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There is great discussion about heat pumps and DIY installation in the FAQ of the r/heatpumps community on reddit[reddit.com].
In most states, you do not need to be a licensed HVAC contractor to install one of these systems and can still do it "on the books" by pulling an Owner-Builder permit. For example in California: https://www.cslb.ca.gov/consumers...rview.aspx
R-410A is being phased out and R-32 is the primary replacement, so this system being on R-32 is not necessarily a bad thing. That said, most HVAC systems being sold in the US today are still R-410A so you might have some more challenges locating refrigerant and technicians willing to work with you. Generally, you need to have a dedicated set of tools for each refrigerant type.
All heat pump systems have a factory charge that corresponds to a certain line length. You only need to add more refrigerant if you have longer lines than what the factory charge is good for. I reviewed the documentation and was not able to find this information, but it should be printed on the label on the side of the unit.
This system is listed on neither the NEEP Air Source Heat Pump[neep.org] or AHRI Certification[ahridirectory.org] directory, meaning that its performance has not been validated by a third party source. This could mean that the efficiency is very poor, but it might be fine. However, Costway's website says that the unit has AHRI certification, so either they are lying or there is certification under whatever brand they are buying these units from and white labeling and they didn't bother resubmitting the certification under their own brand.
Here's the instruction manual if you don't have a Costway account yet: https://cdn1.costway.com/PDF/inst...-12WHA.pdf
If you live in a cold climate (below ~5F in the winter), you are going to want something that uses vapor injection technology[youtube.com]. Typically these systems are branded as "hyper heat" or "extreme heat" and work quite well in low temperatures.
Feel free to DM me if you have any heat pump questions, happy to help out!
Been running this one for almost exactly one year now. Did the install myself, just bought the cheap vaccum pump and gauge set on amazon and everything went well enough. Did not cut back lineset or re-flare, and did not use sealant on the connection (I would now, but didn't know about it at the time) and it has remained functional. I am at the point now where after getting near continuous use, that I feel ive at least gotten my monies worth out of it, and hopefully work even a while longer.
A lot of nay sayers nearly had me convinced that it would fail after 2 months and that it was a waste of time and money, but I think if you are reasonably intelligent when installing it and treat it as a semi-disposable unit, you can also be happy with it.
Only complaint operating it is that the auto function is basically useless. It will remain cooling 100% of the time and I manually stop it when I realize the room is more than 10 degrees cooler than the setpoint. I think I expected it to cycle on and off to hold a temp like a central AC, but it just runs the fan at a slower speed... which happens to be enough to still over-cool the room.
Most AC companies do not want to install a mini split unit that you did not purchase from them. That was my experience at least. I reached out to 6-8 companies and only two responded. One straight up declined to do the job and the other wanted to charge me $90 just to come look at it. They did tell me over the phone that it would cost about $1000 to $1500. I would either install it yourself or find a company that's willing to do it before you purchase this AC unit. Just my two cents.
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The indoor unit dimensions are inconsistent in the picture and the product description.
In the pic, it shows 29.5" length, but in the written product description, it says 34.5", so which is the true measurement? I need something under 30" or maybe max 30.5" to fit in my space under my cabinet.
Link to screenshot to show the measurement inconsistency I'm describing above: https://ibb.co/kXQQ5vH
Been running this one for almost exactly one year now. Did the install myself, just bought the cheap vaccum pump and gauge set on amazon and everything went well enough. Did not cut back lineset or re-flare, and did not use sealant on the connection (I would now, but didn't know about it at the time) and it has remained functional. I am at the point now where after getting near continuous use, that I feel ive at least gotten my monies worth out of it, and hopefully work even a while longer.
A lot of nay sayers nearly had me convinced that it would fail after 2 months and that it was a waste of time and money, but I think if you are reasonably intelligent when installing it and treat it as a semi-disposable unit, you can also be happy with it.
Only complaint operating it is that the auto function is basically useless. It will remain cooling 100% of the time and I manually stop it when I realize the room is more than 10 degrees cooler than the setpoint. I think I expected it to cycle on and off to hold a temp like a central AC, but it just runs the fan at a slower speed... which happens to be enough to still over-cool the room.
Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank kablamo
Quote
from larciel
:
Waiting for same answer to this q
Same, but decided to get this and buy a vacuum, micron gauge, and valve core removal tool. Costway plus new tools would still be cheaper than Mr. Cool, plus I'll have tools to use if I decide to buy another mini split.
Been running this one for almost exactly one year now. Did the install myself, just bought the cheap vaccum pump and gauge set on amazon and everything went well enough. Did not cut back lineset or re-flare, and did not use sealant on the connection (I would now, but didn't know about it at the time) and it has remained functional. I am at the point now where after getting near continuous use, that I feel ive at least gotten my monies worth out of it, and hopefully work even a while longer.
A lot of nay sayers nearly had me convinced that it would fail after 2 months and that it was a waste of time and money, but I think if you are reasonably intelligent when installing it and treat it as a semi-disposable unit, you can also be happy with it.
