Anyone with experience with a mini split unit ?

[amboy49]

I am thinking about putting a mini split unit in my workshop. It’s a 16 x 24 insulated building. I currently heat it with a 220V space heater but have no a/c. Hoping to get the best of both worlds - heating and cooling and better efficiency/less cost for the heating side. Thinking a 12,000 BTU unit will be sufficient and it’s been suggested I get a 220V unit rather than 115. I have 220 going to my existing space heater so compatibility shouldn’t be a problem.

So. . . . . .good experience or bad ? Does 12,000 BTU sound sufficient ? What about installation ? Some describe installation as pretty simple with the refrigerant lines self charged and pretty much plug ‘n play (?) I may imply I know a little about this but in reality I’m starting from square one. Plus my wiring capability is less than zero.

TIA

 

[churchmouse]

I am thinking about putting a mini split unit in my workshop. It’s a 16 x 24 insulated building. I currently heat it with a 220V space heater but have no a/c. Hoping to get the best of both worlds - heating and cooling and better efficiency/less cost for the heating side. Thinking a 12,000 BTU unit will be sufficient and it’s been suggested I get a 220V unit rather than 115. I have 220 going to my existing space heater so compatibility shouldn’t be a problem.

So. . . . . .good experience or bad ? Does 12,000 BTU sound sufficient ? What about installation ? Some describe installation as pretty simple with the refrigerant lines self charged and pretty much plug ‘n play (?) I may say like I know a little about this but in reality I’m starting from square one. Plus my wiring capability is less than zero.

TIA

THe unit you list is going to be short for the space you have,
1-How tall are the ceilings
2-what kind and how much lighting.
3-what kind of work is this shop set up for.
5-How often will any large door (overhead) be open.
6-Is the building well insulated.
7-yes go with the 220V unit.
Our family room is a remodeled garage that was self-standing until I built the laundry/mud room onto the house and joined it with the old garage. It is 14' wide by 16' long. Old single car structure. It is well insulated and has a 12,000 BTU wall unit for cooling. It keeps up but gets pushed a bit on 90* plus temp days. It maintains but I wish I had gone with the next size up unit. The only real heat load is the 72" flat screen TV. The lights are all LED and really do not add any heat load.
Air flow is an issue with a mini split as no duct work/big fan to circulate the air out to the perimeter of the conditioned space.
You may want to have a proper heat load calculation done on the shop so buy once blah blah blah.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Avoid the DIY solutions. Ive seen lots of complaints.

Also avoid Sanyo. I have one of those on the wall of my server room to supplement building AC. Its been relegated to a backup because due to poor design, it had moisture issues that caused harmless non toxic mold and dust to build up on the squirrel cage. It was fine until it started to eject the gunk out into the room and I'd have to constantly sweep up the chunks. And cleaning it in place with a brush wasnt effective.

When I asked for the unit to be cleaned, I was told to buy a new one. Because due to the poor design, Sanyo's have to be drained and torn down completely to get the 'cage out to clean it. And the cost of that was 70% of a new unit.

 

[churchmouse]

Avoid the DIY solutions. Ive seen lots of complaints.

Also avoid Sanyo. I have one of those on the wall of my server room to supplement building AC. Its been relegated to a backup because due to poor design, it had moisture issues that caused harmless non toxic mold and dust to build up on the squirrel cage. It was fine until it started to eject the gunk out into the room and I'd have to constantly sweep up the chunks. And cleaning it in place with a brush wasnt effective.

When I asked for the unit to be cleaned, I was told to buy a new one. Because due to the poor design, Sanyo's have to be drained and torn down completely to get the 'cage out to clean it. And the cost of that was 70% of a new unit.

Unless properly sized/installed as in location and such mini's are not the end all.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Unless properly sized/installed as in location and such mini's are not the end all.

And I have seen multiple sponsored posts on FB where people have awful times with them, and the companies wont warrant the systems. Ive seen several cases of "my ________ cracked and now the system wont work and support has stopped responding to me!" followed by "the company has replied to this poster privately".

 

[hoosierdoc]

@Tactically Fat has one i think

I have one in our workout room. Had it installed by a pro. As camera said, the self charged ones tend to leak. Mine also leaked but has been going strong x 2 years. Nice addition to our sunroom.

 

[amboy49]

This 16x24 building is actually my woodworking shop. The “main” floor has an 8’ ceiling. There is actually a second story with gable ends that is used for storage. The roof line down the center is tall enough for me to stand up - I’m 6’ tall. The building is not on a concrete foundation, it actually sits on 6”x6” piers every 4’ on center. The walls and ceilings are well insulated And covered with drywall. Lighting is hung florescent or LED. Nothing in the single open room is generating any heat.

One thing that has occurred to me is to question the dust effect and how the sawdust I generate from my table saw, chop saw, planer, sander(s), etc. will negatively impact the operation. I do have a dust collection system attached to the major machines - table saw, planer, chop saw - but there is definitely saw dust being made.

Will the dust eventually clog up the unit to the point of failure of either heat or a/c or both ?

 

[tmschuller]

Mitsubishi mr slim and have it installed. The do it yourself ones are not bad .. tends to be user error. If you don’t have the background for it.
Mitsubishi has been around a long time.. get the heat pump. Sized and like anything else if not installed properly you pay again

 

[nra4ever]

I installed a Mitsubishi m series 12,000 btu in my glass sunroom ( 11’x 16’ with 13’ peak ceiling) in 2015 and it has no problem keeping up hot or cold. I did buy a drip pan heater to avoid problems. Needed to buy 25' line set and a vacuum pump. Super easy to install and works great. If you are handy then no reason you can't install. They come pre-charged.

 

[Hardscrable]

In my shop at home I had a hanging gas heater that was there when I bought the property. I added a window a/c as large as windows would accommodate. It was undersized but lived with it. Put in a mini split 2+ years ago. Is it as “good” as installing an hvac, no in my opinion but that would have been more expensive, taken interior space, run duct, etc. I don’t feel it keeps temperatures in as narrow band as hvac. Am I satisfied, yes overall…B+

 

[dvd1955]

Not sure this would apply, since it's not your living quarters, but there is a federal tax credit if you get the more efficient model. I think it goes by a SEER number the higher the better. The manufacturer would have details and a certificate for this. It was $300 credit, but mine is on a living area.

 

[churchmouse]

No. Not in a wood shop. Mini splits are not happy in extreme environments and a wood shop would cause you grief. A standard wall/window units are more easily maintained/cleaned than a split. They also have a better capacity to circulate air.
Budgets have a lot do do with any major project. Initial costs are a consideration
But unseen issues/costs down the road have to be factored in.
My shop (fabrication/engines/sheet metal /gun bench etc) is about 20’X20’ peak roofline and fairly well insulated. Gas hanging heater.
Through the wall (Window unit) rated at 18,000 BTU on 220V will keep it nice inside until we start to fan the overhead door on a 90+ degree day. Then it works.
We pull it out every couple of years and hose out both coils and the blower.
Been a few years since we even used it as I have not been in the shop for a while.