My Minisplit Install
 

This thread is going to be about installing minisplits in the bedrooms of my house. As usual, it will be a combination of diary, notes to self, cries for help, and endless entertainment for those of you who actually know how to do things. I’ll put “????” on things that I’d especially like thoughts about.

The units are 2X Gree 18,000 BTU outdoor heat pump/compressor, each with 2X Gree 9,000 BTU indoor air handler/ condensor. These are R32 units, bought shortly after tariffs announced, they were sadly a fair bit more expensive than if I’d done this a year ago.

One outdoor unit will serve the two bedrooms on the north side of the house (master on NE corner, and daughter’s on NW corner; daughter’s bedroom has the attached former sleeping porch that I mentioned in another thread). The other outdoor unit will serve the two bedrooms on the south side of the house (son’s on SW corner, and spare/guest on SE corner).

The north side of the house isn’t seen much and the south side faces the garage and has lots of “stuff” on it already (electrical service, vent fan, etc), so these seem like good places, aesthetically, to place the outdoor units. The east side is the front of the house, and the west faces the backyard, neither have good locations for (unattractive) outdoor units.

Here’s the north side. This looks pretty straightforward (famous last words). I’m thinking of hanging the outdoor unit on the lowest part of the siding, to keep it above vegetation. Lines will run straight up the wall then do a “T” to the bedrooms.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1746383602.jpg

Here’s the south side. This seems slightly more complicated. The walkway between house and garage (garage is at my back when taking the photo) is narrow (4’?) so I don’t want the outdoor unit taking up space at walking level. Instead I’m thinking of hanging the outdoor unit up higher, maybe below the kitchen vent hood exhaust fan you see. It will be an eyesore, but that side of the house is already covered with ugly. It will also be in direct sun, and I don’t know if that is a problem???? Lines will have a more complicated path, like a jog in the vertical leg then a wide “T” top because there is a bathroom between the bedrooms. I am unhappy about doing more than the minimum while that high on a ladder, but I did get a lot of ladder time when stripping the siding in 2023, and I still have the Baker scaffold that I can use when installing the outdoor unit .

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1746383858.jpg

I’m happy to see the house paint is holding up. I’ll do a bit of touch-up while “in there”.

Now, how to cover up the lines and wires on the outside on the house? I don’t like the look of the white plastic line channels that you can buy, and would at minimum have to paint them. I’m thinking of fastening the lines directly to the siding, then having a local sheet metal shop make me simple folded-metal covers from sheet copper, with flanges that I can just nail or screw to the siding. Some caulk and I figure that will be weather tight enough, look good, weather to an obtrusive brown, and be a little bit classy. Good / bad idea ????

I installed two mini splits in two different garages myself . I did have a pro come in to pull vacuum and charge the systems . Take your time , think about each step and move forward . Make all pipe connections TIGHT !!!

I was lucky , no leaks on either one . I love mini splits . Good luck with your installs .

The house looks fantastic!

I've hidden lines inside of aluminum gutter before. It's not the easiest thing to do. As far as the unit being in direct sunlight, no worries there.

Thanks! The Gree outdoor units come pre-charged for a certain line length. If I need a pro, I’ll find someone. I know that I’m not going to want a bunch of excess line coiled up behind the outdoor unit, so I will probably buy and use a flaring tool. A friend has the tool to pull and test vacuum and will lend it to me.

Shaun, I think you saw it before the strip-n-paint?

Now for the indoor units. One complication is the bedrooms have windows occupying much of the exterior walls, so I can’t put the indoor units there, and the rest of the bedroom walls have picture molding right where the indoor unit needs to be, and I don’t want to cut away molding that’s been there since 1911, as dumb as that sounds.

In two rooms, I’ll have to put the indoor unit on an interior wall, then run the lines through the closet to reach the exterior wall. Example here is the master bedroom. The indoor unit will go over that armoire thingy, the lines will go into closet then turn and run to the exterior.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1746387509.jpg

Another example is the spare bedroom. Indoor unit above the dresser thingy, lines will run through a short surface chase into closet then to exterior.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1746387588.jpg

The two other bedrooms can accommodate the indoor units directly on an exterior wall.

For the picture molding issue, I think I’ll use about 2” thick scrap wood to space the mounting plate out from the wall to clear the picture molding. The mounting holes are spaced just right. The pragmatic reason I don’t want to cut off the original picture molding is that in this neighborhood, people are looking for old houses that are nicely original and unmuddled. Also, I’m a little concerned the indoor units hanging on the wall will be ugly. If that’s the case then maybe someday I’ll replace them with the kind that sit in the ceiling. I’m too lazy to do that now, though. I spent the entire spring-fall 2023 working on the house, then summer-fall 2024, I want to have a break in 2025 which means keeping this minisplit project as simple as reasonable. It already seems more complicated than the Youtube videos . . . which are always on the ground floor and usually in garages.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1746387838.jpg


Simple . . . and cheap(ish). The next project is going to be converting the finished attic with two low dormers into a third floor master suite with bathroom and standing height dormers. Even with as much DIY as I’m capable of, that’s not gonna be simple or cheap. But we’ll then go from a 4 bd 1.5 ba to a 5 bd 2.5 ba which is a lot better. And I can convert the master bedroom into a really good home office, and have the option of giving up my current rented office should that be sensible.

