Who installs wall AC units?

Considering putting one in my master bedroom (window's too big for a window unit), but can't seem to find an installer.

Most AC companies I've found only do HVAC and mini-split. Any thoughts on where I should be looking?

 

That would be a job for a carpenter or home handyman.
If you needed power run to it then you'd need an electrician too.

 

A mini split will be more $$$ , but much quieter . And maybe , more energy efficient .

I cut an opening in the wall of our converted garage ( computer room & junk room ) and installed a conventional window shaker .

Needed better cooling in our living room / dining room . Not enough avalable wall space , dur to door , windows & furniture , to do the same .

So I bought a mini split & with the help of younger son , Wifey and God , we installed ourselves . Wifey's coo-coo clock makes more noise ticking , than the mini split ! :-)

This is our second cooling season . We also used the heat pump mode , this last winter ( untill outside temp went below 25 F ) .

So far , very pleased . Only draw back if more expensive and installation is more involved than a window shaker or a wall unit .

God bless
Wyr

 

I really want a mini-split, but was quoted $6K-$8K for a 2-zone install.

This might sound like a silly question, but what's the best way to find a handyman these days? Angie's List? I'm new to WA and all the people I know are renters, so word of mouth isn't very reliable. ;-)

 

A window can be too small but never saw a window too large. If your referring to those accordion side panels it is best to not use them any way. Better to make custom panels anyway.

 

I could put a window unit in, but the window measures 70"Wx60"H and opens horizontally (casement style). Putting in a window unit is just going to end up downright ugly and compromise the lighting in that room.

 

What brand mini-split did you install? I have read where some mini-split heat pumps continue to heat down to 0 degrees outside temperature.

 

Have you looked at any of the casement window units on the market?

 

I have, but even the biggest one will only fill up half of the height of my window, meaning I will have to fill up the other half with plywood or something else that is going to look ugly. This window faces the street and would end up being a pretty bad eyesore, not to mention that my use of that window would be severely limited.

At least with a wall unit, I can install on a side wall and the AC wouldn't be visible from the street.

 

The best way to find someone, IMO, is check your local newspaper and local phonebook. Angie's List is not free (I don't think so, anyway) and not always reliable either.

 

A bit of work but you could make a panel for above the A/C that is a wood frame with glass. More cost but a full service glass company could make a metal framed stationary window panel with insulated glass to fill the space. A replacement vinyl window company might be willing to make you a stationary vinyl window the correct size to fill the space above the A/C. As casement A/Cs are usually more expensive for basically the same unit since you have the opening space I'd go with the regular A/C.

Even going through the wall you could use a window A/C. There are just some special considerations because of side and top vents.

 

I bought a 13 SEER bottom of the line mini split . At the time , I was 99% interested in cool .

Heat pump mode was just an almost freebe to experiment with when the weather changed .

It is still putting out heat at 25F , but it seems to be struggleing , LONG time for it to cycle off . I just turn it off and turn on the gas fired furnace .

I have read that the high SEER units do better .

I did not know how well a mini split would turn out , so I bought the least expensive I found in stock , locally .

To me , a mini split is only cost effective if you can do a self install . But , then , to me the same applies to any HVAC type .

A window unit will most likely be the most cost effective .

God bless
Wyr

 

I only asked because I have been toying with the idea of replacing a through-the-wall Carrier unit with electric resistance heat with a mini split at another location. Whether installed in a window or through-the-wall, units of that type leak a surprising amount of air through them where with the mini split there would be no leakage at all if installed properly. I have seen that most mini splits are from companies like Fujitsu and Mitsubishi, but I believe Luxaire now has one out too. Luxaire is from the same company as York. I haven't looked at any ratings recently and just wondered what brand you bought.

 

Comfort Aire .

The top of the line units are made in Japan ( or , are they , look close ) and they are $$$ . Pretty much all the rest , including mine , are made in China .

The 13 SEER unit I have , cycles off and on , as they always have . The higher SEER units have a variable speed compressor and they slow down as they approach the set point temp .

They may eventually shut off . Do not know ? Get the highest SEER you can afford . I have heard some work down to around 5F in heat pump mode . I would bet they would be cheaper to run than resistance heat .

As you said , little to no air leakage . No duct work loss , to . And when you are not occupying the room , shut it off .

