This was a very useful video, and I've been looking for someone with a mini-split installed to do this test; you're the first I've found. I would like to see what the power consumption is under regular operation, not just full load. Try setting it on say 72 degrees, and once it has reached that set point, put the testing meter (I use "Kill-a-Watt") inline. I'd like to see what the watt-hour usage is over four hours, 24 would be ideal, under the average load of maintaining the set temperature during the hottest part of the day and into the evening. This would be a true test of what I need in the line of battery and solar to put one, maybe two, of these units on an RV. Again, thanks for the video.
I have moved to a different home and haven't connected a new mini-split yet.. But there is a CZcamsr that has dual mini-split units in an old bus he is converting and all his electrical is powered by solar panels and a used Nissan leaf battery pack.. He is a great resource for figuring this stuff out.. Here's his link.. youtube.com/@BeginningfromthisMorning
Just saw your video on Facebook, very interesting video. That's what i want to do run a mini split on solar. Most of them have a high surge, I'll have to get something like this work better with my solar system.
I just picked up 4 panels that are 60 cell 310watts each , I plan to build a custom roof rack to hold them on top of my sprinter , then do some more testing of course, but eventually I want to change the looks of the mini-split to look more like mobile trekking gear and install it on my van rear door ..
@@StarboundSound nice man! as long as it's in the back not getting hit by the rocks on the road you should be fine. Also I've see them installed in a custom rack on their hitch.
You might look at installing a soft-start in the system... I've never done it but I hear it's fairly easy and straightforward! People do it on RV ACs and refrigerators because the high start-up draw will trip inverters!
Running that kind of load on a standard 120v outlet (typically only 12g cable) is risky business. Could really heat up those wires inside your wall. But I suppose if it aint tripping your breaker, must not be overloading too much. My mini splits run on 35 amp breaker with 8g wire on 240v . Can't believe it's only pulling 7 amps! That is a lot of cooling for such little power. One reason we went with mini split heat pumps. Love them.
Thanks big time, as I was wondering can my socket handle a mini=split (seems so as 8 amps is no big deal). You also show there is such a thing as a consumption meter. I will buy one too.
I didn't think that they could buy a 13 seer mini split anymore. I think it has to be 15 or higher. Most are 17+ though, with a majority between 19 and 22.
The cheaper the mini split the more power it consumes. To reduce the price they have to cut back on the amount of condenser coil the expensive copper and aluminum same goes for the evaporator fewer refrigerant cooling tubes fewer fins lighter weight more profit. Still can get the same BTUs out of the unit you just make the motor work harder to push more refrigerant in turn it draws more energy to do the same amount of work due to the resistance of the passages of the condenser and the evaporator and the fewer fins is lower surface area. Simple math simple physics grammar school level. This is why every time I measure one of those Mr. cool or Pioneer or any of the other cheap mini splits they have an enormous amount of power consumption for their BTU output ratio. Compare for example the Panasonic 27 SEER or FUJITSU 33 SEER Doing the same test you did draws about 390 W
@@coldfinger459sub0 Thanks man. I'm looking to heat a 55 square meters home here in Romania (550 square feet roughly). It gets down to -20 in winter (-4 F). And thinking of buying a 18000 single interior minisplit or 2 x 9000 interior units. Still pondering over one or two Gree Fairy minisplits
@@GlossaME the more air tight and sealing you do around the house makes a big difference. And the more “PROPERLY” installed and type of insulation well mean you will need less energy to heat your apartment. Give you a exaggerated example If you took a perfectly sealed air tight box the size of your house with a R insulating value of say 80. A 200 W heat pump would be able to raise the temperature to 80°F in the winter when it’s -20°F outside In the winter time you may wanna try a experiment make a wooden frame about 24 mm² and cover it on both sides with sheet of plastic so you traps of the air in the middle install it in all your windows in the coldest winter time and install heavy curtains close to the window. This is a cheap simple way of stopping heat loss. Trapping air between the plastic and seal around the frame.
