Mr Cool mini-split performance in a blizzard
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- čas přidán 28. 01. 2022
- This is the 18k BTU DIY model (single zone). Can't really complain about the performance. It's cool that I got to see a defrost cycle actually run and, well, defrost the coils.
Winter Storm Bobby, 2022.
Update: This unit failed and I upgraded the outside unit to a Gen 4 (under warranty). Here is how the new one performs at -8F: • Mr Cool DIY Gen 4 @ -8... - Auta a dopravní prostředky
Awesome video! Very helpful to see the winter performance in tough conditions. I realize these outdoor units need unrestricted air flow, but there has to be a way to provide a bit of shelter against direct snowfall or most wind-blown snow.
good video! good to know... have been thinking about mr cool for a while now
I have my outdoor unit in a covered place where the snow can't easily get to it, but it can still frost up on a very damp day when the temperature is close to freezing. That one in a blizzard is probably using as much power to defrost as it is to heat the house.
I just installed a MrCool, and it's great to see how your unit performed in heating mode. Very impressive. BTW, mine is dominating the 105ºF summer heat in Texas this year. Great unit.
i got 116 today
That was a great video thank you so much
Don't worry about the frost. My C&H south of Buffalo NY ran great all winter. Even in snow storms. Sure it frosted up but the auto defrost took care of it fine. I never worried about it and it blew heat all winter even at -9F
Which particular C&H unit is that? I'm looking for one of these specifically to get me off propane heat in the winter as the price has more than doubled.
@@piquat1 Get that built for low temp and cold climate. I had oil heat in my house. Before 2021 it's was like noting to heat house from oil. Now it's was costing me $700 every load which is like every month and half. I went with my local electricity company. They had rebate programs for mini split if u remove oil or gas heating completely. They had installed daikin mini split two outdoor 36-46 BTW and 6 indoor unit 2 18k BTW and 2 12 BTW and 2 9k btu. It's cost me $10k after rebate with removing oil tank and oil furnace. After I installed mine they ended the programs bcz they said due to high demand they ran out of money from state government.
Hyperheat
Mitsubishi
Frost is normal on all brands of heat pump, specially in very humid weather. On my condo roof building downtown Montréal there is mix of unit of différent brands and age and they all do frost up.
Our Senville 24,000 BTU LETO we just set on Auto all the time and it knows what to do. I installed it in 2018. We never have icing and stays hot on winters and very cold in the summers. IT KNOWS WHEN TO DEFROST ALL BY ITSELF.
I'm glad you made this video. That's the unit I want for my cabin, especially to heat during the winter.
Get a Mitsubishi with hyper heat. It will heat with the temp outside at -13.
@@user-ln7of9gs4s and so WILL the mr cool, they are all the same, Mitsubishi is NO better! if they have an inverter, they will all perform the same.
@@karmendimas5274 false. They all perform differently, they are not all the same.
@@user-ln7of9gs4s you obviously did not read my comment carefully,, the Heat pumps with INVERTERS are designed for sub temps, !!
@@karmendimas5274 I read your comments, not all systems have equal capabilities even with an inverter. Some have minimum temps of 5 degrees Fahrenheit. It even says it on their website for Mr Cool.
About 11 years ago, when my old Samsung did this, I was "wtf is this noise?", open the window and see the vapor all around the unit. It was cool (pon intended)
Stopping snow from getting onto the condenser should. E a priority to cut down on the amount of ice the defrost cycle has to contend with. Typically freezing temps outside result in low humidity which should prevent icing up so frequently.
Thinking about getting the 4th gen DIY 12k btu unit for my two car garage 🤔
Usually there is a sensor to detect coil temp, once its above the threshold it runs for x time long. Depends on unit. ~commercial hvac tech
Cool, that makes sense. Thanks.
@@kevin9c1 Im wondering if my unit which is exactly like the one in this video is low in Freon. I keep it set at 65 in my mancave and by mourning it'll drop to around 62 almost like its struggling to keep up. outside temp is only like 33. it does DF but by the time its done DF the temp inside has dropped and it seems to be losing ground when doing so. I had it checked by a technician. He said the pressures looked good but he didn't remove the Freon to check the weight.
Im wondering if my unit which is exactly like the one in this video is low in Freon. I keep it set at 65 in my mancave and by mourning it'll drop to around 62 almost like its struggling to keep up. outside temp is only like 33. it does DF but by the time its done DF the temp inside has dropped and it seems to be losing ground when doing so. I had it checked by a technician. He said the pressures looked good but he didn't remove the Freon to check the weight.
