LG LMU245HV mini split 3 zone heat pump DIY
 

Folks, the thread by Xringer has at last tipped me over the edge to go ahead and try my own DIY install of our mini-split system.

I will skip the contractor part as the prices quoted to me were close to double of my equipment + parts costs combined.



The outdoor model which we bought is a LG LMU245HV

http://i835.photobucket.com/albums/z...ssor_Specs.png


http://i835.photobucket.com/albums/z...ng_diagram.png

http://i835.photobucket.com/albums/z...ng_diagram.png



The indoor models for our evaporator are LMAN095HV X 2 (for our 2 bedrooms) and LMAN125HV X 1 (for our living room)



http://i835.photobucket.com/albums/z...ndoor_Spec.png

http://i835.photobucket.com/albums/z...oor_Piping.png

http://i835.photobucket.com/albums/z...oor_Wiring.png




In our rated configuration, these units will have the following efficiency numbers

* Cooling
o EER = 12.5
o SEER = 18.7
* Heating
o COP = 2.6
o HSPF = 9.6

Service manual for LMN245HV

Installation Guide



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After a thorough research on what would suite our needs, we ended up with agreeing on purchasing a LG Heat Pump mini-split AC with 3 zones. This would meet all our requirements that we had and this unit was capable of heating as well as cooling. The specs look decent and efficiency was also great. This combination qualified for the 30% federal tax credit as well. Additionally this unit had the good looks compared to the off-white/cream looks of the evaporators of other models.

The Heat Pump Indoor and the outdoor units were bought online. These were shipped promptly viz Fedex freight and reached us in about a weeks time. It was a big pallet weighing close to 180 lbs. The shipping was free and it was dropped off in our garage.

The unit details are LG Outdoor unit LMU245HV and 3 total indoor units ( 2 - LMAN095HV and 1 - LMAN125HV). The units were packed well and there was no sign of exterior damage. After the package was inspected for damage it was signed-off and we decided to unpack it to inspect it for any defects. Fortunately everything looked good. Here are some pics


http://i835.photobucket.com/albums/z...y/IMG_1659.jpg


http://i835.photobucket.com/albums/z...y/IMG_1658.jpg


http://i835.photobucket.com/albums/z...y/IMG_1660.jpg


http://i835.photobucket.com/albums/z...y/IMG_1663.jpg




In the picture below you can see that one of the fastening screws (L1) is missing. I wasn't too happy with what I could consider a poor QC. Hope the unit itself works well.


http://i835.photobucket.com/albums/z...y/IMG_1664.jpg



http://i835.photobucket.com/albums/z...y/IMG_1666.jpg



http://i835.photobucket.com/albums/z...y/IMG_1662.jpg


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It looks like it uses an impedance source inverter since the PFC inductor is split into two parts.

Nice looking ASHP!!
 

Maybe by seeing how the Sanyo valves are set up, you can get a better understanding of the LG setup..
Hopefully, the systems aren't too different. (I'll delete these when they aren't useful anymore).


Here's a pic of the nitrogen pressure test hook up. (See Fig. 60a below).
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f1...r/NCL/F114.jpg
If you remove the two brass caps, you can insert the allen wrench and release the R-410A.
That step is the last thing you do before final testing..
I think maybe both your valves (Gas & Liquid) are about the same as my wide tube valve.
(I only have one schrader valve and I think you might have two).
But, where my line-set connections on the right, goes up to the indoor unit,
yours goes left, inside the unit to a 3-way splitter. (2 of them).

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f1.../NCL/valve.jpg
(Note: The artist drew the valves upside down, Compared to my unit).

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f1...anyovalves.jpg
The 3-way type valve (right column) is like both LG valves.

The pressurized R-410A comes in at the bottom of the valve. When the valve screw-cylinder- is screwed down (CW), it seals off the R-410A inside the outdoor system.


I took a quick look at your install manual and it seems like the line-set hookup
looked more like a Sanyo, than it does your LG.. Is it an out of date manual?

Do you plan on doing a pressure test of the line sets?

"With the main valve closed (before R410A release), can I pressure test the system with the schrader valve (service valve) ?"

Yes you can. If a valve is opened, the refrigerant will come out of the outdoor unit.
So, always leave those in the 'shipping' posistion until the end of the install.