@@coldfinger459sub0 I have double glazing all around. The house is made out of clay (traditional method of building, with bricks made out of dirt and straw) about 20 inches thick. It's a compact shape, roughly a square but divided into 5 smallish rooms (hallways, rooms, bathroom and kitchen). I could leave the doors open and have a 180000 BTU unit in roughly the center, but will that be enough? Or should I go the safe way and buy two smaller units and each one taking care of one half the house.
THIS low seer unit is not a inverter design as witnessed by the compressor turning on and off so this is rather outdated. From old literature a inverter unit is 30% lower operating cost.
Inverter units will turn on and off, the only difference is they will start gradually and decrease the consumption of power thru it the cycle, for example if the unit consume 1500 watts it will slowly decrease thru the cycle on stages 1500-1200-900 etc to where conventional mini split will always run 1500 during the cycle.
I just installed a Comfortotal ($500 ebay special) and it runs at 1100 watts ~26kwh for a day running flat-out. Bit more juice, but it kept my oversized 2 car garage at ~74 with air temp over 100 in Phoenix
@@jacksinthebox8029 Yes, 12k. I don't know the seer. I'm fairly certain the one they say on the ebay listing is...optimistic It did keep the garage under 80 when it was 115 out tho, so I'm pretty happy with it for the price
I have a 2000 watt inverter and as soon as the AC unit kicks on the inverter cut off, my inverter is just a cheap Chinese version so I'm guessing I need an inverter that can handle more amps..
Thanks ,i wanted to know real life watts useage for a mini split . Not a theory . But how hot outside? Pretty hot is a relative term ;) , Florida summer hot ? 93 degrees and high humidity . Philippines hot where i will retire to ? Where its close to 90 and a whopping 80 % humidity ? Its bloody muggy there . But still now i have a good idea ,about 875 watts per hour . Thank you .
Here in Oregon 80° is hot , humidity is usually quite low compared to FLA or the Philippines.. I have been to Philippines several time and it's super hot there...
Yes, Ron King, Just for you buddy, we built a hover Board skateboard with a combustion engine that runs on methane fart gas, and used a special pair of underwear to capture and collect the gas from last night's broccoli and beans dinner. We sent the Gas down the hose to the Hoverboard and , it melted into a pile of scrap.. so further testing is on hold
this minisplit is consuming 6.77 amps and the labels say 9.5 on cooling probably is low on refrigerant ?? a 1 ton or 12000btu in 220 volts will consume this 6 to 7 amps
The amp draw of an air conditioner changes as the temperature/humidity of the indoor air changes and as the temperature of the outdoor air changes, especially with an inverter driven compressor. This is a complicated discussion but in short...you will almost never see an air conditioner pulling it’s rated amp draw, even if it is perfectly charged and installed. Unless you are checking the system at extremely hot condition. In other words, the amp draw of an air conditioner will climb as the heat load on the system climbs. The more word the system does, the more power it will consume.
I have an important question to ask I noticed your mini split and a lot of others have two separate amp ratings one for the heating side one for the cooling side mines only has one amp rating when I look at the sticker of 14.5 amps does that mean that the cooling is around 7 amps and that the heating is around 7 amps giving me that 14 amps ?
Man, this is EXACTLY what I was wondering!!!..... So..... If I were to get a split system (for one large room in my house), connected it to an inverter with about 1000 watts of solar, could I consider getting free AC as long as the sun is shining bright? I'm in Arizona where the sun a BRIGHT for many hours. Thoughts?
With batteries and a inverter, yes. Solar does not give consistent power and the AC will not work right with variable power, so some batteries with an inverter would balance the solar and AC out.
@@krisbrixon Ya, that's exactly where I was going, Solar cells, Lithium ion batteries (Quite a few of 'em) connected all to an inverter, then run the AC for all time, NO electricity bills from THE most draining electrical thing in a house. .... BUT, what's the payoff? Because all that I just mentioned costs QUITE a hefty bill, how many years is the return on investment? That's the hurdle I have to find out. After that predetermined amount of time, THAT is when you're getting FREE AC.... Thoughts?