@@stitch893326 Funny you should ask that. My system actually died or more specifically it threw a P4 code which refers to compressor inverter drive error. It does still run but it sounds bad and will shut down in a few minutes. Fortunately I bought mine through Ingram's so they are handling the warranty and I will be receiving a Gen 4 outside unit in a week or so although I do have to pay freight. I did develop the theory that mine may have also been low on refrigerant possibly the entire time and over the last month or a month and a half I was using turbo mode to extract every last BTU out of it because oil is so expensive so my theory is those two things combined basically fried it. If replacing the outside unit fixes the problem that would be good because it is a 22 seer and a 11.5 hspf which are both better than the Gen 3. I will probably put together an update video explaining all of this.
Ok I replaced my condenser. All seems well so far! The gen 4 is bigger than the gen 3 to get the improved efficiency numbers. The fan is also 1" larger. Had to modify the mounting situation and also the suction and discharge lines are reversed on the unit. Those details turned the replacement into an all day affair. But it's working and runs nice.
I put mine under an overhang some people build something over them and around them keep snow off
Here is how the warranty replacement Gen 4 handles -8F! czcams.com/video/cajsNGrYiHI/video.html
Nice
Most of these inverter units know what there coil is doing there’s sensors all over it. Once it drops to a certain temp it triggers a defrost
Here where I live in Algeria North Africa systems like these have been around since I can remember and they're quite reliable however to be honest the weather here is quite nice all year round we barely get any snow and also natural gas is very popular and very cheap so these mini systems get used only for cooling
You should remove the drain hose and that fitting, it will drain better. In southern climates that drain might be usable
Yep, that frozen drain in stopping it from defrosting properly
Yup, first day I had my mini-split, I read the instructions carefully, install that drain. I didn't even attach a hose. Thing froze solid. I used a hair dryer removed it and no issues since
I have done some experimenting with turbo mode and turbo mode definitely results in more heating. The room is very large (24x24 with vaulted ceilings, three exterior walls with windows and above my garage). So the extra airflow really helps extract more capacity from the unit. I am sure I am trading efficiency for capacity with turbo mode but it's nice to have the option, AND at $4/gal for heating oil, probably still well worth it.
What size/BTU is your unit?
@@robd7365 18k single zone. Runs off 240V.
We're paying 510-550 per gallon in lower NYS, so our 9kBTU 115vac is a nice heat booster. I wanted to go with a 12kBTU, but don't have 220v wiring going to that side of the house... Of course now MR COOL offers a 12k that uses 115vac 😒. I think the 9kBTU is a little undersized for the area, but it's right in the sq.ft. limit listed. I would like to remove that unit and reinstall it in a smaller room if I can pump down the condenser/outside unit. I may end up removing the quick connects and putting traditional flare fittings if I do the move.
@@robd7365 I ran a dedicated circuit for it. If you have a 120V outlet already on a dedicated circuit, you could switch out for a 240V breaker and change the outlet to a disconnect panel. Just need 12/2 wire.
On turbo mode it usually passes more air so efficiency if compressor frequency is unchanged is higher. If compressor speeds up it just adds some capacity so thats not bad either if you need it
Cool
Cover the top and side leave it some opening so air goes in between
I got a power meter on eBay, mounted it in a small pvc box to track mini split KWH
I have two of those for my generator. I wish it was easier to repurpose them to my mini split. I may want to just do two more boxes.
These units are great if you can do your own maintenance and repairs over the years because AC/'HVAC company's will likely not want to service these units, this is what I have found.
Soo if we get one; place an awning above it to block the snow & ice!?
I too would like to know for sure how these units determine a defrost cycle is necessary. I don't believe they monitor the refrigerant pressures, but at least mine monitors the intake and outgo temp on the condenser. I assume it just can monitor those and when there is no more temp. differential between intake and outgo, it assumes it is blocked with ice and needs to initiate a defrost. I know it's not strictly temp based as it can be plenty cold, but my unit will not initiate a defrost unless there is truly a good amount of frost. And that happens quickly when the humidity is 85% (defrosts every 70 mins), or not at all (humidity is 60%).
I've also wondered b/c my unit will run all night with it being 30 outside and never defrost(when humidity and dew point is low) but I've had it go into defrost at 40 degrees with 90% humidity but no ice whatsoever on the coils. One night it defrosted twice and each time I checked, no ice on coils and not a drop of water came out the bottom, apparently this is common from other people I've talked to about it. From what I can gather sensors monitor the temps coming thru the coils combined with a pressure sensor, the pressure sensor monitors the pressure on the outside of the unit and the inside of the enclosure. If the coils are iced over it will create a slight change in the pressure between the outside and inside. That doesn't explain my situation but this is what I've been able to come up with from months of searching. Does yours take roughly 6-7 minutes to defrost on avg(4-5 minutes to defrost and 2-3 minutes to start blowing hot air again)?