Lot of info here - might help:

https://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/1139258-another-mini-split-question.html

https://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/1122946-window-air-conditioner-mini-split-my-garage.html

https://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/1125146-mini-split-ac.html

https://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/1070287-heat-wave-do-you-have-ac.html

Although . . . it just occurred to me that having the indoor units sitting clear of the wall might be really ugly. If that’s the case, I’ll just cut and save the picture molding :-(

That's a heck of an exhaust fan. How big is the stove?

36” range. Not quite commercial, but as close as is residential legal. 4’ restaurant hood. The hood is a pretty small CaptiveAire unit, I wish I’d gotten a higher model.

Alright, gentle suggestions from a guy with exactly one mini-split install in Oceanside CA:

Because of the vintage nature of your home which is quite elegant, I agree with hiding the outdoor compressor units as best you can. Sticking on the siding like a barnacle is sure to disappoint so give this some thought.

Also, due to the ceiling height and custom moulding this install screams for ceiling registers. If I hung a wall register across the moulding my wife would give birth to a live baby cow for all to see. I think the mini's can work here and will transform your comfort levels but you need to make them disappear as much as possible. It is a clash of cultures that should be addressed. The wall registers can be hung lower like below a window as long as there is good airflow but I would still greatly favor ceiling registers for a completely clean look. I assume you have a boiler and radiators for heat which is period correct. Ceiling registers would blend into the room great.

This might be a really good project for a pro with years of experience making modern mini-splits disappear into a vintage home environment. A very different job requiring finesse compared with adding a mini to a garage or workshop.

They sell ceiling cassettes. Keep in mind of the drain

I'm getting my shop insulated with closed cell foam in preparation for a mini-split.;)

An excellent way to drain them is into the vent pipe from a nearby bathroom (if a downward slope can be maintained), and if that doesn't work, the drain can be routed into under sink drain pipe, above the P-trap, if one is willing to do some additional wall drilling. The second option is what I did, after initially draining it outside, but was concerned with the drain hose freezing during our occasional freezes during the "winter" months here (I use my mini-split year round, and it is almost always very humid here so the condensation water produced is impressive).

This is exactly what I did - ran pipes and wiring through interior wall, through a walk-in closet (secured to underside of a high shelf that runs the length of the closet) and then through exterior wall. That complicates things, and adds to the work needed, but with planning and patience works out very well with minimal ugliness and obstruction in the closet.

What do you all think about building wood “enclosures” for the outdoor units, with a slat front and sides to permit airflow, painted house color?

What am I missing? Where that pic?

Works well to cover ugly items as long as you give it enough air flow. I usually built them with a larger lower opening about 3" off the ground to give it enough.

you were in the middle of stripping the outside. Great color for the house.

There's nothing that says you can't paint the outside unit to match the house . Same for any chase you use to hide the lines . While it won't be totally invisible it will blend in nicely . I wouldn't build an enclosure as you need excellent air flow around the unit for maximum efficiency .

Well, we'll see if my wife calves . . . I agree a pro would be best but for money/time issues I'm DIY'ing this.

I would personally be very cautious about making any sort of surround to hide the outdoor unit. Messing with the airflow across the outdoor coil can affect both heating and cooling. Painting the outdoor unit to better blend in would by my first preference.

You mentioned flaring when you need to extend/shorten line sets. If you don't have a lot of experience in flaring copper, I'd recommend getting one and practicing a bit. A fair number of the leaks I've found on systems in the past have been at flare joints.

Hehe, I get it. Best wishes! :)

Painting the outdoor units seems like the winning idea. You guys are right, I like the way my house looks and don’t want more baby livestock than necessary.

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http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1747597278.jpg

I finally got started. Today all I’m doing is hanging the indoor units.

To avoid cutting the molding, and make this an easily reversible install, I used 3/4” plywood to space the mounting point out from the wall and catch studs.

My wife inspected the initial hung unit and her water has not broken, so I’m ok. She is surprisingly uncaring about mechanical and systems stuff, the baby cows emerge over a vase thoughtlessly repositioned or an improperly fluffed pillow.

So of the two, I’m the one more bugged by the gap between unit and wall. Later on, I’ll find some easy way to fill or cover up that void.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1747606802.jpg

The lines will go through the closet to reach the exterior wall, and I’d like to fasten them up to the closet ceiling, protected and out of the way. So I’ll be adding a condensate pump to this room, and one other. I can power the pump from the indoor unit.

Question: the hi and low pressure lines don’t care about the slope of lateral runs, correct? I.e. they can leave the indoor unit and go up before they exit the exterior wall and turn down?