You can get systems that have 1 condenser unit operating up to 4 inside fan coil units . To serve 4 rooms . Biggest draw back , I see to that , is if the single condenser unit goes bad , the whole system goes down . I would lean more to individual systems .

God bless
Wyr

 

Over the July 4th weekend I, along with my 16yr son installed a new mini-split heat pump. After doing much research over the winter I decided on a DIY model that was available through Amazon for a very good price. I hope I don't regret it. I wasn't sure if I'd have to put in a concrete slab to sit it on, or use optional wall hangers. I opted for the heavy-duty hangers - delivered overnight. Part of the reason for choosing a mini-split was that I'm in the process of finishing my basement, media room/office and general man cave and wanted something quiet. A mini-split seemed like the perfect solution.

Since it was a DIY approach you never know what you will face and the tools you will need. The most time consuming part of it was the hanging of the inside unit. This involved lots of measuring to ensure I was between studs and that the 3" hole required through the wall was also stud-free. Neither of the units are heavy, so that helped a lot when positioning them into place. Feeding the lineset through the wall and getting it mounted on its brackets was tricky though. After a few minutes we had it in place. We then turned our attention to the outside unit.

As mentioned above I opted for hangers that can be mounted on a wall to hold the unit. The hangers only came with molly style (compress out when tightened behind the wall) bolts used for outside walls. I was really surprised by how light the compressor unit was when my son and I unpacked it. In my case, I wanted to mount the hangers into concrete. Since it would be mounted right outside my new office and audio listening room, I figured that the foundation wall for the compressor unit would be better than the exterior wall of my office. Hopefully the concrete (and earth) will help absorb some of the vibrations and noise coming from the outside compressor. Not sure how loud it will be, but didn't want a real noisy unit right outside the my new quiet space. So after another trip to HD for some concrete lag bolts, concrete drill bit and an electrical PVC hook-up kit, we had what we needed to proceed. A day earlier I had installed the 230v disconnect box and run the 230v line from my basement, so we were pretty much set to go outside.

The installation of the hangers went very smoothly, and we managed to get them level and on the required 19.5" centers. The electrical to the unit was a bit more involved, and the normal way of bring the wire into unit was simply under a small plastic/nylon door retained by a small screw. This was not going to work with my PVC tubing and look halfway presentable and up to my standards. So after a little investigation of the room inside the unit (top off), I was able to come up with another solution that worked perfectly - albeit I had to drill a 3/4" hole in the side of the unit to secure a right-angle fitting for the flexible PVC tubing. This ended up being a much cleaner and neater solution and one that will hopefully still past inspection. BTW, I think it's much better than the original solution from the factory! Since I was not going to power it up immediately, I did not connect the line-set from the inside unit to the outside unit yet, nor the electrical control lines.

I haven't applied power to the unit since I don't have any power to my new subpanel yet. That's where the 20-amp circuit breaker will be located. I'm getting anxious though to hear how it sounds and if it works as advertised.

 

What brand of unit did you buy ? What BTU size ? What SEER rating ?Quick-Connect line-set or the standard flare fittings ?

If you do not have the lines connected to the condenser unit , make sure you do not have / leave them " open " & allow moisture or foreign matter to enter .

If you have the flare fitting line-set , you need to vacuum the system down ( after connecting them ) before you open the service valves & release the refrigerant ( inside the condenser ) through out the system .

I do not know if I mentioned this , previously , but the ticking of my Wife's coo-coo clock , is louder than the mini split . :-)

God bless
Wyr

 

What brand of unit did you buy ? What BTU size ? What SEER rating ?Quick-Connect line-set or the standard flare fittings ?

Caribou, 18,000BTU, 13 SEER Rating, Quick-connect lineset

If you do not have the lines connected to the condenser unit , make sure you do not have / leave them " open " & allow moisture or foreign matter to enter . Done

If you have the flare fitting line-set , you need to vacuum the system down ( after connecting them ) before you open the service valves & release the refrigerant ( inside the condenser ) through out the system .

I do not know if I mentioned this , previously , but the ticking of my Wife's coo-coo clock , is louder than the mini split . :-) You did.

God bless
Wyr

 

What size is the room ? 18,000 BTU is a 1-1/2 unit . Fair amount of cooling .

God bless
Wyr