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Has anybody tried this Mini split???

Lazyman

Overkill is under-rated.
Veteran
How big of a room and what kind of building? Is it sealed up airtight (besides the hoods) or what?

I'm starting to shop for these too, but I think I'm gonna do a 2HP water chiller to an indoor heat exchanger, less power and in the wintertime the chiller probably won't need to run at all if I have a 55g res outside for it.
 
It's a bedroom in a house bro. Don't know the exact dementions. I'm runnin Coco, drain to waste. No need for a chiller, even though i have a 2.5 HP chiller that i haven't used for a couple years.
I know what size i need, and how every thing will work. I've been ACin rooms for many, many years.
I'm just wondering if anybody has used this actual company or unit.
I've been running custom built AC boxes for the last couple years, and now i'm looking to switch to a mini split.

Also wondering if this is a descent price for this size unit?

Thanks.
 

noone88

Member
You have to get a Mini-split with inverter technology. This feature will allow the unit to increase/decrease the amount of cooling necessary to reach the desired temp. Otherwise, the unit is always on full blast, or off (most likely pushing air).

I picked up a 3 ton Mr. Slim unit and it has far exceeded my expectations. 6x600 on tables and 4x600 mini coliseum and my room remains a rock steady 78 degrees.
 
G

Guest 18340

Listen to me good bro 'cause I'm about to save you a huge headache AND alot of $$$.
I bought the 9000btu version of the one you linked, from the very same website.
http://www.portableacshopping.com/mini-split-air-conditioner.html
Mine is the 19 seer 9kbtu.
When it worked, it worked like a dream, so quiet and so damn efficient. But...
Two weeks into running, the "control board" on the outside unit burned out. It's a circuit board with capacitors and stuff.
When I FINALLY got ahold of someone they told me the control board is 3 weeks back order and they are coming from china and have no idea when they will arrive. No shit.
So I wait a few days to cool my head, cause now I had to abort a run 2 weeks into flower and I was fuckin pissed, then I call them back. It took me 2 hours to finally get someoen on the phone. This is exactly what was said to me, "
Sir, I would be just as upset as you are but it is completely out of our hands. The parts come from China and we are in the dark as much as you are as to when they're going to arrive, we've been waiting over 3 weeks. We will not refund your money nor break apart a whole unit just to give you the part you need. We have your phone # so please do not call us anymore, we will call you when the part comes in".
Then he hung up on me.
Stay away from them like a plague.
You cannot use a control board from another brand and I don't know of any AC tech that knows how to fix one, I called several.
Imo, get a Mr.Slim. After this disaster I decided to call around to AC distributors to ask what units are reliable and have readily available parts. Hands down the all said Mitsubishi, Mr.Slim.
Mitsubishi has nationwide distributors and if none of the warehouse across the US have the part then they will 2nd day air it to you directly from the factory.
This is a classic lesson on "you get what you pay for".
If you have any questions about this company, ask away.
Here's my worthless piece of shit...
 

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antimatter

Active member
Veteran
If you buy a mini split makes sure you vacuum pump the lines to 500 microns (need micron meter) before releasing the refrigerant and remember that if you need it worked on you can't just take it in you gotta have a hvac guy come over and hes probably gonna wanna go in your room to check to see its working. Window AC's are cheaper and easier to install and you can take em in for warranties/get repaired etc... just something to think about it.

Peace :joint:
 
O

ogatec

but when you get them working they have many advantages over a window unit! (almost silent,no lite leaks, no smell escape, better humidity control, no window unit hanging out, WAY WAY more efficiant,looks nicer ;),easy use of runoff water,designed to work during cold outside temps,etc)...we didnt use any special meters(just the a/c manifold & vac.pump) when vaccumming just ran the vaccumme for 30 min like the instructions say...
 

waltwalt

Member
My 2 cents,
I got a DIY mini split from one of these small companies and installed it myself, it came pre-charged and had all the stuff with it.
After connecting it and discovering it did not cool I started calling everyone I knew that was in the HVAC business to come over and take a look. Eventually I found a friend that had the right tools to work on the system AND had refrigerant to recharge the system.
He found a leaky valve inside the outdoor unit which had leaked out all the pre-charge, so I had the company send me a new valve which also turned out to be faulty so I had them send ANOTHER valve out, that one worked and I got the system finally up and running.

I guess morale of the story is unless you know someone in the business that you don't mind knowing you have a grow-op (my buddy apparently does this for a few other people as well) buying one of these units is a gamble, you won't know if it works or not until it's installed, and by then it's too late to check the yellow pages.

-ww
 

antimatter

Active member
Veteran
but when you get them working they have many advantages over a window unit! (almost silent,no lite leaks, no smell escape, better humidity control, no window unit hanging out, WAY WAY more efficiant,looks nicer ;),easy use of runoff water,designed to work during cold outside temps,etc)...we didnt use any special meters(just the a/c manifold & vac.pump) when vaccumming just ran the vaccumme for 30 min like the instructions say...