Mine just did the same thing. We had no heat
What’s your electric bill like ?
I've had my mr cool installed for 3 years had the main control go once they send a brand new outdoor unit an lineset no questions. These units are good ice should come off during defrost mode
My experience if you're unit gets iced up enough to stop the fan from spinning us where problems will occur
@@steelcitysewerman Mine threw a P4 code (check my recent video on this). Did yours?
@@kevin9c1 yes my unit thru a P4 code circuit board was faulty
@@kevin9c1 they sent me a whole outdoor unit and lineset at no cost. Never even asked for the old unit or lineset back
@@steelcitysewerman Yeah Ingrams did the same for me. I get a gen 4 outside unit. Mine happened in only 13 months. The old compressor made some bad noises but it seems to be working great now.
defrost will cycle on and terminate by either time or temperate . Most importantly the indoor fan turns off because it becomes the evaperator in defrost mode and wouldn't be efficient and or comfortable if the blower motor runs .
This is normal, every mini split goes through this process, your coils have a sensor on the back. Do you have the olympus low ambient unit?
You should have said, every heat pump goes through this. It's not unique to mini splits.
Hi do you still like it now July 2022 in the heat? Do you recommend as a back up heating unit? Oil prices are out of control. We are thinking about getting the dual zone Mr. cool split unit.
I still like it. I am considering a 3 zone for our bedrooms. I wouldn't hesitate to get one to help with heat. At these prices it's definitely cheaper than oil.
@@kevin9c1 do you need more than one unit to do the house ? How big of a room does the 3 zone do ?
@@allaboutdetails3356 We use the 18k unit for the great room which is 24x24 with vaulted ceilings, above a garage and with 3 exterior walls. It does the room with power to spare. But it doesn't really do the rest of the house. I think we actually need two more 2 zone units.
I see you have it mounted to the foundation on the bottom and to the siding up top. Does it vibrate inside the house at all? I have two units yet to install (live in Maine) and would like to do slabs but don't want to have snow issues.
So the great room that it conditions is a floor up. If the room you are in is on the same level as where you wall-mount the unit you will definitely hear it when the room is quiet. In my garage (other side of the wall) you can definitely hear it.
@@kevin9c1 Thanks. I think I'll go with the slab option. Thanks again!
@@gppme7066 when you put these units on the ground you will possibly have trouble with rodents eating the wires
Funny, I also live in Maine! I opted to mount my 12k and 24k to the foundation, I can slightly hear a rumble? But it's really quite minor. Far less of a nuisance than a traditional window AC.
You need to install a roof for your heat pump. Just CZcams 'roof for heat pump' and you will see example of roof for heat pump.
How’s working now after almost a year???
czcams.com/video/dxqTIHaozcE/video.html
They are great for small rooms, diy’ers, off grid solar systems, RV/Van builds and people that want to replace the unit every 10 years or less. The indoor units are difficult and messy to clean and have poor air filtration. They will not keep up in heat mode unless they are severely oversized in cool mode. Hence the reason everyone has gas, electric or wood for backup heat that has these units.
There are many available mini split heat pumps that can do 100% of rated down to some low temps, but 1) those are not yet available as DIY and 2) they have almost double rated max capacity in more moderate conditions so effectively the unit is oversized to achieve the capacity. No free lunch but an oversized unit will often be more efficient under many conditions, provided it doesn't short cycle due to min capacity issues. Definitely trade-offs and more trade-offs. But in general, I am a fan of these. Need to do your homework on capacities and COP numbers across expected operating conditions, though.
My heat won't work at all can u help me. I let it run 15 min still cold
Does the outside unit run?
If u build a cover or over hang for it it will go less in df mode saving money and df time , I build a small porch like over it and changed the game for ever rarly goes in df mode stays clean as a whistle
The Mr cool 4th generation is great for diy. Reason beings the lines are precharged with freon no need to have a heating and air guy charge it because they are a big rip off. The other brands have to be charged, the heating amd air companies stay in business because they over charge you to charge your unit.
The other brands come precharged too, the charge is just held inside the unit instead of the lines. You just have to vacuum the lines down and then release the charge. But vacuum pumps and gauges are pretty cheap. Real problem comes if you get a leak, then you need some pretty expensive equipment (and refrigerant) to fix it.
@@DeusTex-Mex good to know, thanks for the heads up
I'm curious if you can share how many KWh your electric bill increased using the mini-split. I have recently installed the MRCool Olympus 48K with 3 wall units and 1 mini ducted for smaller bedrooms. I have NG for the main heat which I am planning on using as a backup but I know this will substantially increase my electric usage.
