A hot shop.....

[electra225]

It's gonna be 113 here today. The AC in the shop went on the fritz.

The patient is a Pioneer 12,000 BTU mini split system. It lacks two days of being in service for two years.
They tell me the condenser is leaking. They do not supply parts. You have to replace the entire "module" which is the outdoor unit. You get a new compressor, computer, condenser, condenser fan and refrigerant. Refrigerant is $420 a pound for the first pound, half that for successive pounds. It holds 40 ounces of refrigerant. Total cost to recharge the system is $679 plus tax.

A window air conditioner would have been a better choice dollar for dollar than this POS mini split system is. Do not buy a Pioneer system. They are garbage. Buy something with a better reputation. These things are contractor grade, and really do have a pretty good reputation. Mitsubishi, Day and Night and Samsung seem to be the top brands around here. This system was installed by the contractor who built the shop. Rather they had it installed, but they brokered the deal. This mini split ran cheap, no question. It cost about $10 a month to run. This one never worked right, particularly on heat mode. I just used it for AC.

We are working with the manufacturer to see what they will do under warranty. I believe these things are the better choice if you get one that lasts more than two years. If you have to replace it every two years, a window unit is as good in the long run, hour for hour of operation. Mini split systems, many times, can't be repaired at the component level. So you need to consider the cost of repairs. If you have a good one with long life, then, yes, they are the way to go. If you buy contractor grade thru ignorance or happenstance, then you might just be better off using a window unit. If one of those die, pull it out, toss it in the dumpster, go to Walmart, give your $200, stick it back in the wall and be back in business inside a couple hours. We get to play phone tag with the manufacturer until somebody decides to do something, hopefully before the warranty expires in two days. I guess this is better than being two days after the warranty expires, so there is that........

The electronics in this system is pretty neat. It has what they call and "inverter" system, which converts 230 volts AC to 24 volts DC. There is a big rectifier and heat sink in it. The compressor runs on 220, and both fans run on 24 VDC. The condenser fan motor is a pancake motor like you see in a muffin fan. These low-voltage motors are designed to run 24-7 and never shut off. The computer has a heat sink and is designed to operate in the air flow of the condenser fan. The compressor is a variable-displacement scroll compressor. As the compressor slows down, so does the condenser fan motor. If you have the blower set on automatic, it slows down along with the compressor and condenser fan. If you select the economy mode, it shuts the condenser fan, compressor and blower off when the compressor goes off. It works better with the fan set on high.

[William]

Six or seven years ago I had a mini split installed to cool the main part of the house. With in floor radiant hot water heat it was either a mini split or a window unit and I chose a mini split for two reasons. One, I needed 2 tons to cool that part of the house and second, I wanted something that was quiet. The local company I use sells Fujitsu, which is highly rated and comes with a 12-year warranty. So far, all good and I would recommend them.

Bill

[electra225]

If the manufacturer stands behind their stuff, I might recommend Pioneer. We are awaiting word on what their intentions are.

[TC Chris]

At least in theory, the various heat pump systems are now the best option even in cold climates like Michigan. But translating theory into practice, well, that's where the issues arise. We live in an environment in which repairability is a very low priority for most manufacturers. They are run by execs with MBAs and the principal focus is on short-term profit. There is little weight given to effects on the planet or long-term consequences. Have you read what happens to clothing returns from Amazon and other retailers online?

In my visit to VT, my sister-in-law was in a tizzy over replacing their heating boiler (baseboard hot water). What if it gave up in January? She wanted to replace it now, just in case. That will require (per new code)a completely different flue venting arrangement and much disruption. It's 30 years old. I pointed out that the cast-iron boiler is not likely to fail at this time. The flue-exhaust fan, that might fail. The flue vacuum sensor that lets the gas ignite, well that could fail. The circuit board that links it all, that could fail. Everything else is standard stuff. The Honeywell controller, standard. The circulating pumps (they have zones and about 10pumps), those are standard. I suggested asking their boiler guy which items might be scarce. The circuit board is the most likely candidate. If they are nervous about possible failure, buy the scarce parts now at leisure. Keep them on hand. Then relax. But the point is, these are modular systems, and parts are replaceable, and if you can get or have the parts, repairs can be made. Yay for systems that can be repaired. As we all know when we are replacing caps and resistors....