30 minutes isn't a rule, it could take 2 hours or 3 hours to get down to 500 microns.. is it really worth the couple thousand dollars you spent on the thing to leave moisture and dust in the lines and break it? Im pretty sure your warranty is void if you don't have an hvac guy do everything. You can buy 3 ton window air conditioners and you could run as many of those as you wanted if your op was big enough and you don't need a "cool" hvac guy. You also can build a box enclosing the exhaust of the window ac and exhaust with a vortex out of the box (you don't cover up the intakes but those are not inside the room, if you want the intakes inside of the room you gotta duct those along with exhaust.)

You can intake cold air from your basement or outside and exhaust the hot air and heat your house in the winter and exhaust outside in the summer, sounds like a good deal to me
 

habeeb

follow your heart
ICMag Donor
Veteran
from evlme, I know in my hawaii house we have the mitsubishi coolers and they ran so good, this was for normal air con and not sure if they differ for grow ops..
 

iniquity

Member
ac tech

ac tech

been an ac tech for 15 years. give the square footage of the room, L x W, and i will tell you what size unit you will need.
 

iniquity

Member
willing to answer any ac ?'s

willing to answer any ac ?'s

feel free to ask any question you might have. will try to answer and help anyone who needs it.
 
B

boo

I too run a mitsubishi mr. slim...very good unit but I am going to replace it when needed with the new lg unit...my current unit cools 3.4K of lighting but has a difficult time with the summer temps...hard for it to go below 74 degrees in august
 

REZDOG

Active member
Veteran
Inverter splits work superfuckingood.
Seen 'em,used 'em,love 'em!
The big un's are +20,000 BTU of Pure Chill,a 25,000 BTU unit can cool 6kW,or 12 kW on a flip. Always buy an inverter model,and always buy far larger than you think you'll need. Don't buy cheap,Chinese crap-the best ones cost <$2,000.00 for a +20,000 BTU unit. If you have to pull a multi-1000w grow because your cheap-ass split quit-you deserve it. I've seen lots of bs with splits-bad circuit boards which took weeks to replace,begrudgingly,and under-charged units....HVAC Guy time! I've also seen the split's installation headaches involving amateur installers which eventually needed a serious HVAC guy,as well. (Just because it claims to be an easy install,doesn't mean shit!)
If you have a kick ass HVAC guy,like I do (now!) then these are exactly the right thing to do. If you're gonna' attempt DIY and don't have an HVAC guy,you run about a 80/20 chance of fucking it up and getting stuck.
Splits are really popular,and here's a Big Tip:
....Instead of ordering one from some Chinese-child-labor-fueled, ether-company,head to your local home supply distributor and pick one up.
Pay cash,save the receipt,and that way if it fucks up (or you do!) you just drag it back,screama & bitch,and get a refund or whatever.

Most of the issues I've seen with splits,is people ordering them from ether-companies that won't support the crap they sell.
Splits are great. Do your homework,cover your bases,and if you do it right,your plants will never be too hot,again.



Cheers!


Boo,
Why would you ever need to be under 74f?
There's no reason I can think of,I run at 76-77f constantly,day and night,ahve for years,and get great results.
I ran at 72f for years,and it was a waste of electricity and AC wear and tear.
 
Dragunn, Did you read the thread or Evlme2's post? Some people don't take advice at all, even when given to them by experienced people but trust me on this (evl didn't)...do not get a cheap mini split! Get a Mitsubishi Mr. Slim and you won't have any problems that aren't easily solvable. Some people seem to have nothing but bad luck but it is purely lack of foresight or hardheadedness.

Rez, you speak the truth but I'd like to correct a small point. Do not go for the largest A/C you can buy. Buy one that is the correct size for your application. Otherwise you might as well order a dehumidifier with your A/C as you're gonna need it. An oversized A/C is terribly inefficient at pulling humidity out of the air as well as it short cycling which is horrible for the life of your system. Inverter tech, as far as I have seen, will not make up for this if it is greatly oversized.
 

noone88

Member
I always go one-ton more than what I need per the calculators. This is largely dependent on where your grow room is located (second floor, facing south or southwest etc) and regional temps.

I have always found the need to run a separate dehumidifier to pull the moisture out. When the night cycle happens, the AC is barely running, but the humidity increases rapidly.
 
G

Guest 18340

I too run a mitsubishi mr. slim...very good unit but I am going to replace it when needed with the new lg unit...my current unit cools 3.4K of lighting but has a difficult time with the summer temps...hard for it to go below 74 degrees in august

Whats size room/unit? Are the lights air cooled? Curious 'cause we both live in the same climate. Which LG unit you eyeing?


Johnny Rotten is 100% correct, he warned me and I did not listen.
Let me be clear, mini split units are ROCK (I'm going to buy a Mr.Slim without a doubt), just stick with the top name brands.
Chances are good that if you've never heard of that brand then they're not worth the headache that will certainly come with that cheap price tag.
Please folks, take heed...Evl
 

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