Ductless Split Air Conditioners

OK, so I'm thinking it may be better to go with a Ductless Split Air Conditioner rather than the portable one I was asking about before since the split ac should be more efficient and some do heat also.

So, do these commonly run on 110v or 220v, and should I have an electrician run a dedicated circuit just for this unit?

And, how many BTUs would I need to take care of your average two car garage?

As I understand it, with a split unit I'm only drilling a couple of small holes thru the wall for the freon lines right?

They all need a dedicated line.
There needs to be a disconnect outside near the unit.
Mine uses 220, and only needed a 12-2 wire.
It needed a 3" hole in the wall for the wiring and line set.
The one I have is a one ton unit and heats and cools an 800 sq. ft small home just fine.
Going to need a real HVAC company to connect the line set may as well have them also run the new wire.
The wiring is pretty simple so I ran my own.

OK, thanks.

After looking at the cost of these and considering hundreds of dollars hiring an HVAC company to work on the project, I will probably go with the portable unit.

I can run the exhaust up the wall and drill a hole in the ceiling so it can be run up to the vent on the gable end vent in the attic using PCV pipe.

I know, it sounds crazy but it's something I can do making this all much cheaper not to mention this is a rental house where the owner might not want a 3 inch hole drilled in their garage wall.

If you don't own it portable is your best option. Unless the owner wants a heated and cooled garage. Other option would be a window unit. It is considered personal property not an improvement to the property.

If it's a rental, you prob should check with the property owner. He may think AC is a good idea and contribute to the project.

Rockrz said:

OK, so I'm thinking it may be better to go with a Ductless Split Air Conditioner rather than the portable one I was asking about before since the split ac should be more efficient and some do heat also.

So, do these commonly run on 110v or 220v, and should I have an electrician run a dedicated circuit just for this unit?

And, how many BTUs would I need to take care of your average two car garage?

As I understand it, with a split unit I'm only drilling a couple of small holes thru the wall for the freon lines right?

Click to expand...

you will need a 2'' hole, a 1 1/8'' hole for your insulated line set and for the pan drain, and of course ta hole for electrical.

If you are comfortable doing HVAC / refrigeration , it is totally a DIY project to install a mini split . And if you have the tooling .

Or mount the inside and outside units & run the line set . Line sets can be purchased pre-made & pre-insulated . They connect with flare fittings .

Pay a HVAC tech to do final connection , pressure test , vacuum the line set , release the refrigerant from the compressor ( into the system ) , and adjust refrigerant charge as necessary .

Yes , the outside unit needs its own dedicated circuit . As a general statement , 9000 & 12000 BTU units run on 120 VAC . 18000 , maybe 120 VAC or maybe 240 VAC . Larger than that are pretty much 240 VAC .

As to whether it is a good idea on a rental , not my call .

God bless
Wyr

PS Three photos of my current install . It is a work in progress .

We love our split ac. It was a snap to install. We went with a Pioneer one and it came with videos and directions for us to install it. But you better check with the landlord before you start drilling. It needs a small hole to put the tubing through.

A 2-1/2 " to 3" hole for the drain , electrical , small and larger refrigerant lines . I have the tooling and flared & insulated & connected the lines with the help of family . Vacuumed it down , pressure tested it , Vacuumed it down again and released the refrigerant from the compressor / condenser unit . All seems to be fine , but it has not gotten hot enough to tell , for sure , how it will perform .

We have been having a rainy spell . Have pulled off working on it until things dry up . Even got cool enough one night to test the heat function . Worked well .

Right now I have it running off of an extension cord , plugged into a receptacle in an un-used bedroom . Next , I need to get under the house ( a major deal for an old fat man ) and pull a new Romex to the loadcenter & power it from a new circuit breaker .

Have I mentioned how QUITE it runs ?

Get as high a SEER unit as you can afford .

God bless
Wyr

WyrTwister said:

Right now I have it running off of an extension cord , plugged into a receptacle in an un-used bedroom . Next , I need to get under the house ( a major deal for an old fat man ) and pull a new Romex to the loadcenter & power it from a new circuit breaker .

Click to expand...

What brand is yours and what is the SEER rating?

For the electrical, could you run the line from the breaker box in the utility room, thru the attic to the garage so this thing can have it's own circuit on it's own breaker?

Think Pioneer is a good brand, or should I be looking at a different brand?

I was considering this one:

Pioneer Ductless Wall Mount AC with Heat Pump, 18000 BTU, 15 SEER

$935.73 on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D9ZKC8I/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

If Panasonic is a good brand, I might look at the Panasonic AC CS-E12NKUAW Ductless Air Conditioning, Multi Zone Mini-Split Wall-Mounted Air Handler - 12,000 BTU

$517.50 on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OBVP1IU/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

But, I don't think this one has heat which is not needed very much anyway.

Is 12,000 BTU good enough for the average 2 car garage or do I need larger?



.

Rockrz said:

What brand is yours and what is the SEER rating?

For the electrical, could you run the line from the breaker box in the utility room, thru the attic to the garage so this thing can have it's own circuit on it's own breaker?

Think Pioneer is a good brand, or should I be looking at a different brand?

I was considering this one:

Pioneer Ductless Wall Mount AC with Heat Pump, 18000 BTU, 15 SEER

$935.73 on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D9ZKC8I/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

If Panasonic is a good brand, I might look at the Panasonic AC CS-E12NKUAW Ductless Air Conditioning, Multi Zone Mini-Split Wall-Mounted Air Handler - 12,000 BTU

$517.50 on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OBVP1IU/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

But, I don't think this one has heat which is not needed very much anyway.

Is 12,000 BTU good enough for the average 2 car garage or do I need larger?
.

Click to expand...

The unit we installed for our bedroom , last year , is a Friedrich 11,800 BTU 16 SEER . It was on sale from Johnstone Supply .

For me , the best way to route the electrical was from the outside unit , under the house , to the loadcenter serving the kitchen . Feed from its own circuit breaker .

I have no direct knowledge of Pioneer . MANY of these units are made in China . I do not know if brand matters very much in the less known brands ?

Looks like the pioneer unit includes the refrigeration lines .

The Panasonic looks to be only the indoor unit with out the out door unit . So it looks to not be a complete system .

A 18,000 BTU unit will usually be 240 VAC , requiring a 2 pole circuit breaker . Do you have 2 spare spaces in your load center , to accommodate a new 12 pole circuit breaker ?

How many square feed is your 2 car garage ? Is it insulated ? How well does the garage door seal , to prevent entry of outside air ?

What side of the house ( south side gets more heat from the sun ) . What part of the country are you in . Humid climate or dry climate .

What do you plan to be doing in the garage ?

Someone else , more knowledgeable than I , needs to answer your sizing question .

Over-sizing the unit does not seem to be as much of a problem , with the newer units with variable speed inverter drive compressors .

My observation is the units that are both A/C & heat pumps are only slightly more expensive than the straight A/C models .

Our unit died , this winter , in a snow storm . The main / only circuit board ( on the outdoor unit ) blew a component . Johnstone Supply ordered a new board and replaced it under warranty . Otherwise , the board would have been almost as much money as I gave for the outdoor unit . Thank you Johnstone !

The schematic for the mini split shows it has a built in surge suppressor . I have since installed a whole house surge suppressor . Do not know if it will help ?

God bless
Wyr