Heating/Cooling Minisplit Advice (Sloth???)

So since Sloth mentioned Mini Splits to me in another thread, I have been on a quest to learn about them and the feasibility of DIY for me. Heating/Cooling is not my strong suit, LOL no matter how simple the concept is this is a area I just have never been able to my mind around. So I have been searching for DIY units that are are for the low end skill and understanding person like myself. For now I am shooting for a trial unit for the container project, that will only be Cooling/Heating the back half (160SqFt or 1360CuFt) That can expand to double that for entire container in the future. This unit seem up to the task for current and future needs. I ended up doing something different than the spray foam and have the insulation in the back half of the container at around a R-13.5 value. Might get to 14ish after I cover the insulation up with a skin of FRP

Put up the foam crap first, the spray foam option died FAST when the contractors started quoting $5500-$6500 for 3" of pretty low R value. We know from past experience spray foam is something I am not allowed to do again DIY

Then put that Purple insulation board on top of the cheaper foam. Double the work but worked out to half the cost of buying the thicker insulation board and I get a slighter higher R Value with the sandwich. Holding it all together with a lot of liquid nails atm, I blew in shredded insulation in the wall grooves behind the insulation board.... Don't know if that helps or not but I had several bags of it laying around doing nothing left over from insulating the cabin ceiling. When the FRP is on going to brace top bottom, corners and across the ceiling seams with a 2x4 frame. ANd yes I am going to frame a partition where the insulation ends and put that framed door in the center of it.




I ran across this unit that has overall very high reviews. Hehe I do understand the SEER Ratings and what they relate to and like the 22 this one has. The price is in line with comparable units. Watched the install videos and it looks to be relatively brain dead simple. So whatcha think Sloth a good unit for my low knowledge/Low Skill Heating/AC Level? Or anyone else that knows more about this subject than I do.

 

I had a Mitsubishi unit installed in my garage/remote office. I’m very happy with it from a performance and cost perspective. I’m able to control it remotely, which is a huge plus. I had this one done professionally, and may attempt to do 1 or 2 more locations on my own.

 

I know from nothing, about HVAC systems. But I did see this "Prime Day" announcement today, over at bensbargains.com:
$200 GC w/ New Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card (live on 7/1)
If you can wait a couple weeks, that's $50 more than what's being offered in your screen capture (and $100 more than what they're currently offering me). Get the card, pay it off, enjoy the 5% cash back bonus (~$90, if the math in my head is right?), then cut it up, or stash it in a drawer.

 

I can't remember the name of the system,, but a guy told me about them ,, said he buys them on ebay , puts them in houses he's flipping. Some of the units ,, maybe the one you showed come precharged with freon with snap together freon lines ,, just give your manufacturer the length of the lines you need and they'll charge the system accordingly. If I can find that name,, I'll send it to you ,, but I remember the company was out of Florida.

 

They are rather simple to install, both the wall mount an ceiling cartridge styles. Quieter and more energy efficient than a window unit, too. We went with Senville Aura units and have been happy with them.
They did not have the quick connect lines and I had to pull a vacuum on the lines prior to releasing the charge from the compressor unit.

 

I went ahead and ordered this one LOL gotta get some cold going on in there. Gets like 120+ atm Says it will arrive next week on the 22nd.

Just put a 20k BTU LG window unit.... or in my case the big hole I cut in the wall, in the cabin to replace the old one and hooked the electric use meter up to it. 34% less electric use with the new one and blows colder than the old one ever did. This one is pre charged with what appear to be quick connects of a sort. Looks like it would take me maybe 60-90 minutes from start to finish on the install. Ran it by Electrician a few minutes ago and he said "Even a heating and cooling Tard like you can install that, and if you can't I will come out and be your special ed teacher. For Steaks on the grill! "

Thanks but no thanks I don't do credit anything no matter what the perks might be. Debit/CASH/Paypall is all I will do. I am terrible at paying Monthly bills....... When left to my own devices before Mrs T5R I paid the electric bill when the lineman showed up to pull the meter. Got to where he would call me and tell me "PAY YOUR DAMN BILL SO I DON'T HAVE TO DRIVE OUT THERE!!!" Nope no credit, cash back or perks for me!!!

 

Heat pumps should work well in your area. Doesn't get down to -20 like it does here. Can be designed to both heat and cool and make the green's happy as all the electricity it needs comes out of the wall socket and magically doesn't harm the environment just like the electric car. The ones around here use ground water, in 40's for heat source and work well. Totally dependent on electric. its price. and its availability. Fairly expensive to install, lots of parts and high tech pumps, compressors, evaporators, controls, wells, computers, etc. I am going to stick to screens, fans, and wood stove, but for a storage unit in a well insulated container, they might be the answer in your location.

 

sent PM , need a few tools and a spare supplies , recoup a food lost over no spares is crazy
Sloth

 

I have installed 7 of them my self.
Get the highest seer you can afford, get the inverter unit and get ones that are 240v powered, make sure it uses r-410a.

