though generally if a unit has a high SEER it will have a high HSPF too). Second, you note that a water boiling radiator is more efficient. In reality a gas fired heater can only be around 98% efficient at most, and potentially down to 80%. A heat pump can top 400% efficiency so even if it is powered by a natural gas generating plant that is burning at 50% efficiency it still has a net efficiency of 200%. Even at below freezing temps most modern heat pumps stay over 200% efficient so they’re using less total gas. It’s more accurate to say that a gas fired boiler can be cheaper, not more efficient because gas sold directly to consumers is often cheaper per unit of energy than electricity. As more and more electricity is generated by wind and solar and the number of residential gas users drops this may flip.
So for follow me mode, beware of using it on the remote. It unfortunately uses IR to communicate the temp to the air handler so it really needs line of sight. If like two periods of reporting the temperature fail it will revert back to regular mode and you probably won't even know this happened. I've found follow me works best from the wall mount mini-stat because it has a pretty powerful IR transmitter. All that said, I have an 18k in my 24x24 great room with vaulted ceilings, three exterior walls and a bay window on the south side, and the internal air handler sensor ultimately is what I use almost all of the time. No cal needed either.
Instead of having to wait for the compressor/condenser to defrost have you thought about building some kind of insulated box/housing that you can put over/around it during the winter months. I think some kind of temporary insulating housing has got to be better than nothing.
There are strict regulations with how much space the unit needs to breathe. You cannot legally enclose it in any helpful sort of way
That remote battery cover is incredibly annoying. I've got that same unit. It's about 3 years old and the interior unit is emitting a pretty annoying sound when running. so I probably will need to replace the blower motor and/or clean. Hopefully Ingram will be helpful.
Just wanted to say, thank you for your video, very helpful for us to make a decision of purchasing a unit... Still a little bit stand offish. I do have a question for you... ? Winter time... We get a substantial amount of snow, like 6 feet at times. The question is were we get so much snow, what to do with the condencer / unit that is out side.. Do we cover it? Do we not cover it ? Do we have to keep removing the snow from around it.. if so that would be a lot of digging snow out from around it.... This might be a deal breaker for me if so..
Thank you
Danny B
Thanks for watching and commenting! Great question, first of all I’d recommend to you to consider Daikin or Mitsubishi. The DIY component of Mr Cool is easily accomplished by purchasing Rectorseal fittings to connect the line sets of a pro system. If I had it to do over, I wouldn’t be so afraid of installing a pro system. The Mr Cool DIY needing new blower motors within 3 years isn’t a good sign, and Daikin has the number one spot in most reliable and best service ratings. Check into it! I’m not sorry I bought Mr Cool, but I hope that I don’t become sorry if things keep wearing out before they should.
As for the snow, definitely build a roof structure overtop of the mini split condenser. I’m sure you’ll be able to find videos of this on TH-cam, or even how people in cold climates with a lot of snowfall do to protect their mini split investment. I know that some top manufacturers actually require a roof over the minisplit in order for the warranty to be valid. That’s not a bad thing, because they know that they’re offering a great warranty and they want their units to last a long time for their customers.
Why not file the lip on the top of the wall mounted remote holder back flush so it does not catch on the battery cover?
Big professional mini splits have PTC heaters for when its in defrost mode, if yours doesn't then a space heater isn't a bad idea. Dyson ones are expensive but I can leave it on without worry.
Using small fans to move the air really helps 😊😊😊
Really great breakdown that helps for evaluating the benefits of these systems. Thanks!
I actually prefer the Mr Cool mini-stat. I don't like the capacitive buttons but I use that as my main interface. The remote just sits there unused. So I haven't had that issue.
Mr Cool included that mini-stat with the gen 3 but not the gen 4 apparently.