When you hook up the nitrogen bottle to pressurize, nitrogen comes into the schrader,
and flows over the top of the valve screw-cylinder and directly into the line-set(s).

When you pressure test, remove the other cap, so it's schrader will be tested too.

When you finish pressure testing (all 3 line sets simultaneously),
and want to vacuum the linesets, replace the other cap.
Since the schrader with allow outside air to leak into the lines. It's only designed to hold pressure inside.

Or, you could put the nitrogen bottle on one schrader and the gauge set on the other schrader.. :)

~~
Are those factory cap-lines are really air-tight? You can do a quick vacuum check and find out.
If they are tight, then you can test each line-set as you install it.
Instead of trying to test all of them at once.

Thanks Rich for the pictures and suggestions.

Your explanation about the valve design now makes sense.

I will open up the two valve covers and see what's behind them, over the weekend. The manual when compared to Sanyo and Mr Slim is poorly written, which has led to quite some confusion.

I do plan to do the pressure test with Nitrogen. With the LG valve design it appears that I just have to hook up my manifold gauge to the gas service valve and pressure the system which will pressurize all 3 line sets.

With the main valve closed (before R410A release), can I pressure test the system with the schrader valve (service valve) ?

Here are the list of parts I ended-up buying for my install

Slimduct
Drain Hose
Lineset Tubing (25 ft) X 3
Condensate pump for LG
Wire Whip
Service Disconnect
Control Wire
R410A Refrigerant Gauges W/ Hoses & Manifold
Micron Gauge SVG2
Nylog Blue sealant
Robinair 15150 Vacuum Pump
R410A adapter kit
Robinair vacuum oil
Riser Base


Coming soon - some pics of the parts

How's your install going??
 

Chaaru,

Your install thread was vividly clear and was going so well, I'm quite interested to know how your install progressed.

Any possibility of an up-date?

Best Regards,

-AC_Hacker

I am building a super insulated dome house, and I am considering a mini-split system. The whole dome will cool adequately with a 12K btu Window A/C in summer, so I don't need much capacity. I have heard of the mini-splits but have never talked to anyone who's used one for any length of time...if you could tell about your experiences with mini-splits that would be great!

Mini-Split Experiences...
 

Well, I've use one for about a year...

I live in a small house (aprox 700 sq ft), built about 120 years ago, and never insulated until I moved in. My insulating project has spanned a couple of decades and several code changes, so I have upgraded my insulation procedure as I have progressed. I'm now realizing I'll have to remove some of the insulation I put in, in the beginning to meet code.

I'm currently layering rigid foam in the walls, sealing at every layer. Insulation is really important, no matter what your heat source.

So about a year ago I embarked on a DIY ground source heat pump, which is still in progress, and I got a small (3/4 Ton) mini-split to keep me warm while the GSHP is still in development.

I really like my mini-split...

Previously, I was trying to reduce my heating costs by reducing the area I heated using a Nat Gas furnace with forced air (scorched air).

Closing off vents and rooms that weren't in use didn't work so well for me because my furnace only has one rate of heat output, so it short cycled and blasted me with frequent gusts of hot air. Not a pleasant situation.

The mini-split I got is an 'inverter type' Sanyo, and it is able to evenly modulate it's heat output to suit the situation. It's quiet, comfortable and cheaper to run than natural gas. Not only has my gas use gone down drastically (I still have NG cooking and NG demand hot water) but my electric use is not much higher than it was before the mini-split. In fact my gas use is so low that some months the fee to be hooked up to NG is higher than the gas I use. I'm even considering going to Propane, because at the small volume I use, it might even be cheaper.

So far the mini-split has performed as advertised, and I haven't needed to repair or replace anything.

I installed it myself. I didn't think to document my experience. Another blogger here at Ecorenovator named Xringer installed his own, and I shared with him what I had learned in doing mine. He took lots of photos of his install and did a dandy write-up.

Hopes this helps...

Regards,

-AC_Hacker

I am back to document my install
 

Folks, I have been busy with work and related travel, hence never got a chance to update this thread on my progress. In-fact there wasn't much progress at all. I just got a few things done over the past couple of weekends and plan to post the details of my progress.

I will restart where I had left off.

Folks who have left me PM's, I can't respond to you directly as I don't have enough posts (hopefully that will go away soon)

Xringer - I saw your note + post today, thanks for your explanation. I will follow your advise and document my game plan before I embark on the vacuum and pressure test.