Splits have the advantage over window units because all the window units I have seen use straight up electrical resistance heat.
Splits collect heat from outside and push it inside. Splits produce around double the heat of resistance heating with the same amount of power.
A high efficiency split will use about 2/3 the electricity for the same amount of cooling, plus with a split pretty much all air leakage can be eliminated.
Window units are noisy, inefficient seal poorly.

 

12k is a bit oversized for 160 square feet, I would have gone with the 9k. The Mr. Cool units are almost plug and play. The downside in your application will be the line set length.
My good friend and attorney bought a 3 ton system from Mr. Cool last year and I installed it for him, pretty easy and they supplied almost everything needed. We tore out his 4 ton system and replaced it with 3 tons and it has worked great. I did cut his lines to the correct length and solder the fittings back on and evacuate them.
I have been on a kick at the TV station, replacing stuff as fast as they will let me with Mitsubishi minis. So far, I have 2 in our tech core, two at the transmitter facility, one in the UPS room and one in the storage connex. This winter when we do a set remodel I will install three 3 ton units there just because they are so damn quiet compared to the rooftop package unit we have now. Here in the humid South, there is nothing better at drying out the building because of the way they ramp up and down as opposed to just on and off.

 

Went bigger because I will ultimately insulated and heat and cool the front half as well. Also because it will get pounded with direct sun the 4 hottest hours of the day until some trees grow up behind it.

 

Going to be watching this thread. Filing for future reference.
Didn't know anyone made a DIY Mini-Split kit.

 

Watched a lot of videos over the last week and this one was the final one. In general everyone seems to have the sames pros and cons. Most of the cons are total minor or a lack of understanding. Even though I am a idiot in this area, cold air sinks and hot air rises....... so of course it is going to be warmer at 8 feet up the wall that it is at 5 or 6 feet and 5-6 feet will be warmer than floor level. All of the videos citing the temp calibration as a con have the unit damn near at the ceiling LOL. The remote back falling off is a flaw, but damn take a dremmel and cut the ridge causing off and be done with it. Since I rarely will use a flip phone and will never own a smart phone none of the app and tech stuff in that regard will effect me. If something does need a smart phone Mrs T5R and do it on her smart phone.... she is a lot more into the phone and app thing than I am. However I have seen a few videos that say the app can be downloaded to a Desktop or Laptop so that might be a avenue for me is needed. The complex wiring he speaks of is not that complex but I guess if you don't know basic 120/240 it would be complex and best to hire someone that does know it. Never ceases to amaze me how many DIYs hook the black wire up to the silver clamp and the white wire up to the brass clamp! But somehow get the wires right in the breaker box.

Anyway I looked for the most novice install videos that the guys looked and sounded like they would struggle with Velcro shoes to see how well the DIY installs went for them. The biggest complaint I saw in those videos was "OMFG IT TOOK A HOUR TO A HOUR AND HALF TO INSTALL IT!!!" and one somehow managed to put a drill bit through his hand..........

 

https://www.amazon.ca/WADEO-Remover-Installer-Teflon-Compatible/dp/B08FBVYD28/ref=sr_1_13?crid=B2CLVLMRC3PJ&keywords=r410&qid=1655518078&sprefix=r410,aps,406&sr=8-13


So the flares are 45* and a standard flaring tool in single is fine the Flare nuts MUST BE FORGED , but most good kits come with spares , 1/4, 5/16 , 3/8 for larger systems in copper tube , if you extend you add R410 , if you shorten then just leave (cut 3-6 feet of pipe , your fine ) add 4 to 10 feet you need to top up to get the sweet spot of 128-136 low side (HERE) your different due to temps and how high you are , Im sea level .

Now buy a unit that is stand alone memory programmable so you set it once and every day it repeats , picks up after power outage . as said B4 , 220v and what OP4 posted.
You MUST have a core tool posted twice, to change core valves and help evacuation time .
Core valves go bad , so not to let all the Refrigerant escape , this is easy .
Vac pump should have r12 1/4 SAE flare and Acne 134A sucking.

You can get the Main unit Mini split to suck back most of the gas , but not all , valve core replacement tool is 5 mins work after your checking and you hear the hissss.
Sloth

 

You will need at least a 1 ton for heating.
Inverter splits are more efficient if they aren't running full blast.

 

I'm more than happy to use someone's credit, when they're giving me money to do so (pay it off right away, enjoy the discount), or letting me pay over time, at 0% interest (just opened a Paypal credit line, recently, to buy my SO a gift that she really wanted (and needed).....they were offering a $20 discount, and pay over 6 months, same as cash). Now I ignore that new line of credit, and it adds to my credit score, as I've increased my spending limit by $6800, and my amount owed by $135!!

