Any ductless mini split experts?

[petek]

Once again our barely 10 y.o. Mitsubishi (cool only, 2.5 ton) mini split has leaked its freon as I figured it would.
Last summer it leaked and I had the a/c company that installed it in to check. They added dye, charged it, and came back a few weeks later but could find no leak. They also charged me about $200 for the service. FF to this June and I fire it up to find it is empty again, they came, could see no leak and filled it up and it worked fine up until last week where I suspect it is once again depleted. $200 for that fillup.

I was never really happy with it,, not that it didn't cool well, it certainly did, but it was near impossible to clean the filters.. The entire front hinges up, like the hatch on an SUV and the flexible filters have to be slid in and curve around the top. It would be bad enough if it was on a full wall, but it installed on the wall over the top the stairs which means wrangling an adjustable ladder onto the stairs and floor and to get to that height the top of the ladder isn't that close to the unit.. plus the unit is so wide I can't easily grab either side of the front (while balancing gingerly on the ladder) to lift the hatchlike cover up. Plus it doesn't filter very well and I've already had to have them in twice over the years to wash off the coils and the squirrel cage fans.. costs $$$$.. So I'm basically done with it. Good money after bad.. (shame because the Mitsu that was in the house when we bought the place, had filters that slide straight down from the front of the unit.. I could stand on the 4th step, reach up, and slide then out, wash, and re install.

I've heard of "stop-leak" for a/c's but most say it will ruin the unit. Clogging capillary tubes etc etc etc.. Has anyone ever used it successfully or unsuccesfully.. At this point I'm thinking why the hell not if I'm going to be getting rid of it anyways. Except as once again... that will cost at least $300 for the service call, the stop leak, and the recharge, only to find out it's Effed up totally now

?

 

[sarahperdue]

Following...

I'm very interested in ductless mini splits for the country house. I hope y'all will keep sharing your experience and knowledge.

Sarah

 

[cfz2882]

I like mine

I installed my Mitsubishi Mr Slim back in 2014 and it has done good-just so quiet inside and out and efficient.One complaint I have about it's operation is when it gets close to set point and slows the compressor,evap temp goes up and dehumidifying performance goes down.DIY install of these is easy if you know wiring and plumbing basics and have access to a vacume pump to pull vac on the lines to get moisture out before releasing the refrigerant charge into the system after plumbing completed(outdoor unit comes pre-charged when new)Plumbing is copper lines with flare fittings.

 

[volsboy1]

Hell,what do you have to lose if your going to replace it anyway. We have quite a few Mitsubishi Hyper heat pumps and we have been lucky in none of ours have leaked.
I would try it out EasySeal Ultimate LS Direct Inject from Nu-Calgon.
I know it worked a few times for us. The problem was finding a contractor to put the stuff in. They will tell you it does not work,or what ever so you will buy a new system. I would not mention you intend to replace the unit it if it does not work just keep on hunting till you find someone to install it .Then go from there.
I don't trust Hvac contractors anymore after what was done to me last month but, that was just the icing on the cake.I am not saying there all dishonest but I have ran into my fair share.

 

[combo52]

Ductless Mini Splits

Certainly have some advantages but also have MANY problems, for large North American homes you are certainly much better off with conventional ducted through the home forced air heating and cooling.

 

Here are some of the many problems I have seen with DMSs, I will let the supporters of these things list the advantages.

 

1 Ugly inside the house, Ugly lines and pipes running all over the outside of the home holes cut all through homes.

 

2 These system usually cost as much as running duct work through out the house.

 

3 These systems are not easily repairable and after 5-20 years the entire system has to be replaced at costs nearly as high as initial costs when it is old plus inflation. My Brother Jeff and I just replaced my 42 YO Whirlpool central air and coil and lines for less than $1000.

 

4 DMSs do a lousy job of filtering air.

 

5 DMSs do not circulate air through out the home and you end up with stinky bathrooms, kitchens and bedrooms.

 

6 DMSs are much more maintenance and again few HVAC people want to fix them and unclog all the drains and little drain pumps, you are basically buying a throw-away system.

 

John L.

 

[circlew]

The church I belong to has four of the Mitsubishi mini-split units in the social hall. Two of them have had numerous problems in the four years they have been in place. Both have had issues with the controls, and with tripping their breakers. Twice (that I know of) they have tripped the 200 amp feeder breaker, which supplies about a third of the building.

 

[sarahperdue]

Thanks, and keep the ideas coming

I'm not sure of the square footage of my grandmother's house. It's got to be small by modern standards. It has two bathrooms--one small, and one extremely small, two bedrooms down and one up. The dining and living rooms plus conditioned spaces upstairs are quite large.

Honestly, I wonder if window units might be a good solution. When I was a child, my grandmother had one window unit for half of the downstairs and a unit for upstairs. The downstairs kitchen, original bedrooms and bath were not air conditioned, but you could practically freeze ice cubes in the areas that were.

I think we've estimated our conditioned living space here in town to be around 2,700 SF. When we bought the house, it had one large window unit downstairs and a small one in each upstairs bedroom. When the guys were young, we rarely used the upstairs, so we only used the downstairs unit, and we were more than sufficiently chilled. We had forced air gas heat. Thor, the antique American Standard furnace started giving us trouble, and in 2013, I had the ductwork done (the contractor told us the heating ductwork was not large enough for AC) and installed separate heat pumps up and down. $13,000 later, we are less comfortable. The HVAC company we used came highly recommended, but we think they simply didn't have the experience to work with the challenges of a large, existing home.

I know all of this would be more helpful if I knew square footage and window unit or HVAC specs.

If we are going to add ductwork, now is the time to do it.

Aesthetically, a ducted system will definitely be more pleasing, but what about efficiency and comfort? We are insulating with rock wool which will help a lot...

Then there is the money I don't have and the job I don't have.

Thanks for the advice and for listening.

Sarah