Good to see you back Chaaru. Now that summer is coming, you are going to need that system running soon.

Got my Sanyo replacement unit at last and have it running. So far, it's doing well.

Looking forward to more of your posts.

Cheers,
Rich

LG Mini-split, Final Stages
 

Your post about the LG install was a God Send. The LG manual I have does not have any of the neat diagrams you posted. Where did you get the detailed manual you posted?
I am in the process of doing the nitrogen pressure test, and I left the service lines disconnected at the evaporator end to blow out any possible stuff in the lines. I hooked my manifold set to the gas service valve and the liguid service valve. Lines are connected at the condenser end. Did not touch position of service valves, both of which have shrader valves and both service lines have fittings which will depress the shrader stem. When I feed nitrogen, it flows into the liquid line ( and comes out of the disconnected ends) but then nothing will enter the gas lines. I really want to purge the gas lines. Any ideas?
Thanks
Tom

Thought I would come back to update my thread....

Here are some pictures of the tools and equipment I had bought for this project

Vacuum pump

http://i835.photobucket.com/albums/z...y/IMG_1704.jpg

http://i835.photobucket.com/albums/z...y/IMG_1705.jpg

http://i835.photobucket.com/albums/z...y/IMG_1706.jpg


Nitrogen regulator

http://i835.photobucket.com/albums/z...y/IMG_1703.jpg

Vacuum Pump Oil

http://i835.photobucket.com/albums/z...y/IMG_1699.jpg

Nylog Blue

http://i835.photobucket.com/albums/z...y/IMG_1698.jpg

Vacuum Gauge

http://i835.photobucket.com/albums/z...y/IMG_1694.jpg


Condensate drain pipe

http://i835.photobucket.com/albums/z...y/IMG_1689.jpg

Branch Disconnect

http://i835.photobucket.com/albums/z...y/IMG_1688.jpg

Riser Blocks

http://i835.photobucket.com/albums/z...y/IMG_1686.jpg

R-410 Adapter

http://i835.photobucket.com/albums/z...y/IMG_1683.jpg

HVAC Manifold Guage

http://i835.photobucket.com/albums/z...y/IMG_1677.jpg

http://i835.photobucket.com/albums/z...y/IMG_1678.jpg


Condensate Pump

http://i835.photobucket.com/albums/z...y/IMG_1695.jpg

familiar!!
 

Wow!! That equipment looks a little familiar!!

Hook up that manifold, micron gauge and vacuum out the hoses.
I'm wondering how well your hose shut-off valves work.
At high vacuum, mine leaked a tiny bit of air inside, whenever they were operated. (closed).

I think the loss was on the pump side, since that's where the micron gauge
was installed. (which showed the loss).

When the valve was shut, the LCD read-out jumped up a bit,
and then when right down, as the pump was still running.

Yep, you have been my Guru thru my successful install and we had put our setup to good use this past summer.

Everything went as planned. I will post more pictures shortly.

Yep, my readings jumped as well during operation (closing the valves once pump couldn't bring the pressure down any more) which prompted me to do this a couple of times before releasing the R-410A. Your thread was what had inspired me to take on this project and I am glad I completed it without too much trouble.

Congratulations! That's great! I hope it works out for you..
Can't wait to see all your pics and a review of a 3-zone Mini-Split..

Mine has been working great, heating up the house during these cool fall months.
I hope it's a mild winter, so I can skip burning any oil at all.. (Just 1/2 gal a day for hot water).

I sealed the little snow roof to the side of my house, so I should get less rain (and snow) dripping
down in back of my outdoor unit. I hate that ice buildup..


I've noticed my Sanyo still has the same old over-revving problem that it used to have.
So, we are being careful not to call for more than 2 degrees of heat at a time..

So, do you have a power use monitor set up yet? So you can brag about
your low heating cost??
We are still amazed that our electric bill is so low.
Some months it's even lower than it used to be, before we installed the Sanyo.

I hope our electric rate stays the same for a few more years..
Based on using less heating oil, the Sanyo is well on it's way to paying for itself.

Cheers,
Rich

I've had the same experience with mine.

-AC_Hacker

It's certainly strange, that we can heat two bedrooms,
living room, dining area/kitchen, bathroom, hallway and the 18'x16' add-on TV den.. Using so little power..