Chris Campbell

[electra225]

I complained about the performance of this system when they put it in. I have worked on air conditioning enough to know how it should feel, how the discharge air should feel, when the system is right. Remember that refrigeration does not cool, it removes heat. This system never had "the feel" that is hard to explain, but is unmistakable if you have worked with refrigeration for any length of time. There must have been some refrigerant in the system when the man put his gauges on, since there was 125 psi of pressure on the cold side. If it was totally evacuated of refrigerant, there would have been no pressure. He put in a pound, and got the compressor to come on and it actually cools decent. Not right, but decent. It may be a pound low still. I'm not going to pay $679 to have the mini split recharged, but if I could get it done for $150, I would try it and see what happens. If it takes two years to leak down enough the compressor quits running, I could live with that. If the manufacturer won't do anything, that might be an option.

[electra225]

We haven't heard anything from the manufacturer. Our position at this point is to go to Plan B. We are going to try to find a service provider who will recharge this system for a reasonable price. The "going" rate for R-410 refrigerant is way less than the $420 a pound we were quoted yesterday. Then we'll see what happens. This should buy some time to shop around and perhaps get us to the off-season where we can get a better price for a new system. I have three projects torn down on the bench right now, no parts, and don't want to tear something else apart.

[electra225]

An interesting development.....

The guy who told me yesterdays that the condenser was leaking put "some" refrigerant into the system so he could test it. I noticed when he connected his gauges that there was 150 psi on the low side, which is the side of the system you put the refrigerant in. If the system was empty, as he claimed, there would have been no or low pressure in the system. He turned it on, left it on when he left. This morning about 7am, it was 74 degrees in the shop. The thermostat was still at 76. It is 109 here new, inside temp is 79. I think it's still maybe close to a pound low on refrigerant, but the "some" he put into the system makes it cool fairly well. I wonder if I was a victim of the old "upsell". They smelled blood in the water, then went in for the kill. I have another company coming on Wednesday to charge it and make sure it is working well when they leave. They get $145 a pound for refrigerant, but this is summer in AZ. That is better than $420 a pound. Maybe this will work out okay yet. I need to have this thing checked every year, in the winter time, in the off-season.

[electra225]

The wife called our trusted air conditioning guru and asked who was dependable and honest that would work with a mini split system. They asked what was wrong with them coming out to look at it. I was under the impression that they didn't service mini split systems. They will SERVICE them, but they don't REPAIR them. Parts are generally not available for repair. They are repaired by "module" the inside module or the outside module. Or the entire system. Jake was just here and added 6 ounces of refrigerant and pronounced it healed. This thing was never charged correctly when it was installed. The "fix" for a mini split, if it truly has a component failure is to buy a new unit and install it yourself. Jake said if we need to do that, he can drink an adult beverage while looking over my shoulder, and I can install one we get from Home Depot. Bottom line is, I think we are fine now. We'll have him check it each winter when he checks the furnace and our home air conditioner and make sure it's working right for the summer. I should have known better.......

It's too bad that businesses think the way to make money and stay in business is to cheat people. Jake and his dad have all the work they can handle and they are fair with people. Either they misunderstood me or I misunderstood them, but it cost me a lot of hassle. I should have known better.......

To understand why six ounces low on refrigerant can be such a big deal, we have to remember what refrigeration actually does. Refrigeration does NOT cool. It removes heat. There is a difference. Six ounces low on a system that holds 40 ounces, puts the refrigerant level about 20% low. This is enough in that tiny system to allow gas into the evaporator. Liquid refrigerant in the evaporator is what attracts and removes heat. Refrigerant boils at approximately 100 degrees below zero. As liquid refrigerant absorbs heat, it returns to a gas. It passes to the condenser that cools the hot gas, it then passes to the expansion valve that turns it from high pressure gas to low pressure liquid, then it repeats the process. At the correct refrigerant charge, only liquid refrigerant is in the evaporator.

[William]

Excellent news, and a simple fix for something that should have been done right the first time. Now, for the rest of your HOT season you should be comfortable.

Bill