[steveydvee]

I'm thinking of purchasing a 3-Zone Garrison 27,000 BTU Ductless Mini Split.

It'd be my first time tackling this type of a project.

My questions are which tools are completely necessary for this project?

Am I able to run just 2 zones instead of 3?

And also if it's rated 27,000 BTU lets say I run the 2 units on different times would I still be pulling 27,000 off each unit? (Ex: Running one indoor unit from 12pm-6pm, turning it off then run the other unit from 6:01pm - 12am.)

 

[roughneck]

No, these are usually variable speed.
I’ve never heard of that brand so I don’t know any technical specs on them. Avoid cheap internet brands as they wind up being disposable and no parts or support are available.
I don’t suggest using precharged linesets. Have had huge leak issues with them.
You’ll need flairing tools, pipe cutters, nitrogen, vacuum pump, micron gauge, refrigerant if the lineset exceeds the max run length, gauges, electrical tools for running the new circuit, and basic hand tools.

 

[steveydvee]

No, these are usually variable speed.
I’ve never heard of that brand so I don’t know any technical specs on them. Avoid cheap internet brands as they wind up being disposable and no parts or support are available.
I don’t suggest using precharged linesets. Have had huge leak issues with them.
You’ll need flairing tools, pipe cutters, nitrogen, vacuum pump, micron gauge, refrigerant if the lineset exceeds the max run length, gauges, electrical tools for running the new circuit, and basic hand tools.

I found this on Craigslist hopefully to save a few bucks because these can be quite expensive and fits my budget.

And what exactly do you mean by variable speed? Sorry if the answer is painfully obvious.. :vs_whistle:

 

[steveydvee]

https://www.wilmar.com/Sku/35-54191...heatpump--230v60hz-076335241562-m3of-27hfn1-m

This is the unit I am thinking of purchasing.. The other option is this "Ideal Air 36,000 BTU Mini Split AC Unit"

https://www.ideal-air.com/shop/prod...i-split-36000-btu-16-seer-heating-and-cooling

But I figured if the multi zone had the ability to utilize the full cooling potential per zone if used in different times I'd go with the first option. So I wouldn't have to buy 2 seperate mini split units to cool my 2 rooms, but if it doesn't work that way I may have to go with the second option.

 

[roughneck]

Don’t buy equipment off of CL.
Just be noted that you’ll get limited to no warranty on internet purchases.
You’ll have around $500-$1000 worth of tools needed for the installation.
How did you come to the conclusion you needed 27,000 BTU?

 

[steveydvee]

Don’t buy equipment off of CL.
Just be noted that you’ll get limited to no warranty on internet purchases.
You’ll have around $500-$1000 worth of tools needed for the installation.
How did you come to the conclusion you needed 27,000 BTU?

The units are still brand new in box. The money savings are quite substantial almost 50% mark down. With how things have been every dollar counts.. I'll definitely make sure to inspect it properly to see if anything is out of place.

As far as the tools needed.. I have most of the basic tools. From what I understand the Flairing tool is used to make the connection to the flare fitting tighter. The pipe cutters incase the lineset is too long(seems optional). The vacuum pump and micron gauge to read and adjust the pressure in the refrigerant to prevent leakage. I'm unsure what the nitrogen is for tho..

I'm running 8000 watts of high pressure sodium lights in the room so I need something to cool it. The recommended amount of BTU per 1000 watts is around 3,000 - 4000.

 

[roughneck]

I know it’s very tempting to buy a unit like that, but the customers I’ve seen do it have a very low success rate.
Nitrogen is needed for leak testing.
Vacuum pump is to evacuate the system prior to charging.
Refrigerant is sometimes needed as the lineset length is over what the unit is charged for from the factory.
Minis are charged via lineset length, not via pressures and temperatures.
You’ll have to be prepared to have absolutely no warranty with a CL unit. Which means if it breaks the day after it’s installed, your likely on your own.
Is this a grow room?

 

[steveydvee]

I know it’s very tempting to buy a unit like that, but the customers I’ve seen do it have a very low success rate.
Nitrogen is needed for leak testing.
Vacuum pump is to evacuate the system prior to charging.
Refrigerant is sometimes needed as the lineset length is over what the unit is charged for from the factory.
Minis are charged via lineset length, not via pressures and temperatures.
You’ll have to be prepared to have absolutely no warranty with a CL unit. Which means if it breaks the day after it’s installed, your likely on your own.
Is this a grow room?

Ok I have a better understanding now. Thank you. Looks like I have a long list of items to buy before installing. I heard you can use co2 instead of nitrogen to test for leaks? Is this true? If so it'd save me some because I already own a co2 tank + a pressure regulator. But most importantly to make sure the longevity of the mini split is optimized I must do more research to make sure I pressurize the system properly and to make sure there is a good seal.

Yes this is a grow room :biggrin2: I'm attempting to build a hobby room so far just taking the first few steps.