Also question - I’m seeing minisplit line sets (not pre-charged) at prices ranging from $270 for 25’ to $170 for 50’. Some have flares and nuts, others don’t, but I’m planning to cut to length and flare myself anyway.

Is there really a predictable difference in line quality between brands and sources? I am inclined to buy the cheapest linesets. I need four so the price diff can be $400 ish.

Ok your indoor register install doesn't suck :) I might get "the face" installing it there but calving would probably be avoided. Not sure about line set differences other than possibly different diameters or wall thickness. Copper is expensive so measure twice, buy once.

My understanding is that slope matters for the condensate line to drain properly but not the copper lines. Your install instruction sheet should spell out any requirements or limitations.

Timely thread. I’m about to embark on this for the rental house. I’m going to use a ducted air handler in the attic so I can use one unit for a bedroom and bathroom.

Have you shopped Linesets from pioneer or Senville? They both get good reviews online and seem to have great prices.

With your line sets being encased, as you said you planned to do, I think almost any line set will do. One of the main differences I've found in different line sets is the insulation. Some are "easy pull", which cost more, where others get hung up on the insulation. If insulation is equal for each, buy the lowest priced IMO.

I like the copper idea!

That’s not horrible. Plus, no baby bovines braying about… winning!

Talking about minisplits: How good are they at heating, really ?

I got them in the new-old house... alongside old style radiators with a fuel burner! In summer, the minisplits were A-OK to cool down the house so I guess they were sized and distributed properly.

Emboldened by that discovery and not loving the smell of the old fuel heater, we decided to get rid of the old fuel burner, the ecopper pipes all over, the radiators, and get more room and less smell.. Figured we could use the mini splits for heat...

Then when the few colder winter days arrived we found we needed extra electric heaters here and there, because the mini splits struggled to heat the place "properly".. To be clear, not temperature wise but distribution wise... not sure it's "not enough of them" more like they are placed high up, when they shoot AC no issue, that goes down, but when they shoot warm air, it rises, and while I was not "cold" walking around the house, I could feel a significant temp difference from my ankles to my face and more chill sitting down, as if the high up mini split air was not reaching down low before it rose.. Gonna have to figure out a solution.

Ceiling fans?

Some s-l-o-w progress to report. Actually it was super slow until a bout of 95F lit a fire under my butt, and now I am seriously working on it.

Here is the north side, master bdrm on left and daughter’s bedroom on right.

Decided on copper line covers, but won’t install those until the system is verified working. They’ll be like square section, about 8” wide, shiny for a while. They will go all the way to the eaves, to look better. People might think they are gutter downspouts.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1749950811.jpg

Cut lines to length at the outdoor unit and flared. I got what seems like a great flaring tool, the flaring cone moves eccentrically, and I put a dab of Nylog on it before starting the flare.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1749950886.jpg

Here is the south side, in progress. I plan to finish the lines here tomorrow. Access is a real pain, so much stuff to work around. Including the electrical service. I don’t love the idea of working right by and probably accidentally touching the electric service cables, who knows if the insulation is cracked, so I think I’ll drape them with a moving blanket or similar.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1749951209.jpg

I had to buy a 28’ ladder as my 20’ was way too short. With the spreader, and tied off to the house, the ladder is very stable. I didn’t like using both hands to torque the connections with none holding onto the ladder, but it worked. I’ve only dropped one wrench, and it wasn’t the torque wrench.

When I go back up to install the covers, I’ll do a little paint touch up “while in there”.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1750640733.jpg

When I did the original PVC conduit ten years ago for the garage subpanel, I didn’t have an EMT bender. I think PVC conduit screams “DYIer” and I do have an EMT bender now. But I wanted the minisplit conduit to “match” the other one, so more DYI PVC conduit. Paint to come of course.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1750640892.jpg

I took the time to cut the conduit supports to fit the siding which is wonky there.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1750640958.jpg

The photo of the wiring is so I can review it for mistakes after a beer.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1750641015.jpg

I really regret not using my head and leaving more clearance - it’s a pain to work on the connections with the bumpout so close.

Very well done! I love the support you made, 99% would have just pipe clamped to the house.

If you haven't, I would seal the support mounting surface so moisture doesn't get in between and stay there.

I think the clamps are supposed to retain the cable on the out core, to hold them up and prevent strain on the connections. I believe the wires should be clamped on the blue section below.

Plan B might be a zip tie above the clamp, the red lines.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1750680834.jpg

that was my question as well!

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Range not big - 36” - but I wanted flexibility to put in a 48” someday. And to make a lot of smoke, steam, etc. Here I’m tossing cold water onto a hot oily pan to test the ventilation. Or I’m making potstickers.

Ah dummy (me). Thank you, I’ll fix that. There are strain reliefs/loom clamps where the cables enter the enclosure cover, but it would look better if the internal clamps were used too.