Mini-splits - cheap vs not cheap
 

I am considering a 12K mini-split heat pump for the great room. They range from $479 to $1195 online, both with free shipping. Any suggestions or comments on getting what you pay for?

Even $479 is more than what I pay for three window shakers. These typically last about four years and seem to be impervious to lightning. I am mainly interested in getting the mini for its heat pump function as I am currently wasting a lot of money on resistance heat in the winter.

I am not excited about punching holes and running wire and lines if I have to replace it in 2-3 years.

I have three Gree Terra series we use them every day and they have performed well. They are very quite and with AC use very little power.
Terra Series - Ductless Wall Mount Heating and Cooling | Gree Comfort
If you are in GA I am in SC so we probably have a similar climate.
Here is my install a few years ago.
http://ecorenovator.org/forum/geothe...t-install.html

There is value in going with a recognized brand. The low price ebay units are completely different than those listed a year ago. My guess is that finding parts for them will be a problem next year when the listed brands change again.

Pinball - where did you but the Gree Terra from?

Great review that I was hoping to get a few weeks ago. Will get one - but from whom?

Thanks!!

Steve I thought you had already seen my review i also thought you were looking at larger systems.

I bought the first one’s from here.
https://www.acwholesalers.com/

The second ones I bought from here they were cheaper. They had good deals where they combined line set and unit.
https://www.comfortup.com/

If you want lower heating temps go with these units they heat down to -22 mine only heat down 5 degrees.
Crown | Gree Comfort

I really like mine but if I replaced them I would get the crown it has wifi remote control and heats much lower temp they are about the price I paid.

I have never bought form these guys but they have good prices.
http://www.energyconscious.com/hvac/...tml?brand=4575

From my research , one thing your money buys ( potentially ) on the more expensive units is a higher SEER rating . My advice is to buy the highest SEER rating you can afford .

We self installed 2 low cost units . Glad we did .

I would not count on finding parts on any of them . We had the circuit board go out on a Fedrich unit during a brown out . They replaced it under warranty & I installed it myself . No problems with the circuit board since .

Wyr
God bless

That is great to hear they warrenty it.
Where did you buy it and who took care of the warrenty?

Bought it at Johnstone Supply . The company I work for has an account with them . So , I paid wholesale .

Went back to them to get the replacement board .

I did the repair .

I was expecting more than one circuit board , but everything was on the single board . I am running this ~ 12,000 BTU unit on 120 VAC . Apparently , the board converts the power to something similar to 3 phase .

Wyr
God bless

Variable speed inverter drive compressor equals super SEER ratings and heavenly energy efficiency. Unless you turn on the super cool or hyper turbo heat, then efficiency drops to single speed compressor value.

The Fredrich we installed has inverter drive & 16 SEER , best I remember .

SEER in the 20's was available , last time I looked . Probably higher now .

The 1st one we installed was 13 SEER & the compressor cycles off & on , as was SOP for older units .

Wyr
God bless

Most of the mini splits step up the voltage to around 380V DC. Then they convert that to whatever the compressor uses. Most are three phase. Basically work like big commercial style power supplies. The big capacitors are what usually go bad as with all electronics everyone uses cheap caps.
So be careful when messing with those boards as the caps can bite you if you forget to discharge them.

I keep thinking about a minisplit in the kitchen. In the summer you really don't want to do much cooking because its already 100*+ and the AC is already running non stop... A nice small minisplit would make the kitchen much more usable in the summer. I'm thinking ceiling mount but they are pricey still. Though I do have a spot for a wall mount and the smallest unit would do what I need.

I have a window A/C in our kitchen . 12,000 BTU , I think . Large enough to mostly keep the kitchen cool while Wifey is cooking .

Best to keep the cook as happy as possible ! :-)

Wyr
God bless

Talking of cheap heat pump anyone have senville unit?

That was one brand I looked at. As WyrTwyster pointed out, getting replacement parts for any of these come-and-go brands is a toss of the dice.

For that matter, getting parts for any HVAC system can be a hassle. The suppliers in this area won't sell to anyone without a contractor's license and an established account. That is part of the reason I am still using window shakers.

Based on pinballs recomendation, I purchased a single zone 36 kBtu minisplit unit from Comfortup. It is a Gree with the inverter technology and SEER in the mid 20's.

I am incredibly impressed. It is in a 2400 sq ft shop and it is just sucking the water out. I have in the "dry" mode which maximizes moisture extraction at the cost of a few degrees higher than the set point. About 5 gallons of condensate a day for the first few days.

When we first turned it on, we didn't hear the compressor kick on, but the fan turned on and we thought might be a defective compressor. While reading the troubleshooting notes, we heard and saw water exiting the condensate line. Yes, that quiet.

The inside unit is also amazingly quiet.

Free shipping, free 25 foot line set and no tax. Wonderful!

Thanks pinballl for your suggestion - spot on.

Small/medium sized mini-splits have higher SEER than larger ones. Single outlet/air handler units also tend to have higher SEER than one that can handle multiple air handlers.