We have been using the Sanyo about every day this month. So far, it's been costing us about 55 cents a day..
That's about 1/3 the cost of the half gallon of oil we burn each day to make hot-water for washing & bathing.

I want my next Sanyo to have a hot-water heater built in!! :D

Finished a 3-zone LG mini-split heat pump install late summer. Had some problems (caused by me)which I will share with my next post. Overall, very pleased with performance. Does anyone know where to get a service manual for the LG mini-split? I am more-familiar with Goodman, and they supply excellent manuals, with great troubleshooting guides. The LG manual is marginal in that regard.

Thanks for the follow up, looking forward to hearing about the issues you ran into. I can't decide if I want buy a unit and do the complete install my self, or just do the rough in portion by running the lineset and electrical and have a local hvac company sell me a mini split and install it.

The Sanyo website has some good dealer/tech training info & videos.
SANYO :: HVAC :: On-Demand Videos
Maybe LG has something similar on their commercial website.?.

From what I've read on the web, there are only two things to maintain on a mini-split.
1. The indoor unit's filters need to be kept clean.
2. The outdoor coil must be free of leaves etc.

I wonder what the life span is going to be.. I've read 8-12 years.
I suspect it might be longer, since early mini-splits were not inverter type.

I just recycled a 6,000 BTU AC that was still working. Had it since 1968..
It was used a lot, up until about 1985. My big 18,000 Chrysler Air Temp
window unit had been working since 1973. It had an accident about 5 years ago..

Hey folks -

Appreciate these threads on mini split installs! I'm about to embark on a similar job, though I hope mine is easier with just a single zone. I had planned on getting an HVAC tech to do the final steps of pressure testing / vacuuming the lines, but have had no luck finding one willing to do the work in my area (Chattanooga, TN). So...I may have to take this part on myself. What's a rough estimate of the cost for the necessary tools to do the startup (vacuum pump, gauges, tank, etc?) Finally, does anyone still have these tools and would entertain an offer to sell them, or charge a "borrowing" fee?

Much thanks,
Mike

mike,

Far as borrowing, if you were within 50 miles, I'd be right there for you. But I'm afraid that 3000 miles is too much to handle.

I'd check out craigs list, pawn shops and and ebay. Try running a want-to-buy ad on craigs list, if you don't see what you want.

Maybe even try your 'borrow fee' thing on Craig's List.

Also, check out Harbor Freight. I've seen sale stuff cheaper than used stuff.

These are tough times and you may find someone with duplicates that they may sell you, reasonable.

Xringer bought is stuff new, he can give you prices on that stuff.

Good Luck,

-AC_Hacker

mike,

Far as borrowing, if you were within 50 miles, I'd be right there for you. But I'm afraid that 3000 miles is just too much for me to handle.

I'd check out craigs list, pawn shops and and ebay. Try running a want-to-buy ad on craigs list, if you don't see what you want.

Maybe even try your 'borrow fee' thing on Craig's List.

Also, check out Harbor Freight. I've seen sale stuff cheaper than used stuff.

These are tough times and you may find someone with duplicates that they may sell you, reasonable.

Xringer bought is stuff new, he can give you prices on that stuff.

Good Luck,

-AC_Hacker

Hi Mike,
Depending on what type of stuff you buy, it's going to run between $300 & $500.
Since I had a major problem last December, I've pretty much decided to
keep my kit of stuff.
Since I know that once I start selling off stuff, Murphy is going to zap my Sanyo..
Plus, I might end up installing a small Sanyo in my Daughter's house in the spring.
She has a nice big room in her house, that in a previous life, was long one-car garage. Lots of windows and no insulation underfoot..
Like my den addition, it's hard to keep warm.. But worse..

Cheers,
Rich

The most expensive parts are the vacuum pump (~ $150), R410A Guage (~ $65) and the vacuum micron gauge (~ $130). The rest of them are probably below $50 each. Total should be around $500.

Even with this expense you would be saving big time by doing this yourself. And don't forget, you can also include this as a part of your tax deduction for the 30% federal tax rebate - if you bought an eligible unit.

How has your system been treating you? I'm waffling between the 3 zone LG 36000 and a Mistubishi 36000 system myself -both look comparable, and although the Mitsu might be better overall, we can get more for the money with the LG. Are you liking the LG?