Only complaint operating it is that the auto function is basically useless. It will remain cooling 100% of the time and I manually stop it when I realize the room is more than 10 degrees cooler than the setpoint. I think I expected it to cycle on and off to hold a temp like a central AC, but it just runs the fan at a slower speed... which happens to be enough to still over-cool the room.
When you say "semi-disposable", do you have any more permanent recommendations for heating and cooling a 3rd story of a home?
if you have a menards close to you they always send out weekly online only deals. This week they sent me this https://www.menards.com/main/heat...338431.htm basically the same unit for $399
EDIT: just saw your post above JJstram84, I got the same email and agree this is a deal worth looking at!
Quote
from JJstram84
:
if you have a menards close to you they always send out weekly online only deals. This week they sent me this https://www.menards.com/main/heat...338431.htm basically the same unit for $399
I am concerned if the 12,000 BTU is loud? Can anyone share his experience about it?
I have a 12k unit, installed it for my garage. The inside unit makes 0 noise (or at least I can't tell if it makes any noise). Outdoor unit probably makes some noise, but it's outside (next to my main unit).
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There is great discussion about heat pumps and DIY installation in the FAQ of the r/heatpumps community on reddit [reddit.com].
In most states, you do not need to be a licensed HVAC contractor to install one of these systems and can still do it "on the books" by pulling an Owner-Builder permit. For example in California: https://www.cslb.ca.gov/consumers...rvi
R-410A is being phased out and R-32 is the primary replacement, so this system being on R-32 is not necessarily a bad thing. That said, most HVAC systems being sold in the US today are still R-410A so you might have some more challenges locating refrigerant and technicians willing to work with you. Generally, you need to have a dedicated set of tools for each refrigerant type.
All heat pump systems have a factory charge that corresponds to a certain line length. You only need to add more refrigerant if you have longer lines than what the factory charge is good for. I reviewed the documentation and was not able to find this information, but it should be printed on the label on the side of the unit.
This system is listed on neither the NEEP Air Source Heat Pump [neep.org] or AHRI Certification [ahridirectory.org] directory, meaning that its performance has not been validated by a third party source. This could mean that the efficiency is very poor, but it might be fine. However, Costway's website says that the unit has AHRI certification, so either they are lying or there is certification under whatever brand they are buying these units from and white labeling and they didn't bother resubmitting the certification under their own brand.
Here's the instruction manual if you don't have a Costway account yet: https://cdn1.costway.co
If you live in a cold climate (below ~5F in the winter), you are going to want something that uses vapor injection technology [youtube.com]. Typically these systems are branded as "hyper heat" or "extreme heat" and work quite well in low temperatures.
Feel free to DM me if you have any heat pump questions, happy to help out!
A lot of nay sayers nearly had me convinced that it would fail after 2 months and that it was a waste of time and money, but I think if you are reasonably intelligent when installing it and treat it as a semi-disposable unit, you can also be happy with it.
Only complaint operating it is that the auto function is basically useless. It will remain cooling 100% of the time and I manually stop it when I realize the room is more than 10 degrees cooler than the setpoint. I think I expected it to cycle on and off to hold a temp like a central AC, but it just runs the fan at a slower speed... which happens to be enough to still over-cool the room.
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211 Comments
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In the pic, it shows 29.5" length, but in the written product description, it says 34.5", so which is the true measurement? I need something under 30" or maybe max 30.5" to fit in my space under my cabinet.
Link to screenshot to show the measurement inconsistency I'm describing above: https://ibb.co/kXQQ5vH
A lot of nay sayers nearly had me convinced that it would fail after 2 months and that it was a waste of time and money, but I think if you are reasonably intelligent when installing it and treat it as a semi-disposable unit, you can also be happy with it.
Only complaint operating it is that the auto function is basically useless. It will remain cooling 100% of the time and I manually stop it when I realize the room is more than 10 degrees cooler than the setpoint. I think I expected it to cycle on and off to hold a temp like a central AC, but it just runs the fan at a slower speed... which happens to be enough to still over-cool the room.
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Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank kablamo
Good tutorial on youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9uohbY
A lot of nay sayers nearly had me convinced that it would fail after 2 months and that it was a waste of time and money, but I think if you are reasonably intelligent when installing it and treat it as a semi-disposable unit, you can also be happy with it.
Only complaint operating it is that the auto function is basically useless. It will remain cooling 100% of the time and I manually stop it when I realize the room is more than 10 degrees cooler than the setpoint. I think I expected it to cycle on and off to hold a temp like a central AC, but it just runs the fan at a slower speed... which happens to be enough to still over-cool the room.
but the picture for it says 29.5" for length, anyone know the true length?
https://slickdeals.net/f/16684187-homelabs-230v-mini-split-air-conditioner-heat-pump-12k-btu-399-9k-btu-349-ar-menards-free-store-pickup-75-shipping?v=1
EDIT: just saw your post above JJstram84, I got the same email and agree this is a deal worth looking at!
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