Posted: 6/29/2017 11:37:09 AM EDT
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I have some rental properties, namely a triplex that is needing 3 new AC units. One of the rental units needs a new AC unit very soon, the other 2 rentals each need new ones in the coming 1-2 years.
2 of the rentals are 1 bedroom units between 550-650 sq ft. One rental is ground level, the other is both ground level and up stairs. The third unit is a 2 bedroom, 700 sq ft up stairs. I want to go mini split simply because I can do much of (all maybe?) The install myself. What brands should I be looking at? This caught my eye https ://www.alpinehomeair.com/viewproduct.cfm?productID=453074775&linkfrom=froogle&gclid=CjwKEAjwytLKBRCX547gve7EsE4SJAD3IZV6RCC1YvZTHEEKeWI7rh1eYr30eBSY3nanmxNWo3AMyBoCv2rw_wcB Anyone with first hand experience care to chime in? |
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As a licensed GC that just installed a three zone mitsubishi system in my own shop, I'll throw in a few pieces of info.
What's the layout of these apartments? Are the mini splits intended to supplement the existing system, or full replacement? Mini splits are generally designed for "single room" use. What I mean by that is the temperature control is built into the unit. Even in a 700sqft apartment with what I'm assuming has multiple rooms due to being two stories, you're going to have a serious temperature differential between the multiple rooms / stories. That's why you've got a heating / cooling device in every room of the home typically. Heat rises, so depending on the construction of the property, the likely situation is you're running that thing at 66-68 degrees downstairs to get a comfortable 72-74 degrees upstairs. Plus, you've got no way to circulate that air to generate movement throughout the whole house. The above average handyman can run the line sets, power, disconnects, etc, but without the proper tools you're going to have to pay an HVAC tech a few hundred bucks to pull a vacuum and charge the system. I spent $3800 on my three zone Mitsubishi with two 9000btu and one 7000btu units. Came with a 10 year warranty, IF I filled out the warranty cards and provided an invoice where I had it powered up and charged by a licensed HVAC tech. But, I've got one in each room. A 9000btu in each 12x24 room, and a 7000btu in a 12x16 room, all with 10 foot ceilings. Trying to get a single unit to cool the entire property will be very challenging due to lack of circulation. |
| Mitsubishi mr slim is the way to go. Easy and work great . I have a small house 2 units. A large one for the first floor and a small for the 2nd. It's mostly open concept so few doors to stop flow. Usually just have a fan on to help with air flow in the other room. |
Might consider "horizontal ducted" mini-split systems - since they use ducts, one unit can feed several rooms. Most of them have the option of using either a wall-mounted wired-in thermostat, or a wireless hand-held one.
The "Pioneer" brand has a tremendous number of good reviews on Amazon, and their website has complete documentation (including service manuals) for every model. They're Chinese-made, but seem to be decent quality - at a small fraction of the cost of a Mitsubishi system with similar specs. |
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I have an LG mini split in my master bedroom. 5 years and never done a thing to it besides clean the filter. When I buy my next house, if it doesn't already have a good central air system, I will go with a full mini split system for the whole house
Mini Splits when properly configured, can save a significant amount of money every month over central air, but the initial cost for hardware is a little more. The other nice thing about mini splits is 90% of the work can be done yourself if you have some mechanical ability. But as stated above, you will need to have a real deal HVAC guy come and charge the system. The proper tools to do that can cost a couple grand. Not something a handyman will have. |
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Thanks for all the input. I'll check out the pioneer as recommended.
I talked to my ac guy today and picked his brain about me doing 90% of the install (I'm confident I can do this) and him being on call for anything I can't do myself. He gave me a fair indication of price so I think it's just a matter of picking a brand. To talk a little bit more about what someone brought up with the multi head systems, at least the 2 bedroom upstairs rental, as well as the 1 bedroom split level will need probably 2 heads, which I'm prepared to do. |