 

[roughneck]

Grow rooms are temperature and humidity dependent.
Pool room equipment is actually ideal for space control. Minis are a poor choice. Off brand minis wouldn’t work well at all as their control algorithms usually aren’t accurate enough to properly condition the room.
Just a quick story. I had a customer buy refrigeration equipment off of eBay. Was supposed to be brand new. Long story short it was all in boxes and looked new, but the compressor didn’t work. It was missing parts. Poor guy wound up paying something like 10 times over what it would have cost for a contractor to provide the equipment. Plus had no warranty.
You’ll have to start your project by doing a load calculation to determine what size equipment you need. What is your target temperature and humidity?

 

[steveydvee]

My target temperature is anywhere from 80's - 85's. The relative humidity optimally should be at 40% - 55% and lower as they fruit downwards to 30%. The room is about 12x12x10. Facing away from the sun so the ambient temp is quite low. In the winter time it can be anywhere from -17 F* upwards to 40 F*. And the hottest it gets here is high 80's and at night around those times around the 40's. I only run these lights at night which really helps also. The only thing that provides heat are going to be my oscillating fans and the lights. My goal is 8000 watts of HPS non air cooled hoods.

 

[roughneck]

You’ll definitely want a load calculation then.
Put too big of a unit in and all of a sudden your humidity will be 70% and you’ll be buying a bunch of dehumidifiers.

 

[steveydvee]

I will be using this guide to help me through the process. What extra steps do I need to take if I'm doing multi zone. And I'm unsure if you answered my question but if it's a multizone and the indoor units are turned on at diffferent times. Will I still be pulling the amount of BTU as labeled on the box?

 

[steveydvee]

You’ll definitely want a load calculation then.
Put too big of a unit in and all of a sudden your humidity will be 70% and you’ll be buying a bunch of dehumidifiers.

Yessir if it cycles on and off too often humidity will sky rocket. So the thing is not too oversize. I can always remove the one of the lights if its undersized.

 

[steveydvee]

Grow rooms are temperature and humidity dependent.
Pool room equipment is actually ideal for space control. Minis are a poor choice. Off brand minis wouldn’t work well at all as their control algorithms usually aren’t accurate enough to properly condition the room.
Just a quick story. I had a customer buy refrigeration equipment off of eBay. Was supposed to be brand new. Long story short it was all in boxes and looked new, but the compressor didn’t work. It was missing parts. Poor guy wound up paying something like 10 times over what it would have cost for a contractor to provide the equipment. Plus had no warranty.
You’ll have to start your project by doing a load calculation to determine what size equipment you need. What is your target temperature and humidity?

Pool room equipment? That is really unfortunate to hear that minis are poor choice.. It seems that everywhere I go it seems most ideal at least compared to portable/window ac units. What other options do I have out there? I'd be using oscillating fans all around the room so the air will be distributed as evenly as possible.

 

[roughneck]

That video shows an improper installation. No nitrogen to leak check the unit. No micron gauge. It’s suggesting using the manifold suction gauge for a leak check under vacuum, which will not show leaks as he said it will.
Minis are supposed to be variable speed. But some of these off brand unit have odd firmware that runs differently then you’d think, with trying to match the load.

 

[roughneck]

Pool room equipment? That is really unfortunate to hear that minis are poor choice.. It seems that everywhere I go it seems most ideal at least compared to portable/window ac units. What other options do I have out there? I'd be using oscillating fans all around the room so the air will be distributed as evenly as possible.

Yes, the mini will have a temperature limit as to running in heating mode. So if it were to get warm outside it will not heat the room any longer.
There are limits as to how cold and warm it can be outdoors for a heat pump to heat.

 

[user_12345a]

There are limits as to how cold and warm it can be outdoors for a heat pump to heat.

Do any mini-splits have high ambient controls - ie cycle or slow down the outdoor fan in heating mode to keep the head down?

 

[roughneck]

Do any mini-splits have high ambient controls - ie cycle or slow down the outdoor fan in heating mode to keep the head down?

Some do. Some just don’t run after outdoor ambient get above a certain temp. Others go as far as to throw an error code when you try to run heat above a certain temperature.
I’ve no idea what this brand does. Never heard of them.

 

[steveydvee]

So I've done a little bit more research... So the Ideal Air Pro Series doesn't come with a lineset. I would need to purchase a 3/8 and 5/8 lineset. This is the manual..

http://eastwesthydro.com/sites/default/files/product-docs/700482_Service-Manual.pdf

This is another video I would use a guide considering the other one I posted wasn't proper. Hows it look?

From my understanding I cannot purchase refrigerant but it is also not necessary if I size the lineset correctly. The Ideal Air unit comes precharged with 84.66 oz of R410A.

If I purchase a kit like this..

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=410a+refrigerant&ref=nb_sb_noss

Would I be able to DIY this?
What size lineset do I need?

 

[roughneck]

No, you do not increase lineset size.
That unit is precharged for a certain lineset length. If you exceed that length you’ll need to add refrigerant.
You’ll still need nitrogen and a micron gauge. Which that kit doesn’t include.