Although I haven't done a detailed power consumption analysis, based on last years electric/gas usage, we are certainly below this year.

I have had this for a complete summer and a good 2 month winter usage. The performance has been rock solid. I have had it cranking out decent amount of heat to keep our 550 sq ft (living room + Kitchen) at 70F, when the outside temperatures were close to 42F. Fortunately, where we live the temps are pretty moderate with year lows around 40's and high's upto 104.

We have had almost daily usage for the past 2 months for heat and a good months usage during this past summer. All in all I am very impressed with how it has performed. Although challenging, the install went flawless - thanks to all the helpful folks on this site. I even rigged up a condensate pump for one of our indoor units.

The LG art cool models look really nice and could be very good options if you find the white units intrusive.

I plan to do some detailed power consumption analysis when I get some time in the near future. Based on my experience I would recommend LG as a good choice which is very competitively priced.

Chaara,
Where did you find the HVAC Manifold Guage and hoses?
Very nice.


Edit: I found them. There on a really slow web site.
with ball valve hoses

Telstar,

I was on another site and an owner of a small install company was talking about what his tech liked to install. They commented, "they liked to install the Sanyo over the Mistubishi". I don't know what that meant. Have heard the Mistubishi is one of the most complex units. If your looking for $, I'd look at the biggest split maker in the world Chinco. Take a look at this Chinco Chinco only makes 3,000,000 units a year. A 2 ton for $1,100. $ for Chinco I'm only helping you on $. Information is what I am doing.

Well Vern, I think maybe I just found out where Sanyo get's it's Mini-Splits..

A couple of years ago, when I started looking at these, I saw some Shinco models
on-line, but had never heard of the name and decided to avoid them.
I'm pretty sure that was a mistake. My Sanyo model has been sold for about 4 years,
and I'm pretty sure it's out-date now.
When (and if) I have to replace this Sanyo, I'll sure be looking at 'Shinco' as a likely choice..

Looks like they spell it "Shinco".

Little things mean a lot.

-AC_Hacker

I was thinking of the Yo-yo guys..

Chico Yo-Yo Company | Precision Machined Yo-Yos

Chico Yo-Yo Company
Precision Machined Yo-Yos :D

Xringer, AC
You make me feel good about bringing some information to you guys that you find of value.
Yes Yo yos have gone hi-tech.
I was suspicious about http://www.enichesoftware.com/media/shinco.jpg "Shinco", thanks AC this is the real spelling, so I started searching for info about the company. One of the biggest or the biggest in China, that's got to say something for it. It was a :eek: Know kidding for me.

The pictures were very helpful. Thank you.

Where did you get the user manual from. The one that came with my unit did not match for some reason.

How has the heating been this winter (so far)? Is the LG doing the Job?

I found this thread through Google. Thanks for the posts, I will use it when I install my system this spring.

I have a question......I am looking to add a mini-split system to my first floor. I am simply putting in a single unit system. Now that a few of you folks here have performed this installation, would anyone recommend or not recommend a particular brand?

What I mean is, if you had to do it all over again, would you buy a Mitsubishi, LG, Sanyo or Shinco again? I am looking for this advice in two trains of thought....installation difficulty and operation of the unit after install.

For what it's worth, I am an EE that has done many projects around the house. The only part of this installation I am a bit nervous over is the evacuation of the lines and pressure testing after everything is installed. I've never done HVAC work before (Not that that really means anything, I had never installed a hot tub, replacement windows or built a retaining wall before I did those projects the first time either).

Thanks for looking, and thanks again for this thread........

Ron

If you have not done so, check out my install..
http://ecorenovator.org/forum/geothe...l-project.html

Due to some operating problems we have had with the 24KHS72, I can't really
recommend this particular Sanyo model. But, the bug might just be something simple
that I will track down and repair this summer..

It's running fine this year. I have tight controls on the amount of power fed to it..

I'll be working to debug it this summer and to connect it to solar power
during the daylight hours.. :)


If I had it to do over again?? I would have to study the newest models
of Mitsubishi, LG, Sanyo, Shinco, & etc. that are available at reasonable prices.
By study, I mean reading the install & user manuals, and searching
the web for info about DIY installs of these or similar same brand models.
In my case, info about low temperature operation would be very important.

You might be able to find new install info on Youtube these days..


Cheers,
Rich