Can somebody compare this to another appliance.... Like this kind of wattage is equivalent to running a refrigerator.... I want to understand but i need simpler terms.
It is there on the meter because the meter shows you what the highest amp draw was at any time during the test but I would say these inverter style mini split air conditioners don't require a huge amp load at startup
I actually had a heavy duty extension cord that had been ran over by a lawn mower so I used the end of that for my mini split but I would say it's pretty heavy duty like a construction grade extension cord
sooooo. that is the worst of the worst. compressor almost never comes off on the lowest temperature. 24 degrees celsius on low speed would probably draw maybe 25% or less of that.
But Unfortunately you can't buy a complete ready to install mini split made by Mitsubishi for under 500 bucks.. In this unit was a cheap eBay unit cost was like $420
This was a very useful video, and I've been looking for someone with a mini-split installed to do this test; you're the first I've found. I would like to see what the power consumption is under regular operation, not just full load. Try setting it on say 72 degrees, and once it has reached that set point, put the testing meter (I use "Kill-a-Watt") inline. I'd like to see what the watt-hour usage is over four hours, 24 would be ideal, under the average load of maintaining the set temperature during the hottest part of the day and into the evening. This would be a true test of what I need in the line of battery and solar to put one, maybe two, of these units on an RV. Again, thanks for the video.
I have moved to a different home and haven't connected a new mini-split yet..
But there is a CZcamsr that has dual mini-split units in an old bus he is converting and all his electrical is powered by solar panels and a used Nissan leaf battery pack..
He is a great resource for figuring this stuff out..
Here's his link..
youtube.com/@BeginningfromthisMorning
Just saw your video on Facebook, very interesting video. That's what i want to do run a mini split on solar. Most of them have a high surge, I'll have to get something like this work better with my solar system.
I just picked up 4 panels that are 60 cell 310watts each , I plan to build a custom roof rack to hold them on top of my sprinter , then do some more testing of course, but eventually I want to change the looks of the mini-split to look more like mobile trekking gear and install it on my van rear door ..
@@StarboundSound nice man! as long as it's in the back not getting hit by the rocks on the road you should be fine. Also I've see them installed in a custom rack on their hitch.
You might look at installing a soft-start in the system... I've never done it but I hear it's fairly easy and straightforward! People do it on RV ACs and refrigerators because the high start-up draw will trip inverters!
I believe the mr cool off grid units are already soft start built into it.
Thank you so much for this video! first one i found to answer my one simple question.
Running that kind of load on a standard 120v outlet (typically only 12g cable) is risky business. Could really heat up those wires inside your wall. But I suppose if it aint tripping your breaker, must not be overloading too much. My mini splits run on 35 amp breaker with 8g wire on 240v . Can't believe it's only pulling 7 amps! That is a lot of cooling for such little power. One reason we went with mini split heat pumps. Love them.
Thanks big time, as I was wondering can my socket handle a mini=split (seems so as 8 amps is no big deal). You also show there is such a thing as a consumption meter. I will buy one too.
I didn't think that they could buy a 13 seer mini split anymore. I think it has to be 15 or higher. Most are 17+ though, with a majority between 19 and 22.
Thanks for posting the name plate info
The cheaper the mini split the more power it consumes. To reduce the price they have to cut back on the amount of condenser coil the expensive copper and aluminum same goes for the evaporator fewer refrigerant cooling tubes fewer fins lighter weight more profit.
Still can get the same BTUs out of the unit you just make the motor work harder to push more refrigerant in turn it draws more energy to do the same amount of work due to the resistance of the passages of the condenser and the evaporator and the fewer fins is lower surface area.
Simple math simple physics grammar school level.
This is why every time I measure one of those Mr. cool or Pioneer or any of the other cheap mini splits they have an enormous amount of power consumption for their BTU output ratio.
Compare for example the Panasonic 27 SEER or FUJITSU 33 SEER Doing the same test you did draws about 390 W
Brilliant. What do you think about Gree or DAIKIN products?
@@GlossaME good product. For the GREE purchase the higher level product line.