I have a DIY 3rd gen 27k with a 18k and a 12k unit indoors and I have it heat my whole house when its 30+ and about a 1/3 of my house all the way down to -20°f ish and noticed an increase of 500-750 ish kwh/month. I previously heated 100% of my house with a natural gas furnace. I previously had two window air units to cool my house in the summer and even with a hotter summer this last summer I used 400 kwh less than the same month the summer before.
@@specialestness Wow Sam - This is excellent information. The additional 500 - 700 kWh per month at today's Eversource rates (.25/khw for all costs) equates to about an additional $125 to $187.50 per month in electric charges but a reduction in Eversource NG charges. Do you know what your NG bill was for comparison? I have a larger space with more units but for the 4 core heating months (Dec. - Mar.) I would estimate an additional 1000kwh. If those kWh were produced from a solar array then it could essentially provide the majority of all electric and heating needs with solar. The NG furnace would remain for those very cold days just to bring up the temp so the mini splits could then do the rest. As a side note, the Eversource rates in CT are due to increase to .36 per kw as of 1/1/2023
@@Dave-tg1pu I live in MT, so I probably see larger spells of nasty cold temps, followed by warmer temps. From what I can see my ng usage is down about 25-30% on the colder months and 80-90% in the warmer months. My electric is about 10.5¢/ kWh, so a major increase in electric usage is really not a major hit for me. Last night it hit -23°f and that was too cold for the mini split to adequately heat and I had to fall back on electric baseboard heaters where my furnace doesn’t heat. These rooms used to be connected to my furnace through ducts that ran in uninsulated exterior walls, so the air blew cold right till the heat shut off. The rooms would only get to about 60° on a warmer day and much colder as the temp dropped. I haven’t really seen a drop in my gas/electric(combined) bill as gas almost quadrupled in March of 2021 and hasn’t come back down even a little.
@@specialestness Thank you again. Keeping the total cost of NG and electricity the same is a win in my case. I hope to produce the total kWh needed for electricity and NG replacement from the solar array. The payback period for the solar system will be 3-4 years if I include a substantial offset in the NG costs by having the kilo-watts produced by the solar and used by the min-splits.
Not only do you save on gas, the accompanying electric to run a blower or pump for hot water is also not present.
What size room are you using the 18k in?
See my recent comment for that info.
will it work at - 26 below
I'm going to say no. It is possible the gen 4 may output some limited heat but it's also possible that they won't even turn on
what is the lowest outside temp you used this unit for heating?
Probably around 5F, maybe a bit lower. But I think at this temp you need to have another heat source as I don't think this could be the primary. I could experiment with it and close off my furnace dampers to the room in which it is installed and see what temp it can actually maintain in single digits.
@@kevin9c1 Mitsubishi has a hyper heat model that works to -13.
It's useless taking a temp reading from up around the ceiling.
tell your remote to follow you . temp reading should change from the coil to remote.
Yeah, take the temperature down there at the couch. Most of these junk mini splits are put up high near the ceiling where you aren’t sitting.
WHERE IS MR. COOL MADE /???
Made in China by Midea, the largest HVAC manufacturer in the world.
Are you an ac tech?
Negative
Get a hair dryer and help it out Also my buddy built a hood over his unit.
You should not count on it to be your primary heat source it can only do so much plus with all the snow blowing around your asking for problems and then good luck getting help from mrcool I don't think they have a service network
That's why I bought from Ingrams. Mr Cool and Ingrams are both based in KY. Warranty support has been excellent through Ingrams.
While this is excellent for a heat pump, a gas furnace would put out hot air somewhere between 120 -140 degrees. So the efficiency of gas in extreme cold temperatures is unbeatable. The same is probably true for oil burners, but I have not used one of those. You can use electricity to produce radiant heating, but the costs are astronomical. This is one of the central, crushing logical fallacies of the Democratic Party's obsession with wind and solar to "save the planet" from a 1.5 degree C temperature increase. These "pure green" electric sources are intermittent and in extreme cold, their costs are incredibly high. Further there is ZERO hard scientific proof that lowering anthropological (man made) CO2 emissions will have ANY effect on lower the aggregate global temperature. The global warming theory is an absurdly stupid and unproven theory that tens of millions of weak minded lemmings are following off of a cliff.
ok dummy
Stupid
That’s not a blizzard, it’s snowing out…
Maybe build an awning or eyebrow above unit.
Would help a fair amount..
Search for RI blizzard 2022. It was a blizzard.