 

So the DIY Unit came yesterday and I opened it up and inspected the parts, all present and in good order. Seeing stuff in hand gives a much better idea of what I am up against VS seeing pics and videos. I am going to say this will take about 45 minutes to install working at a slow pace. Basically drill out 1 hole in the container for the lines. Debating on running a temp electric from the Machine Shed breaker box to the unit or waiting for Ed to switch the breaker boxes out (The 8 breaker is going into the container and a 30 breaker is replacing it in the machine shed) LOL 8 Breakers were plenty in the Machine shed until I ran out of breakers

Unit lines are braindead simple, cutting the 3" hole through the container real simple with a carbide hole saw. If no Carbide hole saw I would use the saber saw with a metal blade to cut it out. If neither of those I would use the 4" side grinder and have a pretty rough hole. Where the time consuming part will come is mounting the line cover kit and bending the lines to run the angles which really won't be to bad in my case. I am going to have a lot of line left over (The biggest drawback to the DIY unit IMO) I am only going through the wall and straight down. That will leave about 8 feet of line left over. I am not mounting the outside unit on the wall. I have a 6" thick concrete pad at the end of the container just going to drill 4 holes and use inserts to bolt the outside unit to the pad. This unit is the smaller 120V so wiring will consist of a single pole 30 amp breaker and some 10/2 Romex I have on the shelf.

One unforeseen problem and not really a problem is I had not anticipated the inside unit weighing as much as it does. My interior wall consisting of inner container metal/Insulation boar/Insulation Board/FRP will not support the units weight. So I am going to have to bolt a sheet of 1/2" plywood on top of the FRP and drill the bolt holes through the container wall. Kind of annoying because I had just finished gluing the FRP on not 15 minutes before FedEx arrived with the unit LOL. About 10 minutes to run to the barn and grab a sheet of plywood and cut 8" off a end to fit across the container sideways and another 10 to drill it and bolt it down. (Any bolts through the container wall are backed with a glob of silicon Caulk and a metal backed poly washer to seal it up.) Not counting that as unit install time as it is something I should have noted and already had ready.

The screws that come with it for mounting the line guard/cover are worthless to me, I will have to use self tappers and caulk to attach it to the container.

So enough talking about it, guess I should head out and do it LOL. Don't want to waste the cooler morning temps running to town to pick up the new shotguns (The 72 hour wait is over in a hour) but that can wait until this afternoon..... I really want some cool in that hot ass container for the rest of the work I have to do in it!


Edit and I lied! I got the plywood bolted up and the interior bracket mounted and said screw it...... it is only like 4,100,002 degrees in the upper half of the container right now LOL. It can wait until 6pm when the sun has gone behind the trees and its in the shade!

 

Following this thread. I've been looking at the Mr. Cool units for a while, well, at least 5 years. 5 years ago I had my shop built, 24x48 with 11' ceiling. Back 1/2 is my woodworking/hobby shop and is insulated (mostly ), front half is the "garage" part and only the ceiling is insulated.
Original plan was to install a Mr Cool DIY unit for the woodworking area. I ran a 240v line to a disconnect box behind the shop, ready to go, but life has gotten in the way. Now I see they have a dual head unit available and I'm rethinking putting one in woodshop and one in the garage and just have the one outside unit. I think to do that I will need to move the 240 disconnect, but it would sure be nice to have both sides have conditioned air. Garage side would only be turned on when I would be working in there.
Currently I have a portal A/C unit for the woodshop, it does just enough to make it comfortable in there, and for heat I have portable propane heaters.

 

Personally, I would make a framework on the roof that supports solar panels to what ever degree the sun is at it's worst.
this would do triple duty , making power, blocking the sun off your roof, and dealing with some of the weight of snow off the roof.
If you didn't need any more photovoltaic power then one might consider thermal solar for liquid heating or house heating , cycling antifreeze through the panels and through radiators in the house , shop, driveway. ect.. and or using that heat with a heat exchanger to heat or preheat your water.

 

Container I am insulating and have put the heat pump in is far less than ideal for solar anything. Most of the year it will be shaded by the Machine shed as the suns arc passes much farther to the South. Right now the sun hitting that roof is at its peak And hits on the roof directly from noonish to around 5pm after it gets above the trees to the East and go behind the trees to the West. Just would not be worth the cost of panels for 2-3 months of semi decent generation. Snow is not a problem here Twice in 15 years have we gotten more than 6" LOL most major snow storms here run in the 1-2" range. Ice on the other hand....... Temps rarely go below 35-40 but in January/February we will dip into the teens and 20s for a week or two. HOT and HUMID is our more common weather. Southern IL's weather is a strange critter, this spring we got 2" of snow and 24 degrees one day and the next day 78 degrees.

The Machine Sheds roof in contrast has the prefect pitch and faces due South for maximum solar benefit. The primary solar system is going on that roof For most of the reasons you mention. The Battery bank, Charge Controller and inverter are going in the climate controlled container on South East Wall and then out to the main disconnect box 40 feet to the North. Have 1050sq feet to mount panels of the MS Roof

The two containers I am going to jack up and shim until they match perfect and then put trusses for a low pitch roof on. And blow a foot of shredded fiber insulation into it before sealing it up. That will help a lot with the heating and keeping both cooler the 3 months that heat is a issue.