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Old 04-14-14, 08:35 PM   #66
ctgottapee
Helper EcoRenovator
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Central IL
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I wouldn't say much efficiency comes from having multi-units as comparable priced systems have zoning standard. There could be some cost effeciency if you were in an environment where the usage shifted drastically from one part of the house to the other.
I don't think any of the multi piece systems are really all that impressive; mainly in residential use for homes that just can't have duct work, like a castle or such.

Direct exchange geothermal, basically a buried mini split like system seems most optimal, and you get hot water out of the deal.

If I did a two indoor unit system, which is my plan, I would run two separate systems unless they really improve the multi-unit models. It also allows you a backup in case of issues that us DIY'ers may take a bit to fix and allows you to run just one unit during the long shoulder seasons or get more instant heating/cooling to a localized area.


-I went with the Fuji because of the 7 day timer as it's included rather than paying the $300+ extra and install on the Mits. The Fuji also had some features that Mits hadn't caught up with till the upcoming models they are releasing.
So far I'm not using the 7 day timer much due to the nature of how these things work and being a single install.

Other feature notes:
I've pretty much stopped using the ceiling fan as the fan in the indoor unit is super efficient and has various modes that mimic a fan. It's nice to have that functionality bundled together in one remote. It's dead quiet too.
The remote was designed by multiple separate teams of engineers and makes little sense especially to those of us in the US use to the standard thermostat. It DOES NOT even show you the actual temperature in the room NOR does it have a back light for the screen or buttons, I had to stick a fridge thermometer magnet on the remote. It also doesn't tell you dew point or allow you any adjustment of the Dry mode.
Heating can be slow to start and you'll occasionally get socked with a blast of cold air, almost always after defrost ends. Again Americans use to HVAC systems that make noise the instant you press a button will find this frustrating at times. When I'm freezing I want heat now, even if it's only a psychological satisfaction. Ideally the indoor unit would have a heater element that kicks on during those rare cold periods and during defrost, or when desiring a boost just like central air heat pump systems offer.
The I-Sensor is almost useless. It triggers far to easily like when sitting still watching a movie / playing games.
The 'Energy Saving' mode just adjust the thermostat 2 degrees from what is set; I can do that myself.
The Night mode would be nice if you could program it to trigger automatically; pain to tell my HVAC every night when i go to sleep and when I wake up just to save a few degrees.

And outdoor icing can be a serious issue in real winter environments. Adding or buying a unit with an outdoor pan ice melt heater kills the efficiency and the logic of its use is pretty dumb at this point. I knew it was an issue but their is little information on just how big an issue this is.
I went outside with hot 5 gallon buckets of water about 10 times this winter.

[note: My unit ping'd thrice and plastic ticked once just while writing this. It is about 12 feet away with line of sight.]
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