When we bought our house we didn't realize that there wasn't any duct work in the family room. It ended up being really hot in the summer and freezing in the winter. We put up with it for a while, but after trying fans and little heaters, we had enough. We looked into the best option for the space. It was recommended to get a ductless mini-split. We had some quotes from HVAC companies, most ranging from $4000-$6000. For one little room seemed unreasonable. We then started looking at buying one ourselves, first we looked at Home Depot and one that would have worked was almost $1000. Finally stumbled across one on Amazon for a little over $600:
Pioneer Mini-Split! In preparation for it, we had an electrician come and run the proper electrical and disconnect outside. We had originally thought on hiring someone but the reviews online suggested it was fairly easy. Turns out, it was.
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| Our mini-split all unpacked |
First we had to measure the area and mount the mount on the wall for the inside unit, ensuring it was level of course. Once done, we were able to determine where to create the hole for the pipes and wiring to the outside unit.
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| All mounted with 3" hole for power and piping |
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| Everything through the hole |
To cover the wiring and pipes, we used a dryer vent and extendable downspout. It turned out great and since it matches "the forest" feel of the neighborhood, nobody can complain.
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Everything pulled through
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Now time to mount the brackets for the outside heat pump unit.
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All mounted, lines checked and powered on
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Everything was fairly easy. Took a total of 6 hours to install. But easy for a seasoned DIYer.
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| All done and finally warm in the room |
Nice story and I have a couple questions: (1) What was it you found at Home Depot for $1000? (2) I didn't see any explanation of how you purged your lines and added the refrigerant. Did you contract that out? If so, did it cost much?
ReplyDeleteI am also curious as to how you added the refrigerant, or did you not vacuum the lines and just added it in?
ReplyDeleteAlso, what kind if power did you have run for it, volt wise?
Sorry we didn't see your post until now. We bought our's online from Amazon, since the price was less and had good reviews (http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-Conditioner-Dehumidification-Ventilation-Installation/dp/B0095V0OYM/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1YRU45SLDYBRY&coliid=I12MVJQR3W7VFU)
ReplyDeleteThe copper lines come already charged. We had planned to contract that out, but we kept getting quotes that were as much as the unit, so we found a review of how someone opened up the lines and used water and soap mixture to check for leaks. We just had to tighten a bit and we have been working ever since. There was no need to add refrigerant or vac the lines.
Our unit is a 120 volt (single breaker) but they make a 240 volt unit as well. We didn't have a lot of extra space in our breaker box, so we opted for the 120 volt.
Can you post that internet review of a person opening up the lines using soap/water?
ReplyDeleteSure, we found this on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13x9bWOAIvI
ReplyDeleteWow, great job doing your own installation! We just got this unit and going to attempt to install it ourselves. I didn't see any mounting brackets for the outdoor fan in the package. Did it come with it for you or did you buy it? Wondering if we should mount it or get an AC pad.
ReplyDeleteIt came with it. I know you can buy the mount separately.Perhaps it doesn't come with it anymore. We mounted ours because the area would have been too much work to level.
ReplyDelete