They sell different levels of products
@@coldfinger459sub0 Thanks man. I'm looking to heat a 55 square meters home here in Romania (550 square feet roughly). It gets down to -20 in winter (-4 F). And thinking of buying a 18000 single interior minisplit or 2 x 9000 interior units. Still pondering over one or two Gree Fairy minisplits
@@GlossaME the more air tight and sealing you do around the house makes a big difference. And the more “PROPERLY” installed and type of insulation well mean you will need less energy to heat your apartment.
Give you a exaggerated example
If you took a perfectly sealed air tight box the size of your house with a R insulating value of say 80.
A 200 W heat pump would be able to raise the temperature to 80°F in the winter when it’s -20°F outside
In the winter time you may wanna try a experiment make a wooden frame about 24 mm² and cover it on both sides with sheet of plastic so you traps of the air in the middle install it in all your windows in the coldest winter time and install heavy curtains close to the window. This is a cheap simple way of stopping heat loss. Trapping air between the plastic and seal around the frame.
@@coldfinger459sub0 I have double glazing all around. The house is made out of clay (traditional method of building, with bricks made out of dirt and straw) about 20 inches thick. It's a compact shape, roughly a square but divided into 5 smallish rooms (hallways, rooms, bathroom and kitchen). I could leave the doors open and have a 180000 BTU unit in roughly the center, but will that be enough? Or should I go the safe way and buy two smaller units and each one taking care of one half the house.
How many watts does a 12000 mini split require for startup? Will a 2000w modified sine wave inverter with a 4000w surge operate it?
Yes, I believe that would work fine..
Best video!! You’re great!!! Thanks!!
Your really killing it
Today's mini split AC units run a little more efficient with a higher seer rating have you thought about investing in a newer one ?
Thank you for sharing this!
Great information! Amazing video, thanks bro
Thanks for the post. Did you measure the power or amps more than four hours? for example, 48 hours
No I didn't, but I should have... Not able to do that at the moment because I have moved to a new home and don't have that same unit connected
THIS low seer unit is not a inverter design as witnessed by the compressor turning on and off so this is rather outdated. From old literature a inverter unit is 30% lower operating cost.
Inverter units will turn on and off, the only difference is they will start gradually and decrease the consumption of power thru it the cycle, for example if the unit consume 1500 watts it will slowly decrease thru the cycle on stages 1500-1200-900 etc to where conventional mini split will always run 1500 during the cycle.
I just installed a Comfortotal ($500 ebay special) and it runs at 1100 watts ~26kwh for a day running flat-out. Bit more juice, but it kept my oversized 2 car garage at ~74 with air temp over 100 in Phoenix
12k? Seer?
@@jacksinthebox8029 Yes, 12k. I don't know the seer. I'm fairly certain the one they say on the ebay listing is...optimistic It did keep the garage under 80 when it was 115 out tho, so I'm pretty happy with it for the price
Do you need a 15 amp breaker or 20amp breaker?
@@cocoslover100 I'm running off a standard 15 amp breaker
@@steveseattle6791 cool, is it 115V or 220v unit?
I would like to know what the kilowatt hour usage is on heat?
Good info thanks! Have you done the video yet testing it with a car battery and inverter?
I have a 2000 watt inverter and as soon as the AC unit kicks on the inverter cut off, my inverter is just a cheap Chinese version so I'm guessing I need an inverter that can handle more amps..
MYLOADS Myloads check out something like this czcams.com/video/cjLzqmUmTcM/video.html
Thanks ,i wanted to know real life watts useage for a mini split . Not a theory . But how hot outside? Pretty hot is a relative term ;) , Florida summer hot ? 93 degrees and high humidity . Philippines hot where i will retire to ? Where its close to 90 and a whopping 80 % humidity ? Its bloody muggy there . But still now i have a good idea ,about 875 watts per hour .
Thank you .
Here in Oregon 80° is hot , humidity is usually quite low compared to FLA or the Philippines.. I have been to Philippines several time and it's super hot there...
