DAMN Riders - No rules, Just ride!

Did the post KAT oil change on the 500 today. Oil looked good and the screens were clean as was the magnet. Fresh Screens, filter, Motorex 10W-50 and ready for the Michaux DS!

Went out at 7am thinking "I'll do it before it gets hot". Well eff me! It was moist and Muggier than a hooker's crotch on a military payday!

I put some new meat on the 1090 today. Motoz RallZ tires

Now that the drywall is finished in the addition, I could finally install the MRCOOL DIY mini split. I forget how much it cost, but it was around $850 IIRC. This setup is totally DIY. The flexible lines are attached to the indoor unit and already evacuated and sealed. When you connect them to the outdoor unit, the seals on the lines open, then you open the valves on the outdoor unit and the pre-charged system fills.


Installation was simple. Screw the indoor mounting plate to the studs. Drill 3.5" hole through wall, sleeve it, and put the lines through. Mount the indoor unit to the bracket. I chose wall-mounting for the exterior unit, so mount the bracket on the concrete wall, set the outdoor unit on it, and bolt it down. Run the lines to the outdoor unit, torque them down, open the valves, hook up the 115v wiring (yes, only 115v on this 12k BTU unit), and start working the unit. At it's coldest setting (64 degrees) and warmest setting (84? degrees), the thing is dead silent. I have to stand in front of it to feel the air because I can't hear the indoor unit at all. I have to go outside and be on the same side of the house as the outdoor unit to even hear that when it's running full tilt. The thing works well and is silent. I could see how someone could use only mini-split units for their entire house, particularly since there are multi-zone options and ceiling cassette options if you don't like wall mounting.



I'm waiting for one more section of the lineset cover to finish the outdoor installation.

I put wo MrCool 18kw units in my pole barn. The manual says they need auxiliary heat when the outside air temp is below 44.

It's in an addition I built on the end of the house. I plan on keeping the door open between the kitchen and this addition. It's also my laundry room. The main house will help regulate the temperature out there anyways, this unit was just to keep it warm or cool when the weather goes to the extremes.



I also plan on listing the house for sale very soon

Thanks for the writeup on the Mr COOL mini splits. I was looking at them for the cabin.

I'm confused about the statement about "aux heat." I thought the whole point of mini splits was that they never need auxiliary heat because unlike a traditional heat pump, which is using outside air to heat or cool the room, a mini split is using the room of the air itself, so it's able to close the gap on the 35 degree differential where heat pumps are inefficient and need aux heat, and then once near temperature they're super efficient. Is this not correct? Does this not apply to how the Mr COOL units work? I know my Mitsubishi here in my sunroom has no mechanical ("aux") heat and it works fine, even when it's sealed off from the rest of my house.


Thanks,

~Patrick

I didn't dig deep into the functions of the unit, but there are lots of guys on the Garage Journal using them in much colder climates.

phoo wrote: ↑Sun Aug 02, 2020 9:47 pm Thanks for the writeup on the Mr COOL mini splits. I was looking at them for the cabin.

I'm confused about the statement about "aux heat." I thought the whole point of mini splits was that they never need auxiliary heat because unlike a traditional heat pump, which is using outside air to heat or cool the room, a mini split is using the room of the air itself, so it's able to close the gap on the 35 degree differential where heat pumps are inefficient and need aux heat, and then once near temperature they're super efficient. Is this not correct? Does this not apply to how the Mr COOL units work? I know my Mitsubishi here in my sunroom has no mechanical ("aux") heat and it works fine, even when it's sealed off from the rest of my house.


Thanks,

~Patrick

Mini-Splits are traditional heat pumps. They use outside air. They have a head unit inside the home and the pump is outside. The difference is no ductwork is required. If your Mitsubishi doesn't have an outside unit, it isn't a mini-split. Your aux heat function may be automatic.

The high end units are that way. My MrCool units are low end. I bought 2-18kw units knowing they would provide the cooling required but would need aux heat. I couldn't afford the power requirements for the larger units in the shop. My units pull 20a each. The next step up was 30a each. I only have 150a in the shop and I have several power hungry tools. There are trade-offs in everything.

I've now reached the end of my knowledge on heat pumps. I rely on my brother Kris who has been doing geothermal for 30-years and has a successful HVAC business.

Some folks I know have installed Fujitsu mini-split units in their (large) garages. There is a version that will work to -15F outdoor temps w/o aux heat.

smdub wrote: ↑Mon Aug 03, 2020 7:47 am Some folks I know have installed Fujitsu mini-split units in their (large) garages. There is a version that will work to -15F outdoor temps w/o aux heat.

sweet - probably costs a lot more too. You may like my aux heat solution. I have two portable radiant heaters controlled by my home automation system. My personal weather station is also linked in. When outside air gets below 44, an event runs that turns on the radiant heat. Voila! Cheap aux heating system. I was actually surprised they put out enough heat but they seem to work fine.

BTW, for reference I spent about $3,000 (which includes disconnects, etc) for both units which I installed.