Me too, I was stationed there. When you look up humidity on google it should just show a picture of PI, lol
i think you should build a hover craft with a vaccuum and car battery for power
Yes, Ron King, Just for you buddy, we built a hover Board skateboard with a combustion engine that runs on methane fart gas, and used a special pair of underwear to capture and collect the gas from last night's broccoli and beans dinner.
We sent the Gas down the hose to the Hoverboard and , it melted into a pile of scrap.. so further testing is on hold
this minisplit is consuming 6.77 amps and the labels say 9.5 on cooling probably is low on refrigerant ?? a 1 ton or 12000btu in 220 volts will consume this 6 to 7 amps
That's a good observation, my guess is that on extremely hot days the unit has to work harder to cool the room and not as hard on cooler days
@@myloadsmyloads5368 is correct the exterior temp made the compresor work more or less and thanks for your repply
The amp draw of an air conditioner changes as the temperature/humidity of the indoor air changes and as the temperature of the outdoor air changes, especially with an inverter driven compressor. This is a complicated discussion but in short...you will almost never see an air conditioner pulling it’s rated amp draw, even if it is perfectly charged and installed. Unless you are checking the system at extremely hot condition. In other words, the amp draw of an air conditioner will climb as the heat load on the system climbs. The more word the system does, the more power it will consume.
I have an important question to ask I noticed your mini split and a lot of others have two separate amp ratings one for the heating side one for the cooling side mines only has one amp rating when I look at the sticker of 14.5 amps does that mean that the cooling is around 7 amps and that the heating is around 7 amps giving me that 14 amps ?
Great video.
Man, this is EXACTLY what I was wondering!!!..... So..... If I were to get a split system (for one large room in my house), connected it to an inverter with about 1000 watts of solar, could I consider getting free AC as long as the sun is shining bright? I'm in Arizona where the sun a BRIGHT for many hours. Thoughts?
With batteries and a inverter, yes. Solar does not give consistent power and the AC will not work right with variable power, so some batteries with an inverter would balance the solar and AC out.
At some point you gotta ask yourself, why not just run the mini-split in the single large room and keep central A/C turned off or set high.
@@krisbrixon Ya, that's exactly where I was going, Solar cells, Lithium ion batteries (Quite a few of 'em) connected all to an inverter, then run the AC for all time, NO electricity bills from THE most draining electrical thing in a house. .... BUT, what's the payoff? Because all that I just mentioned costs QUITE a hefty bill, how many years is the return on investment? That's the hurdle I have to find out. After that predetermined amount of time, THAT is when you're getting FREE AC.... Thoughts?
Can somebody compare this to another appliance.... Like this kind of wattage is equivalent to running a refrigerator.... I want to understand but i need simpler terms.
how did you change the wiring so that you can plug it into a regular 115v wall outlet
some are from the factory 115v and the larger ones 12k and up are usually 230v
What was the amp draw when the compressor 1st kicked I wonder. That’s when it should have its highest draw.
It is there on the meter because the meter shows you what the highest amp draw was at any time during the test but I would say these inverter style mini split air conditioners don't require a huge amp load at startup
@@StarboundSound installed 4 in my house after this, when I tested they ran 9amp at the kick. No biggie at all
What gauge is the power cords u used on the mini split?
I actually had a heavy duty extension cord that had been ran over by a lawn mower so I used the end of that for my mini split but I would say it's pretty heavy duty like a construction grade extension cord
@Outside The Box oh ok that's what I did I got me a heavy duty 3 prong cord to run it on my solar
sooooo. that is the worst of the worst. compressor almost never comes off on the lowest temperature. 24 degrees celsius on low speed would probably draw maybe 25% or less of that.
13 SEER for a 12,000 BTU mini slip is very poor performance, Mitsubishi's 12,000 BTU unit is a 23 SEER.
But Unfortunately you can't buy a complete ready to install mini split made by Mitsubishi for under 500 bucks..
In this unit was a cheap eBay unit cost was like $420
@@StarboundSound You are correct, so 13 is ok.
Half ass work.